Crispy, crunchy, sweet and salty, warm and toasty, nutritious and most importantly – DELICIOUS! This roasted cabbage and kale salad is made with roasted veggies, toasted nuts and seeds, pan fried halloumi and crispy baked quinoa – all tossed in a punchy maple-mustard vinaigrette.

How to Make this Roasted Cabbage and Kale Salad

This salad is made up of a few different components:

• vegetables – chopped and roasted until tender and caramelized
  • time: about 25 minutes
• quinoa – cooked then baked until crispy
  • time: 20 minutes on the stove + 20-25 minutes in oven
• nuts & seeds – toasted until fragrant
  • time: about 3-5 minutes
• halloumi – fried until golden on each side
  • time: about 3-5 minutes
• vinaigrette: whisked together until combined
  • time: 1-2 minutes

Once prepared, simply combine everything in a large mixing bowl and toss together until well combined.

Salad Ingredients

• Roasted Veggies (cabbage, kale, onion) –
  • red or green cabbage
  • shred the kale leaves and dice the stems
  • red or white onions
• Quinoa –
  • cook in salted water or vegetable stock
• Pumpkin Seeds + Almond Slices
  • Use a combination of the two or double up on one
• Apple –
  • Any apple variety will do – your choice!
• Halloumi –
  • Pan fry the cheese a bit of oil or leave it out to make this dairy free.
• Oil + Spice –
  • Avocado oil is idea for roasting and frying at high temps but you can use vegetable oil or olive oil as well.
  • Salt & pepper are a must (always).

Roasted Vegetables

You will need 2 large baking sheets or roasting pans to make this cabbage and kale salad.

Quinoa – Cook then Bake

• Stove Top:
  • Add quinoa to a medium sized sauce pan and cover with stock or water.
  • Boil, then simmer until the liquid has been absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.
  • Turn the burner off, but leave the pot on the hot surface with the lid off until you’re ready to bake.
    • FYI: The residual heat will continue to cook/dry out the excess water and steam which will allow it to crisp up in the oven faster.
• Oven:
  • Spread the cooked quinoa across the 2 baking sheets used earlier to roast the veggies.
  • Place in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Stir the pan after about 10 minutes. Bake until the quinoa turns golden all over and mostly crispy.
    • Quinoa on the edge of the pan will crisp up easily while the inside quinoa will stay a bit soft – that’s okay!

Nuts, Seeds & Cheese

First fry the crunchy bits, then the cheese.

• Fry the almonds and pepitas for about 3-5 minutes. The almonds should be golden or starting to turn golden. You should also notice a warm, nutty smell.
  • Stay present while they toast because things can burn quickly here.
• Tip the toasted nuts/seeds into the salad bowl. Wipe down the pan if needed then add more oil for the halloumi.
• Fry halloumi for about 3-4 minutes on each side until golden. Try not to flip the cheese too much and add more oil if needed so the cheese doesn’t stick.

Vinaigrette

Ingredients: olive oil, maple syrup, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, garlic, salt & pepper

Simply combine the salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl, cup or mason jar and whisk with a fork until combined.

Taste and season the vinaigrette as you see fit. Too sharp? Add a bit more maple syrup. Tastes too flat? Try more salt. Not punchy enough? Add a splash of vinegar or mustard.

Substitutions

• Nuts & Seeds >> Swap the almonds for sunflower seeds for nut free salad option. Try this with other nuts like cashews, pecans or walnuts.
• Cheese >> Swap out the halloumi for diced cheddar, crumbled feta cheese, creamy goat cheese or grated parmesan. Leave out the cheese to make this dairy free or vegan friendly.
• Kale >> Type of kale doesn’t matter. I used lacinato kale (also known as Tuscan kale or dinosaur kale) in the salad pictures here, but I have also made this using a bunch of curly kale.
• Onion >> Swap the red onion for 1 white onion or 3-4 shallots
• Maple Syrup >> Honey is a great maple syrup substitute.
• Vinegar >> Instead of ACV, try red or white wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, or rice vinegar. You can also use lemon juice in place of vinegar for the acidic punch.

