This salad is not cute. You don’t need to tell it; it’s sensitive about these things. But like any wallflower about to be revealed as the babe it always was in a teen movie, it’s going to prove your skepticism unwarranted when you stand in the kitchen and eat an entire sheet pan of crispy vegetables. I cannot stop making it. And I cannot stop finishing the whole thing when I do. It’s been like this since I first made it in December, which means I’m about 7 weeks overdue to share it here. I’d spotted a roasted cabbage salad on one of Justine Snack’s delicious Reels. I’ve made roasted cabbage wedge salads, but I loved that this was already in bite-sized pieces and a tahini dressing is perfection here. In my kitchen, I used a less sweet, more lemony tahini dressing with garlic that’s my go-to and added bite-sized pieces cauliflower for more bulk.
There are three key things to keep in mind here. The first is char: Do not be afraid to take these vegetables to the edge of burnt. Both cauliflower and cabbage taste amazing with very dark edges; don’t skimp on them. The second is speed: The moment you mix the vegetables with the dressing, it will begin to soften. It’s still crazy good but the magical moment is when it just begins to soften and each bite is both crackly and tender. The third is yield. This doesn’t make a lot, in the end, because the vegetables shrink so much when they cook. But you’re still limited to what you can fit on a sheet pan. That works out to one generous or two moderate portions. You’ll likely lop off part of your cabbage and cauliflower and wrap the rest up in the fridge for another day, but since this is so good, that day will probably be tomorrow.
Previously
6 months ago: Baked Farro with Summer Vegetables
1 year ago: Rigatoni Alla Vodka
2 years ago: Perfect Vegetable Lasagna
3 year ago: Bodega-Style Egg and Cheese Sandwich and Chocolate Puddle Cakes
4 years ago: Slow-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Korean-Braised Short Ribs
5 years ago: Small-Batch Tiramisu
6 years ago: Miso Black Sesame Caramel Corn and Hot and Sour Soup
7 years ago: Oven-Braised Beef with Tomatoes and Garlic and Pecan Sticky Buns
8 years ago: Chocolate Hazelnut Linzer Hearts and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake
9 years ago: Italian Stuffed Cabbage
10 years ago: Lasagna Bolognese
11 years ago: Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake
12 years ago: Best Cocoa Brownies and Chana Masala
13 years ago: Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes and Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Slaw
14 years ago: Seven-Yolk Pasta Dough and Best Chocolate Pudding
15 years ago: For Beaming, Bewitching Breads
Crispy Cabbage and Cauliflower Salad
- 1/2 pound savoy cabbage (from half a small head)
- 1/2 pound cauliflower (from half a small head)
- Olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper and/or red pepper flakes
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Water, as needed
- Harissa*, to taste
Vegetables
Dressing
Roast for 10 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven just long enough to toss everything around so it colors evenly. Return to the oven for 5 minutes, toss again, and 5 final minutes if needed. Don’t be afraid to get some serious char on the vegetables. They will taste good, not burnt.
Meanwhile, make the dressing in a large bowl. Whisk garlic, lemon, tahini, and olive oil together, then whisk in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches a thick dressing consistency — I rarely need more than 2 tablespoons. Season well with salt and black pepper, or red pepper flakes. For more heat, you can add harissa directly to the dressing to taste, but I love having it on the side of my plate in a dollop.
As soon as the vegetables are crispy, charred, and ready, add them to the bowl with the dressing, toss to coat, and eat right away.
[*] This is my favorite storebought harissa and this is my favorite homemade.
This looks AMAZING. I love your roasted cabbage wedges and I’m also a huge fan of roasted cauliflower – I made the one from Ina’s Modern Comfort Food, which has lemon and parm in it, and highly recommend. Will make this soon!
Is there a good substitute for tahini? My daughter is severely allergic to sesame seeds, but loves roasted cauliflower. We eat your cauliflower with lime butter and pepitas regularly.
Hi Stephanie, I haven’t made this but if your daughter can eat other types of nuts I think cashew butter or sunflower seed butter might make a good substitute.
Is sunflower seed butter okay?
Yes, she can eat anything but sesame. I was thinking peanut butter would probably have the wrong flavor, but sunflower is a good option. Thanks!
I think peanut butter would be awesome. Pistachio butter might be interesting? I would avoid almond or cashew butters as they always leave me feeling disappointed, like something is missing.
Can this be made ahead of time and reheated?
No. This is best right away. It will soften and wilt once it is dressed.
Wow, this is so yummy! I love roasted cauliflower and this is a great variation from how I usually make it. I approximately halved the recipe and cooked it in my toaster oven since I don’t have a real oven right now, and it was a perfect portion for one. This is definitely going in my veggie rotation!
It is still pretty good cold later on!
