This ain’t your mama’s cabbage.
Well, actually it is my mama’s cabbage, so maybe it is yours, too. This ain’t your… grandmother’s cabbage?
What I’m trying to say is that for those of you who aren’t into cabbage, it’s probably because you’re expecting that boiled green sludge that was so popular in the 1950s.
This is the recipe I use to make cabbage lovers out of cabbage naysayers.
No, I’m serious. Give it a shot, and if you don’t like it email me and be like “Finn, you’re wrong. Cabbage sucks. I tried it. It’s the worst and I will always and forever think it sucks.”
The nice thing is, cabbage is cheap, so your little trial won’t cost you much. (Also, I am still truly, ultra confident you won’t write in. Although I will be really impressed if anyone actually does write in- even if it’s to say something blows, it would be neat to receive… mail.)
Ah, right. Anyway…
Colin looked unenthused when I told him we would be having ‘cabbage salad’ for dinner. It was supposed to be a first course but then he finished off the entire thing and had no room for actual dinner (which to be fair, was just some crostinis- but still).
That’s right, he went from ‘ah man, cabbage… stupid food blogging’ to eating AN ENTIRE HEAD OF CABBAGE IN ONE SITTING.
It was impressive. And kinda gross. I mean, I guess I ate some of it, but like- wow, that’s a lot of veggies. At least I know he’s being healthy.
The cabbage in this recipe is lightly sautéed so it is cooked but keeps it’s crunch. Add to that the earthiness of the walnuts, sweetness of the apple, richness of the goat cheese, and acidity and brightness from some balsamic vinegar… it’s a total treat (and pretty darn healthy, but don’t tell anyone).
| Warmed Red Cabbage Salad with Walnuts & Goat Cheese | | Print |
- 1 small head red cabbage, cored and sliced into strips
- 1 small apple (I like Granny Smith), cored and sliced
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic
- 2-3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- Goat cheese
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup walnuts, toasted
- Core cabbage and slice into strips. Core apple, cut into sixths then slice each sixth horizontally so you have thin little triangles of apple. Halve then thinly slice onion.
- In a small frying pan, toast walnuts oven high heat. Stir frequently so they don't burn and remove from heat when they become lightly browned.
- In a large frying pan, heat olive oil and garlic on medium heat until lightly fragrant but not browned. Add sliced onion and 2 Tbs of balsamic vinegar and cook for 1 minute.
- Add cabbage and stir well. Cook for 5 minutes or so until slightly wilted and softened but still bright coloured.
- Add apple, walnuts, salt and pepper and stir well. Add goat cheese and stir gently to incorporate. Taste for seasoning and add an additional tablespoon of balsamic vinegar if it needs some acidity. Serve immediately.
Can I use green cabbage for the same result? I have soo much left over in the fridge..
I have never used green cabbage before in this recipe, but as long as it’s not napa or savoy (which are more delicate and faster cooking), the flavour and texture should be quite similar. Let me know how it turns out!
This is an incredible salad – especially with high quality produce and cheese. I’ve omitted the apples both times I’ve made it and it is still phenomenal. Thank you for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed it, Sinead! It’s one of my all time favourite salads
Well I am going to try this tonight. I had the most delicious warm cabbage salad this past weekend at Sante outside of Charlotte, NC that I want to duplicate. This sounds like a good alternative! But I think I am going to use raisins instead of apples, even though the salad I had peaches.
Interesting mod, Char! Let me know how it goes! 🙂
What amounts would I use for one person? 🙁
Hi Natalia! As a main… halve the recipe… I guessss…. but honestly, I would still recommend making the full recipe since when I lived alone I would make a full batch and eat the leftovers for days (it makes really, really good leftovers since it’s a sturdy leaf). 🙂
DO you heat these leftovers up every day? Or just eat cold?
I usually eat the leftovers cold, Nick, but they certainly won’t lose anything by having them warmed slightly. The cabbage in this recipe is only lightly cooked so it can stand a couple warm-ups before getting too soggy 🙂
I’m using red cabbage to make natural colouring for my bath salt, and I don’t want to just waste the boiled cabbage… I don’t leave it in tooooo long but it definitely isn’t as crispy as lightly sauteed cabbage. I just ate a bunch of it with just salt and figured I should stop or I’ll end up with a rank stomach ache LOL! I loooove cabbage and goat cheese, so do you think I could still use my boiled cabbage to make something like this? If not, any other suggestions? I’m sure in time I’ll get sick of salted boiled cabbage so might as well get my bases covered right now! 🙂
Hi Kelsey! I say give it a shot and let us know how it goes! Since the cabbage is already cooked up, prep everything else for the salad and then throw the cabbage in at the very end with the goat cheese, just to warm it through.
If you still have a bunch of cabbage lying around, why not try a warm braised cabbage recipe? (I make something similar to this: https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/braised-red-cabbage-with-red-onion-and-apples-16533). The cabbage in the recipe already gets cooked for ages so you don’t have to worry about any overcooking, just cut down or maybe even omit the chicken stock and cook it through to let the vinegar and spices infuse the cabbage. If you’re not a vegetarian, it’s great served with bratwurst and mashed potatoes!
Omgoodness. Someone near me reviewed a restaurant online and mentioned their cabbage salad. I had to find a recipe and came across this one. I was pregnant and for some reason goat cheese sounded good to me. This is the first time I’ve had it.
I LOVE this salad.
I’ve tried substituting apple cider vinegar and it wasn’t nearly as good. It tastes good with pecans. I’m often out of walnuts.
I too it with bacon.
Yum.
My kids hated it at first, but now they all eat it! Thanks for the recipe!