"Forget trying to roll the cabbage rolls. I tried this once and realized that I didn't need to spend all that time making the rolls because they ended up looking the same on the plate anyways."
1Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease an 8x12-inch baking dish.
2Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir ground beef until crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and discard any excess grease. Stir in onions, water, tomato sauce, garlic, salt and black pepper; bring to a simmer. Add rice, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
3Spread half the shredded cabbage in prepared baking dish; cover with half the beef mixture. Repeat layers. Arrange bacon over final layer of beef. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil.
4Bake in preheated oven until bacon is crisp and cabbage is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
Footnotes
Tip
Aluminum foil can be used to keep food moist, cook it evenly, and make clean-up easier.