FYI since I live alone I make it ahead but only dress as I need. I reheat it in the toaster oven so it gets crispy again, then dress. I love love love this recipe so much. Thank you!
Skip the dressing, and add spices to the vegetables before roasting: turmeric, cumin, and paprika are delicious.
Then it’s a different dish.
This dressing is everything. I’m still dreaming about it and I will make it tomorrow just to dip veggies into.
It’s probably way out there thinking of using miso but throwing it out there. Miso is a lot more salty than tahini, so a little bit goes a long way for the umami flavor… just a thought. Good luck.
I bet miso would be amazing-with or without tahini Will try this with miso soon. It’s utterly delicious as written.
Could you make this with purple cabbage?
I just did, it was amazing!
Hi Stephanie, my son is allergic to sesame so we can’t have any tahini in our house. I’ve tried lots of substitutes and my favorite is raw cashews blended with water (cashew cream). You can soak them in boiling water or just use a high powered blender (my preference). This is different than cashew butter. It’s sweeter than tahini, but if you use it with tons of lemon juice, it balances out the sweetness. So my substitute for tahini dressing is pretty much exactly what Deb uses here for dressing with blended cashews in place of tahini. I make a batch with 1 cup cashews and 1/2-1 cup water depending on how thick I want it.
I made it with peanut butter and it was divine.
For what it’s worth, I made this with natural peanut butter the first time because I had not realized I ran out of tahini. Without knowing what it was “supposed” to taste like, it was absolutely delicious.
Have you only used Savoy cabbage or do you have any experience with the more common (and easily accessible, thank you labor and supply chain issues) varieties?
I have tried with regular cabbage before. It works-ish. I find they do roast, they’re just a bit chewier/tougher. The savoy is closer to a lettuce so it gets those thin crackly edges.
If you can’t get savoy, would you recommend regular or Napa cabbage?
Great question. I have not roasted Napa cabbage before so I cannot say for sure. I think try each! I know the ribs of Napa won’t get crispy, but the leaves are a little closer, if not thinner (they’ll need less time, but it might even out if the tray is full).
I ended up finding this “bambino” cabbage and making it with a few of them – it was so delicious! Only problem was that I loved it so much I finished the whole thing and didn’t have leftovers.
Have made this a few times now and it truly is one of the best things I have ever eaten. Is usually the centerpiece of a Middle Eastern style meal – served with pita, labneh, hummus, and a cucumber/tomato/onion salad with lemon, parsley, and mint.
Have tried with savoy and regular green cabbage, and while the green cabbage is still good, savoy cabbage is next level here.
Only thing I do differently is I roast the cauliflower by itself for the first 7-10 mins or so, as I like the cauliflower as roasted as the cabbage.
Thank you Deb – this is amazing (as are several of the recipes on your site)!
I bought Napa cabbage by accident. My 8 year old and I made it together, and ate the entire batch. We did not use all of the tahini lemon dressing which we agreed we liked with less. Delicious! We’re making it again tonight!!!
I just made this today with regular green cabbage and I chopped it in half, then sliced into it perpendicularly (almost like I’m making diced onions if that makes sense) and then sliced it into ribbons that way and it was really good!
Looks delicious. Should the tahini be part of the initial dressing mixing, pre water?
Yes; now fixed. Sorry for the trouble.
I would appreciate clarification on when to add the tahini. I do not see the tahini listed in the instructions. Thanks.
Sorry about that — now fixed. It’s added with the lemon juice and olive oil.
Yes! I don’t see it either!
I roast cauliflower all the time. I’ve taken to using the leaves as well. They taste like cabbage. I’m definitely going to try this salad. Thank you!
Cauliflower leaves are cabbage :)
ughhhhhh in on the middle of making this recipe and I just realized I have no lemons or limes in the house
it still tasted AMAZING w/o the lemon juice……I took another reviewers above and added paprika & cumin…… served it over quinoa
wish I could add a photo to my comment
this is definitely one of my comfort dishes! THANK YOU!
Try a mild vinegar, perhaps rice vinegar, in place of the lemon juice.
Do you think this would work in the air fryer??
I think you’d need a lot of surface area to get it crisp throughout — mine is tiny so it wouldn’t work — but I think there’s definitely potential there.
This looks delicious. I need to make it–and likely consume it all immediately–this week! Thank you for finally sharing it with us.
Would love your rec on what kind of tahini you use. Also, chili crisp in the picture but not the recipe? Just curious if you drizzled some on top – I may try that and report back!
I am using Soom tahini — I like it. And there’s also a jar of this harissa in the photos; it’s my favorite.
You’re seeing a jar of red/aleppo-style chili flakes: https://www.burlapandbarrel.com/products/silk-chili-flakes
Although, chili crisp would surely be good on top too. That stuff is good on everything.
