Easy Cabbage Roll Casserole

Important note: my husband hates this. I love it, though, so I make it a couple of times a winter.

1 ½ lbs lean ground beef or turkey
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can condensed tomato soup
½ cup long grain rice
4 cups shredded cabbage
1/3 cup tomato juice or water
sour cream

Lightly grease the inside of the slowcooker’s stoneware insert.
In a large skillet, combine ground beef, onions, garlic and pepper; cook, breaking up meat with a spoon until browned. Drain off any excess fat. Return to heat and add tomatoes, water and half the can of tomato soup, mixing well. Add rice, stirring to combine.
Into prepared slow cooker, place half of meat mixture, then half of cabbage. Top with remaining meat mixture and remaining cabbage.
In a bowl, combine remaining tomato soup with tomato juice and mix well. Pour into slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours, until bubbling and heated through.
Serve with sour cream.(the recipe suggests mashed potatoes and peas as ideal accompaniments, and I’ve never seen any reason to disagree.)