I have really been struggling to eat healthy the past couple weeks. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, birthday celebrations and just general blogging (ahem) research I have been on sugar overload. Weeknights leave me wanting something easy to make for dinner that is delicious and requires minimal effort. Because despite my love of cooking, the winter blues and sugar highs have been leaving me with zero energy to devote to cooking.

Enter this casserole. Really, it doesn’t even need to be a casserole. You can make it in the skillet and be done with it. I typically put it in the oven to keep it warm until hubby comes home from work. As you can see in the pictures, it is really hard to make this casserole look appetizing, but I promise it is delicious!

The farro adds a nice chewy texture with a nutty flavor but you could use rice instead if you prefer. You could also add some cheese to the top if that is your thing but I opted to add crunchy slivered almonds instead for a wholesome crunch. Making cabbage rolls is so time consuming but this casserole delivers in a fraction of the time.

Healthy (Unstuffed) Cabbage Casserole

1 pound ground turkey or beef
1 c farro
1 medium sized head of cabbage (I used a mix red and green cabbages)
1 onion
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. celery salt
½ tsp. thyme
1 Tbsp. salt
¼ c red wine vinegar
¼ c slivered almonds

1. Cook farro according to package directions and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Dice onion and chop cabbage into strips.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and onions and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add ground turkey to skillet and break apart while cooking for 10 minutes (until no longer pink).
5. When turkey is finished cooking add cabbage, tomatoes, garlic powder, celery salt, thyme, salt, pepper and red wine vinegar. Cook for 5 minutes, constantly turning the cabbage so it wilts down evenly.
6. Transfer to casserole dish. Top with slivered almonds and bake for 10 minutes.