I can’t wait to try this Deb! It will be on my table for dinner tonight! Thanks for sharing.
The cabbage in the photos appears to be green cabbage, although the recipe calls for savoy. A recipe you posted earlier this week also specified savoy (consistent with the photos). Are they interchangeable? It is difficult to get savoy where I live.
It’s a very heavy savoy cabbage that looks like a green cabbage, but it was indeed savoy. You can use regular cabbage too, but it’s a bit different when roasted: a little chewier. Savoy is so close to lettuce that that the leaves get crackly when roasted.
Oooh. This reminds me of my favorite takeout veggie, arnabeet, Lebanese cauliflower.
Looks GREAT. We love roasted veg. I am going to try it with the regular cabbage because that’s what I can get easily right now.
Came home from work, didn’t have cabbage so made with just cauliflower, made this in 20 minutes, have eaten a full head of cauliflower by myself, just picking bits off the roasting tin. Family just starting at me. Unbelievably delicious.
Tahini is not my thing – what other dressing could I use?
We often toss cauliflower with a little oil and curry powder. Or romesco. Totally different flavor profiles but either makes a nice base for my husband’s keto meals
This looked so good, but I could not get it to char or crisp. Even after having it in the oven for twice the time recommended. Still tasty, but not the texture I was hoping for. What did I do wrong? Too much olive oil? Rack not high enough in the oven? Veggies chopped too big? I’m stumped
Probably the pan was overcrowded so everything steamed instead of roasting. Try a few less vegetables on the pan. You could also try using the broiler to get a little crisp if that isn’t working.
It might have just been how much was in the pan/the pan size. I’m using a half-sheet pan, which is 13×18 inches.
Firstly, you always knock it out of the park. Your recipes inspire me daily. And rarely do I need to uuumph the spices or any amounts (as I tend to do with most posted recipes… I like my food to SHOUT HAPPINESS TO ME)
And this is no exception.
The addition of red pepper flakes was how I achieved heat.
But as I tossed my charring my veg, I thought… HEY…. Pumpkin seeds are done like this..
PUMPKIN SEEDS …. which I roast with copious butter and salt. As a garnish in the Fall. Mark me…this WILL happen
I love Pepitas. Great idea!
My husband and I devoured this after eating beef tournedos and mushroom risotto. Who knew we had room for more? So delicious! I made it exactly as written except used regular green cabbage as savoy difficult to source where we are. In February. Absolutely outstanding.
I actually have all ingredients in my fridge and pantry except I have a head of green cabbage, not savoy… any adjustments you think I should make?
Perhaps cutting into thin ribbons to counter the chewiness?
This is sooo good. So good. I accidentally went a little heavy on the olive oil when roasting the cauliflower and cabbage and overcrowded the pan (par for the course, I suppose, when cooking with 3 kids + neighbor kids underfoot), so my final result was more mushy than crispy, but it didn’t matter at all. I added crunchy chickpeas to make up for the mushiness and feta, because why not throw some cheese on there?? My husband and I inhaled it. Will probably separate the veg onto two pans next time. Also used a regular green cabbage and it definitely didn’t disappoint.
Huh, I’ve been thinking about adding chick peas since I saw the recipe. Can’t wait to try.
I added some white beans that I sat with a little lemon and olive oil while roasting and it was great! Thanks Deb for another winner :)
That’s hilarious. The first thing I thought upon seeing the picture was “what an ugly-looking salad”
yummy! I just made a combination of savoy and Chinese cabbage browned to deliciousness in a pan with feta and orange and it was AMAZING with rice. Cabbage has so much more to offer than most people realise. I will try this recipe asap.
So, after asking the question yesterday about whether green (not savoy) cabbage would work, I went ahead and tried it last night with the green cabbage I already had in the fridge. It was delicious! Even my husband, who isn’t a huge fan of cruciferous vegetables, loved it. But the tahini dressing is the real keeper here. Exactly what I’ve been looking for.
Made this last night as a side for burgers and it was delicious! Will definitely make again. There was a bit left over which we mixed in with salad for lunch, yum.
Oh this is magical. I overspiced it and added pistachios for a hint of sweetness that would go well with nuttiness of the roasted veggies. But it’s definitely going in my regular winter rotation.
I only had red cabbage — sliced it really thinly and it browned nicely. I imagine savoy might be better but it’s definitely worth making the dish if you only have red cabbage to hand.
This was delicious! I made it with regular green cabbage + cauliflower b/c that’s what I had. Added a fried egg and it was dinner!
This looks so delicious and I happen to have both cabbage and cauliflower in my fridge! Do you think it would be good over farro if I increased the dressing? To bulk it up into a more filling main course? Love your recipes!
