Craving veggies on a chilly day? This warm roasted red cabbage salad with crispy lentils is just the thing! A warm and satisfying salad packed with plenty of cool weather veggies like red cabbage, onion and fennel plus a creamy balsamic dressing and tons of flavour.
Craving a warm, filling and flavourful salad? This roasted red cabbage salad with crispy lentils will have you thinking differently about what a salad can be!
One of my kitchen rules is when in doubt, roast it. Roasting vegetables coaxes out new flavors from our favourite veg; softening earthy or bitter notes and adding a touch of caramelization and sweetness. It’s a trick I use over and over again in my cookbooks, like my newest (!!) Plant Magic.
And if I’m not sure what to make for dinner, I will grab whatever is in the produce drawer and roast it. Sometimes, I eat said roasted veggies as a side dish, like my yummy roasted Brussels sprouts. Sometimes, it’s part of a salad, like my winter panzanella or it’s the whole dinner like my roasted spaghetti squash with pesto.
But every once in a while, someone has an idea that makes you think, how have I never thought of that? And for me, it was the lovely Justine Doiron and her genius baked salads.
Like, roasted veggies…but an actual salad. So, two of my absolutely favourite things and holy heck a salad that is warm so you can enjoy it even on the chilliest of days?!?
This is a plant-based recipe that has my dietitian heart jumping for joy at the prospect of people devouring warm salads in a season where sometimes veggie intake falls to the wayside. In less than 45 minutes, you’ll have a warm and nourishing meal you’ll want to eat again and again. And the FLAVORS!!!
Red cabbage doesn’t get nearly enough love, in my opinion. It’s affordable, filling and lasts FOR AGEs in the fridge. And you might be surprised to learn that it’s also totally packed with nutrition. Like all cruciferous veggies, red cabbage is loaded with special sulfur-based phytochemicals called glucosinolates that are thought to be particularly anti-inflammatory and part of a disease-prevention focused way of eating.
This warm roasted red cabbage salad is a meal sized vegan salad bursting with different flavours and textures: when you shred the red cabbage and red onion very thinly, they turn into silky, almost al dente noodle-like strands in the oven. On another pan, the oven crisps up the lentils so they’re crunchy.
And while it’s all roasting, you’ll slice up some sweet pear and fresh, crisp fennel. A creamy balsamic dressing and some tangy vegan cheese and well…this is NOT your average salad.
This is a CELEBRATION of plants.
How to make this flavourful roasted red cabbage salad
This salad has a few components but I promise it’s SO simple to prep. In 45 minutes, you’re totally done and the kitchen is clean. Get the cabbage, onions and lentils roasting and then do everything else while the oven works its magic!
It’s a few ingredients to be sure…but still very weeknight doable!
Step One: gather your ingredients. You’ll need some red cabbage, red onion, leftover cooked french lentils, ripe pear, fresh fennel, some walnuts, parsley, creamy vegan cheese – I like a semi-firm style like Spread ‘Em Kitchen Apricot Chile or even a vegan feta. Plus some oil, salt, pepper and a batch of my creamy balsamic dressing (you could easily make this on the weekend and keep it on hand until you’re ready to roast!).
Let the oven do the work! Toss the cabbage and onion with a bit of oil, salt and coriander.
Once it’s all roasty, toss with a bit of dressing and watch the colour change!
The lentils will get crispy and lovely in the oven. Then just toss everything together!
Step Two: you’re gonna finely shred that cabbage and red onion (or buy it that way!!) and then toss with oil, salt, pepper and coriander. On a smaller sheet, toss the lentils with oil and salt. Then roast both at 400 degrees (205C) for 25-30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes and checking the lentils every few minutes after that, as they will be done before the cabbage.
Step Three: whip up a batch of the creamy balsamic dressing if you haven’t already; prep your pear, fennel, walnuts and parsley and then tidy up the kitchen while you’re at it.
Step Four: when the cabbage and lentils are ready, drizzle a few tablespoons of dressing over the cabbage and toss. Watch the acid in the dressing react with the cabbage, it’s cute. Then add the rest of the ingredients to the cabbage mixture and toss again. Serve the salad in bowls with the rest of the dressing on the side. I like to add a little extra drizzle to my bowl.
Think you won’t eat the whole thing? Then keep the cabbage and onion separate from the lentils and the cold ingredients, meal prep style. You can quickly warm the leftover cabbage mixture and toss with the rest of the ingredients.
More roasted vegetable salad recipes
Roasted Delicata Orzo Salad with Arugula
Vegan Butternut Squash Kale Salad
Roasted Sweet Potato Spinach Salad with Tahini Dressing
Roasted Red Cabbage Salad with Crispy Lentils
Ingredients
Roasted Red Cabbage and Red Onion
½ small red cabbage finely shredded (⅛ inch), or 8 cups shredded red cabbage 1 small red onion very thinly sliced (⅛ inch)1 tablespoon avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil½ teaspoon salt½ teaspoon ground coriander
Crispy Roasted Lentils
1 ½ cups cooked French lentils you can sub canned lentils if you have a brand that aren’t too mushy1 teaspoon avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil¼ teaspoon salt
Salad Ingredients
1 ripe pear thinly sliced1 cup finely shredded fresh fennel about 1 small bulb½ cup raw walnuts chopped, or sub sunflower seeds if nut free½ cup curly parsley finely chopped½ cup semi-firm vegan cheese like Spread Em Kitchen or vegan feta1 batch Creamy Balsamic Dressing
Instructions
Prep the roasted stuff
Salad Assembly
Notes
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