More Hearty, Roasted Salads to Try

If you liked this salad recipe, you might also enjoy a few of these as well:

• Mediterranean Dense Bean Salad
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts Quinoa Salad With A Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
• Honey Mustard Quinoa Apple Salad With Crispy Shallots
• Roasted Sweet Potato & Chickpea Kale Apple Salad With Bacon
• Roasted Broccoli Salad With Feta And Pine Nuts
• Garlic & Chilli Roasted Broccoli Salad

Enjoy!

Let me know if you try this Roasted Cabbage and Kale Salad with Crispy Quinoa recipe! I’d love to hear what you made with it and how it turned out! Please leave a comment and review with your thoughts and suggestions for me and future readers.

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Roasted Cabbage and Kale Salad with Crispy Quinoa

Yield: 6-8 servings Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Print

• Email

Rate

Made with roasted veggies, toasted nuts and seeds, pan fried halloumi and crispy baked quinoa – all tossed in a punchy maple-mustard vinaigrette.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (180 g) uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups (480 ml) vegetable stock or water
• 1 small head red cabbage, shredded
• 1 red onion, halved & sliced into half-moons
• 3/4 tsp caraway seeds (optional)
• 4 tbsp (60 ml) olive oil, avocado oil or vegetable oil + more as needed
• 1 bunch kale roughly chopped - leaves & stems
• 1 large apple, sliced - any type
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (40g)
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds (25g)
• 1 pack (225g | 8 oz ) halloumi, cut into 1/2 inch slices and patted dry

Dressing

• 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (90ml)
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (30ml)
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt + more to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper + more to taste

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a couple of large, rimmed baking sheets or roasting pans with oil and/or line with parchment paper.
2. Add the quinoa to a medium sized saucepan and cover with stock. Bring the pot to a boil over a high heat then reduce the temperature to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Remove lid and leave on the heat to dry out until needed.
3. Add the cabbage, onion and caraways seeds to one prepared large pan. Add the shredded kale to the other pan.
4. Season both pans with salt and pepper then drizzle with oil (about 2 tbsp per pan). Use your hands to toss the mixture evenly in oil and spice.
5. Place the cabbage pan in the oven on the top rack and roast for 15 minutes. Remove the pan for a moment to stir the cabbage then place it back in the oven on the upper rack. Place the kale on the lower rack and roast another 10 minutes.
6. Remove both pan from the oven. Transfer the roasted veggies to a large salad bowl. Add the apple slices and set aside.
7. Add the quinoa to the baking pans and drizzle with a little bit of oil. Spread out in an even layer then place in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes until lightly golden and crispy looking. Stir the pan about halfway through cooking. Once it's done, add the crispy quinoa to the salad bowl.
8. Place a large pan over a medium heat. Add the almonds and pumpkin seeds and cook about 5 minutes, until the almonds are lightly golden and the pumpkin seeds starting to pop. Stir often to keep from burning. Tip the toasted nuts/seeds into the salad bowl.
9. Return the pan to the burner. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the halloumi. Cook about 3-4 minutes until golden brown on the bottom then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Transfer the halloumi to a cutting board to cut into smaller pieces, then add to the salad bowl.
10. Combine vinaigrette ingredients to a small cup or jar and whisk until combined, then pour over the salad. Toss everything together until well combined. Enjoy warm while fresh or cold out of the fridge.

Notes

• Store leftovers in an airtight container. Salad will keep well in the fridge about 4-5 days.

Substitutes/Adaptations:

• Kale: Use lacinato kale or curly leaf kale.
• Cabbage: Feel free to use green cabbage instead of red/purple cabbage.
• Nuts/Seeds: Swap the almond for sunflower seeds or use all pumpkin seeds to make this nut free. You can also swap out the nuts/seeds listed for walnuts, pecans or even cashews.
• Cheese: Instead of halloumi, try this with crumble feta, goats cheese or diced cheddar.
• Dairy Free: Leave out the halloumi.

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Course: Salads Cuisine: Gluten Free