I made this tonight and it will remain in my rotation Yumola! In error I confused with another recipe and added walnuts at the last turn of veggies; so good.
Looks delicious! I also love roasted cauliflower salad with black beans, avocado & red cabbage!
I just made this. Delicious, I made it exactly as written, but added chopped walnuts to add some more crunch.
Gonna try that next time!
I haven’t eaten cauliflower in over 30 years, but something about this recipe made me curious. Turns out I DO like it! This recipe was delicious!
Made this tonight exactly as written, aside from the fact that we couldn’t find a savoy cabbage and had to use a green one instead. It was exceptional. We served it alongside grilled salmon and the two worked together beautifully. Making it again tomorrow for lunch. It really was that good.
Delicious! I have enough cabbage and cauliflower remaining to make again. I served it over Farro for delicious, nutritious dinner. I used Aleppo Peppers when roasted the veggies and added dried rose harissa to the dressing. Perfect amount of dressing. Thank you,
yes, crispy cauliflower is good, the only way to make it taste like something! And a nice texture too in a salad, so thank you!
I can see from earlier comments that it’s not exactly *recommended* but I had half a red cabbage and half a head of cauliflower with no particular plans, so I decided to go for it anyway. I’ll try with savoy soon, but the flavors and textures were great!
I always preheat the baking sheet when roasting cauliflower. It also worked great in combination with the savoy cabbage. Great recipe. It still tastes good the next day. Thanks for sharing.
I saw this this morning and as I am a fan of any/all roasted cruciferous vegetables and tahini based sauces, I immediately went to the store for cabbage and cauli! I served it over arugula and the cold TJs lentils for a wonderfully filling lunch. Can’t wait to eat the other half tomorrow!
This has no business being so delicious, but it is! I made it last night, and it might be the best thing I ate all week. Thanks!!
That picture on the top cheered me up.
I cannot wait to try this and hopefully bring it to picnics this summer.
spider solitaire
I didn’t love this, despite being obsessed with roasted cauliflower, recently liking a dish with roasted cabbage and leeks, and being obsessed with another smitten kitchen tahini dressing (1 garlic, 1/4 cup lemon, 3Tbs tahini, 2tbs water, 2 tbs oil, maybe touch maple syrup to take edge off)
Hello Deb. I have been making air fry french fries and air fry carrot fries lately. I scanned your fry recipes looking for a french fry cutter gadget recommendation. I do not see one. Do you still hand cut fries? Do you have any gadget recommendation? thanks!
OMG it’s so good. I’ve had two bites and am waiting for my salmon to be done resting so we can dig IN.
This is a new fave for sure!
Made this again tonight with purple Brussels (cut small, like 16ths?) and Romanesco cauli — so good! And pretty!
I don’t have any cabbage on hand– What do you think about thin slicing brussel sprouts and roasting them with the cauliflower as a substitute for the savoy? I may try this out, and report back!
Deb, as you’ve made this a bunch, can you tell us what you serve with it? I made it, loved it, and we are making it for dinner again tonight. Last night we served it with bratwurst sausage, and tonight we’re looking for something else. I might try roast pork tenderloin with a ras el hanout rub and rice pilaf, but I’d love to hear your ideas, both weeknight simple stuff and fancier. It’s not pretty but it’s SO good. Thanks!
Absolutely delicious! Despite being a good and regular cook, I have never used Tahini, bought for the first time for this recipe. (My Lebanese BFF is so proud!) My mother who does NOT like vegetables had three helpings! Not a morsel left. I did no have Savoy cabbage- I can see how that would be better on the crisp, but the green cabbage worked very well. I’ll make next time with Savoy ( or napa) . This will be my go -to winter veggie side.
Excellent when hot out of the oven. Also excellent cold out of the fridge at midnight.
As delicious as I was expecting! Looking forward to making this again, many times!
Delicious! Followed the recipe to the letter. Deb is right. I’ll use up the other half of the vegetables when I make it again this week. For our family, it made two servings.
Admittedly, I did not follow the dressing recipe exactly as I was trying to make a larger amount for our family which includes three growing teens. Do the lemon juice and tahini need to be in a specific ratio to avoid separation? This has happened to me in the past when combining those two ingredients and this is a versatile dressing that can be used on a variety of dishes so I’d love to get it right.
Can we officially declare cabbage the ingredient of the year? Its EVERYWHERE and so great.
Is it?!?! I’m lol’ing at this comment because, um, my Slovak grandmother has been using this “ingredient of the year” as the foundation of pretty much every meal except breakfast for most of her 101 years. That eastern European peasant crowd are such trendsetters. That said, she never made this and I bet she’d love it.
Delicious! Used up my leftover cabbage and cauliflower.
