Preheat the oven to 350*F.

Spray a deep 9 inch square casserole dish with some canola cooking spray set aside.

Heat a skillet over moderate heat. Add 1 tsp of the oil. Once it is hot crumble in the ground steak and scramble fry until it is brown and cooked through. Break it apart as it cooks. Remove and set aside.

Add another tsp of oil to the skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, thyme and paprika.

Cook for about a minute then add the chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar, and cooked ground beef. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes until slightly thickened.

While the meat sauce is simmering, trim the cabbage and cut out its core, discarding. Hand shred the cabbage into strips. Add the remaining oil to a large saucepan and heat. Add the cabbage and cook over medium high heat, until the cabbage is wilted and semi-tender. This will take about 10 minutes.

Stir the cooked rice into the thickened meat sauce.

Layer the ingredients into the casserole dish as follows. Half the cabbage, half the meat sauce, remaining half of the cabbage and the remaining meat sauce.

Cover tightly with aluminium foil and bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until the casserole is beginning to bubble around the edges. Remove the foil and discard. Sprinkle the cheese over top and return the casserole to the oven for a further 20 minutes until the cheese has melted thoroughly and is turning golden.

Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.