This stuff is seriously delicious. A couple things. . .1) For my husband’s and my taste we found it only needs about half the amount of dressing called for in the recipe, 2) The harissa is good, but I made a batch with gochujang and it was absolutely SPECTACULAR! I didn’t measure but I’d estimate I put in about 1 or 1.5 teaspoons. No leftovers!
Since this only makes about two servings, could I roast two trays at the same time or will that disrupt the char?
You might need longer in the oven and to rearrange the trays once or twice, but it will be fine doubled.
This was so simple and great! Served with harissa alongside, as an accompaniment to lamb chops. A keeper!
Deb, you always have cabbage on the menu, and that is why I am here!
I made this last night (with savoy) and it is truly delicious! But it’s not a salad. It’s a vegetable side dish (one that will go in heavy rotation here). Just call it crispy cabbage and cauliflower with tahini.
I cannot stress how delicious this salad is. And how unattractive. Will still be making often!!
I was a lil’ bit skeptical about this, but it is really delicious and so simple. Plus it’s a great dish to feed my husband who is on an extremely low carb diet (= mostly meat)— cabbage and cauliflower are among the few vegetables he likes. I love the idea of adding pepitas and will do that next time.
Yum! This looks delish. Deb, what is the dish that you served it on? It’s intriguing and quite beautiful!
Thank you. It’s from either Crate and Barrel or CB2, maybe two years ago.
Red cabbage is also delicious sliced thinly and roasted til it is charring–an idea I got from Julia Turshen. I actually just eat it with the olive oil and salt it cooked with.
This was great for how easy it was. I added roasted carrots and brown rice (to make enough to share), and I would have added feta if I’d had any. Will make again!
This is so, so good! I’ve already had requests to make this again. I’m craving more just thinking about it. In order to increase the size, I used a full cauliflower and a full cabbage and roasted them on two separate pans. I also added a can of chickpeas that I threw onto the pans near the end of the roasting time, as well as a bit of feta that needed to be used up. I used a regular green cabbage because that’s what was already in my fridge and it worked well, though maybe less crispy than when I’ve roasted savoys in the past. The dressing is delicious (on a related note, I also really love another of your tahini based dressings–the one for the miso tahini sweet potato bowl). Definitely going into my “make again” folder–along with so many others of yours.
Well-stirred tahini….does not exist! I got my upper body workout and bent a couple spoons and a whisk trying to get it done. Sheesh! 😂😂
Soom brand is the creamiest and there’s minimal stirring needed! Flavor is also incredible
Yeah, I have to agree on that. Soom is the only tahini I have ever purchased that seems to hold the emulsion. Minimal stirring indeed.
I have purchased any number of Middle Eastern tahinis and they always separate and solidify. I expect it really isn’t an issue of quality but that the containers are larger and I don’t consume it fast enough.
Anyway – I took a trawl through my local ME market yesterday and today I am feasting on all the things – fresh baked pitas, hummus, baba ganouj, muhammara, and this fantastic cabbage and cauliflower concoction.
I make my own tahini. It’s shockingly easy, cheap, delicious, and always well-stirred.
Use a butter knife to stir it. It’s the only thing strong enough.
Oh Deb, your recipes are so resilient even against people like me who can’t follow an ingredient and quantity list to save my life. I made this with a bag of cauliflower florets and a bag of coleslaw because I was too lazy to shred cabbage and chop up a head of cauliflower. I used peanut butter instead of tahini because I’m not into it and so didn’t have any in the house. I used lime instead of lemon and added a splash of white wine vinegar instead of water and IT WAS STILL DELICIOUS. Like I’ve eaten the whole tray in half an hour. I’ve already added more cabbage and cauliflower to my shopping list.
this was delicious! I had regular green cabbage, it came together so easily and is great. Would be a great addition to a grain bowl!
This was delicious! I did modify a bit: I added a sliced onion to the tray of veggies, and I didn’t have lemon juice, so I subbed half lime juice and half apple cider vinegar. We ate it with rice and black beans and feta, and definitely harissa to taste. So good!
This might be one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. I filled up on this instead of eating the main course I made for dinner and I’ve been scrimping the leftovers to make them last longer. I didn’t change a thing!
This was so delicious! I had half a cauliflower waiting to be used, and a fresh bag of coleslaw…that’s what I used! It took a while to char, but it was so worth the wait. That dressing is divine!
So I just made sweet potato miso bowl this week, and have this jar of wonderful dressing just hanging out. Rather than making a new tahini dressing, do you think that would work here? Or I could just eat it with a spoon…
The answer is yes! Yes you can! And it’s delicious!
Delicious, even my husband loved it.
Tasty warm side dish that’s straightforward to make. The whole fam loved the recipe including the one year old. Thank you!
Made this tonight! Delicious! Added some chili crunch for a little heat!
I’ve eating roasted cauliflower with the tahini-yogurt sauce from your first cookbook for years. This sounds like a delightful variation.
This is so GOOD!! I used broccolini and purple cabbage because that’s what I had. The trick is definitely letting the vegetables get a little crispy and toss with the dressing while hot. Wonderful vegan recipe that will be on repeat.
I made this and it’s amazing! So delicious that I made it twice in just a few days.
I added fresh raw corn for a little sweetness and crunch and can 10/10 recommend
Soooo good! Made it twice already!
Delicious! You can do this with so many variations. Next time, I’ll use the full cabbage and cauliflower and make 1.5 the amount of dressing. I also want to try it with brats or shrimp to make it a heartier meal.
I made this tonight and it was so darn easy. I ended up using the whole cauliflower (it was very small) and spread it across two sheet pans, which was the right call, as even without the additional half cauliflower it was a bit too much for one tray and I worried it would steam. It crisped beautifully. I added fresh parsley. I served it with haddock seasoned with a zataar blend and lemon, and it paired very nicely.
Looks like it’s also gluten-free! This is great news for those of us with family members with Celiac. Excited to make this tomorrow night!
This was sooooo good! I didn’t expect the incredible flavor pop…I paired it with pierogis and it was delish – thank you for this recipe. It will be on frequent rotation in my house!
Absolutely, fantastic recipe 🥂
This was good. Was it the greatest ever? Not necessarily, but there was something about the tahini and the harissa that means I will make it again. I am still thinking about the flavors.
Notes:
Needed more than 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and I mixed the harissa in with the dressing AND put it on the side. Also needed more lemon juice, but I like the acid, so perhaps that’s just preference.
Also, I used savoy cabbage that had been frozen, so it did not get the char on most of it, and I added a can of drained, rinsed chickpeas to make it vegan dinner for two. I could see getting rid of the chickpeas and grilling a steak with burnt crispy bits and that being delicious, too.
I made this as directed, served over farro (as suggested by another commenter) with a fried egg on top and served to my family for dinner. Fabulous!!
This looks delicious. LOVE cabbage. Is this another adapted the Debbie way recipe from Epicurious? I was shocked to see they are a pay site now. I’m curious to learn if you will be paying the fee or going elsewhere. I suppose it is fair enough, but then again they got plenty of dough from ad sales, must we be nickled and dimed to death? Anyway, on my way to the kitchen! Thanks for another great meal!
I made this last night with romesco cauliflower and small sweetheart red cabbages from the winter farmers market. Because the cabbage is small it is tender and worked well. It was delicious.
Gee, this was just okay for us. Followed the recipe exactly-actually doubled just so we could have leftovers. I was hoping for more nuance in flavor-but I didn’t get it. Glad we tried it though!
Sort of combined this tonight with a nytimes recipe for gnocchi crisped in brown butter (1 lb boiled two minutes, sautéed in about 3 tbs butter, covered, another 2-3 minutes). Minus cabbage, plus Brussels sprouts. Didn’t have tahini, so used a couple teaspoons of toasted sesame oil along with the garlic and lemon juice. Added pecorino at the end. Best thing we’ve had in weeks!
We’re big fans of heat but harissa is still new to us. How much would you suggest if we were adding it to the dressing directly?
I did what you said not to do and made a huge batch of roasted cabbage and cauliflower, which I’ve then been microwaving and tossing with the tahini dressing and some pearled barley for lunch. Still delicious!
I found myself without harissa. I added za’atar, extra sumac, some of Trader Joe’s Georgian spice blend, and toasted some almonds. Such a lovely lunch
I found myself without harissa! Instead, I added za’tar, extra sumac, some of Trader Joe’s Georgian spice blend, and toasted almonds. Such a wonderful lunch!
I’ve made this twice in the past week and already have cabbage and cauliflower back on the grocery list. It’s so unbelievably good, and I also used humble green cabbage because it’s what I had on hand.
I put some ground sumac in the dressing and it was extra-lovely! (Maybe a touch of maple syrup too.) Delish!
So I made this for the third time tonight, but it was the first time with a Savoy cabbage. It was great all 3 times but best with the savoy – it really crisped up more than regular green cabbage. I also gave the cabbage/cauli what I call the smitten kitchen treatment when roasting – salt/rp flakes & cumin seeds tossed with the olive oil. Yum!!!
And now I’ve taken to adding a drained, rinsed can of white beans and roasted sweet potato chunks. So good!!
So I had a lemon and olive oil dressing with garlic and oregano already mixed up. Added some tahini into a little of that and poured over the roasted cauliflower. Forgot the Harissa and didn’t have any Napa cabbage on hand. But the roasted cauliflower and dressing were divine. Being able to have this kind of thing at lunch is one of the best things about telecommuting.
This was delicious! Very easy. The most laborious part was cutting the veggies, which wasn’t bad, but next time {and there will definitely be a next time}, I’ll probably use cauliflower florets already cut up, to save time. I’d never used {or even tasted} tahini before. The dressing was a little bland so I added some Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning {I add that stuff to everything} and that helped a lot. Loved the char on the veggies. The family loved it!
This was delicious! I didn’t have cauliflower, so I roasted some cherry tomatoes with the cabbage and it was great. Pretty too! I will save the dressing recipe for other veggies and/or pasta. Thank you!
We do eat cabbage and cauliflower salad at home but never thought of making it this way. I like cabbage more though. In fact, we grow them in our garden. Thanks for the recipe, Deb. By the way, would you suggest using any other oil instead of olive?
My latest addiction, I’ve been adding some curry powder and raisins at the end and serving over arugula, it’s an excellent dupe for the curry cauliflower salad at Sweetgreens.
I’m late to the comment game for this post but still feel compelled to share 2 discoveries related to it.
#1. New York Shuk. It’s the harissa brand that Deb linked to as her favorite store-bought, so I splurged and ordered a few of their products. All are AMPED (Signature Matbucha! Preserved Lemon Paste!) and even moreso was their customer service – truly top notch service in working through 2 issues related to my order, neither of which were of their making.
#2. Speaking of late to the game, cashew cream is a brilliant tahini substitution! Lacking tahini, I soaked some raw, unsalted cashews and blitzed up 2 jewel-toned sauces. One mostly as Deb suggests here and the other with heaps of lime and fistfulls of cilantro. They were perfect dinner bowlmates with brown rice and the roasted cabbage and cauli.
Oh, and please do take Deb’s advice about “to the edge of burnt.” Then, thank her for proffering it ;) (Thank you, Deb!!!)
Is there a way to add protein to this salad? I can’t wait to make it!
It would be great with crispy chickpeas, or roasted tofu.
I just made this for a meal with a very picky friend. It was delicious and we left just enough leftovers for me to enjoy for lunch (I added some edamame to make it more substantial) today. Thanks!
“you” (longtime readers) know how Deb gripes about soups being one note and boring? I finally understood that with this salad. It was fine, and maybe if I added harissa it would’ve lived up to the other reviews. But I didn’t notice any variation to the ingredients, and so the effect was like eating a Manila envelope. Didn’t love it enough to try again with the addition. Almost… didn’t like it? I never understood the soup thing, so maybe this was a salad version of palate-related understanding. I’d add pomegranate seeds, parsley, and roasted almonds for variation if I’d do it again, in addition to the I guess-not-optional harissa.
This is SO GOOD
Omitted all the oil still so so delicious
No Harissa subbed red curry paste
Thank you !
So delicious! I made this for lunch with 13 oz. regular cabbage (ended up with three cabbages due to, umm…cabbage anxiety I guess) & about the same of cauliflower, a scant 2 T EVOO. And despite my request to NOT talk out loud about lack of beauty or color, my partner went ahead and suggested ways to make the salad prettier! Who could stand such a physical? But I do think some raw carrot ribbons, red/purple pepper slices and some sprinkled mint & parsley—if taking it in a Mediterranean direction—wouldn’t be amiss. Another direction could be to add to the roasted veggies some raw colorful pepper slices, scallions chopped on the diagonal, cilantro chopped with its stems, toasted sesame seeds, and to the dressing sub rice wine vinegar for some of the lemon, throw in some minced ginger, soy or fish sauce, and a little toasted sesame oil. And serve that with a jar of sliced jalapeños marinating in water and fish sauce (our new favorite condiment for everything!) Thank you for the recipe! You were right—I started thinking immediately how to incorporate another batch into tomorrow’s dinner!
My veggies refused to char even after 20 minutes so I threw it under the broiler to get the char needed. Probably could have used another fee minutes. Otherwise this was incredible.
Made this tonight It was very good; everyone enjoyed it. My cabbage didn’t crisp well so i put it under the broiler. Used the whole head of cauliflower and cabbage and the amount of dressing was adequate for the additional veg.
I ate my portion right out of the bowl, my husband put his into a tortilla with some brown rice and ate it as a burrito. We both loved it so much we almost forgot to save some for our toddler, who also loved it!
We had some leftover dressing which ended up on our steamed kale for dinner and that was a big hit too.
I always double or triple the amount of garlic called for in recipes which ended up tasting great here, if you are a garlic lover like me.
Could this be made with red cabbage?
Yes, but it burns faster, I find.
I’m going to make this right now, with purple cabbage because I am crazy like that (and that is what I have in the fridge). I expect a bowl of pink deliciousness coming my way in about 45 mins.
Your description was so funny I had to try it! Yes, this cauliflower cabbage salad is a babe! Yum will make again and again!
This is amazing. Love love loved it!
Having a massive plate of this for lunch with the last of the cauliflower down under – so, so good!
Charringly delicious! In the spirit of use what you have, threw a couple garlic cloves to roast with the cabbage and cauliflower, and then added the molten goodness to homemade aioli in place of harissa, perfect with roasted salmon.
my lord this is delicious. i tried it once w/ white cauliflower – super crispy, yum. next time w/ purple cauliflower – didn’t get as crispy. weird. but still inhalably good. curious if there are differences other than color b/w cauli varieties..?
What crazy alchemy is this? Two mundane vegetables, roasted with pantry ingredients, and it’s the best lunch ever. Although I am a fan of harissa, I found it unnecessary here. I love some of the suggestions in the comments—white beans, a fried egg, pepitas—and will see what I have on-hand next time I make this.
OK – this recipe has been stalking on me social forevah, and I finally had a night when my husband wasn’t at home screaming for meat and potatoes, so I away I go.
I made the dressing the night before, assuming that would be bueno to give the garlic time to meld. Was this a mistake? Overnight stay in frig yielded a gloppy mess… but I am not deterred! Thinned with water but was still just tahini funk, so I added some Worcestershire and honey, and I still wasn’t in love, but said we good. or at least good enough.
Made way too much dressing. My half portion needed (as noted!) about 1.5 tblsps. And I have to say … this stuff is legit! I only had green cabbage so who knows if I got the intended result. But what I did get was AMAZING and adaptable, which is always key for me because I’m a kind of “GO BIG on SPICE or go HOME” kinda gal.
Thanks for sharing – i will be riffing on this one for a while!
In the video, you are using a head of green cabbage, cut in chunks. In the recipe, it calls for Savoy cabbage, cut in ribbons. Which is it?
It’s a very dense savoy cabbage.
I made this tonight. Very yum yum. I added just a touch of agave to the tahini dressing as I don’t like the overt bitterness of tahini. Next time I will roast the cauliflower alone for awhile, as it wasn’t charred enough by the time the cabbage was ready. I also forgot to dip in the harissa. Next time! Thank you!
Outstanding. I made it with green cabbage because I couldn’t find savoy and it was phenomenal. Thanks for this recipe.
Subbed NYShuk preserved lemon paste for the juice and adjusted the salt—just when I thought this dish couldn’t get any better…
Made this for my dinner and it was perfect recipe for one person as a meal. I used regular cabbage. I added the harissa to the dressing. I’m thinking this would be good with a scoop of faro. I’ll try that tomorrow night with the remaining cauliflower and cabbage.
This was so delicious! My husband and I scarfed down the entire bowl (and it wasn’t the only thing we were eating).
Deb is right — a good char on the veggies is key.
This is absolutely amazing and has become a new staple! Tasty with some grilled chicken on top
So delicious! Only changes were to add roasted garbanzo beans to the salad when I served it, for crunch. What great flavors! Lacking Harissa, I used a dash of sriracha and some chili crisp in the dressing. Fantastic!
OMG this is so good! I keep trying cabbage recipes that promise THIS will make you like cabbage and, nope. But this one is a winner! I am looking forward to my (I know they’re going to be soggy but it’s ok) leftovers tomorrow and that just never happens. 5 stars!
I have eaten this twice a week and given this recipe to EVERYONE I know since you posted it on Instagram a few weeks ago. Perfection!
How would you add protein so this could be full dinner instead of side-dish?
I saw, in comments, different ideas (feta, white beans, garbanzo beans, put-an-egg-on-it). Wondered your thoughts
I prefer it as is, tbh, but you could also serve it with meat or sausages if you prefer.
Thinking vegetarian
I have made this recipe several times and it is so delicious. I would not overdue or change the simple salt and pepper as the dressing is the final star to this dish! So incredibly delicious! What looks like too much reduces after that good bake and char, so don’t reduce the cabbage and cauliflower thinking it is too much! We love it room temp, warm or cold!
Hi Deb- I made this and, while the flavor was great, it didn’t have the crispy texture. I let the veggies roast for enough time that they got very browned and some charred, but they never got crispy. I’m not sure what went wrong- the only thing I can think of is that I used a silpat sheet on my pan and am wondering if that prevented them from getting crispy?
Yes, silpats do interfere with the crisping.
This was so good! Subbed red cabbage and it still worked great.
Delicious! I topped it with some Everything Bagel seasoning for a little bit of texture. Great way to use up the half head of cabbage after using the first half for the roast chicken with schmalzy cabbage :)
I’ve made this a handful of times now. It is delicious as written, but to kick up the lemon flavor, and add a little funk, I add a touch of preserved lemon paste and top with some chopped cilantro. Yum.