Red Cabbage Orange Salad

Cabbage is a northern staple and I’m a big fan of red cabbage. It’s a main part of my diet through the winter, and we go through one whole head of cabbage each week at this time of year. Cheap, easy to store, and delicious if prepared well, cabbage is truly a winter gem.

It’s great to have some raw vegetables in your diet in the winter since we’re so reliant on cooked foods during the colder months. Even if you don’t really care about the nutritional benefits, it’s just nice to have something crunchy!

This wintery cabbage salad is made with orange juice instead of vinegar and it’s certainly on the sweeter side. Red cabbage can be a little bitter, especially raw, and adding something sweet lifts it a bit. The combination with orange and pomegranate is excellent.

This lasts several days in the refrigerator, so it’s a good option if you like to prep some food on one day to tide you over over for a few and you have enough space to keep it.

For some more great seasonal cabbage recipes, try this easy vegan coleslaw (no mayonnaise), cabbage lentil soup, or roasted red cabbage.

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Cabbage: it’s certainly possible to use green or savoy cabbage if that’s what you have, the only real difference will be in the colour.
• Sweetener: maple syrup and honey are used interchangeably in this recipe. Stick to maple syrup, of course, if you’re vegan. Sugar can be used in a pinch.
• Mustard: Use any kind of mustard you like, just not hotdog mustard. I use Dijon or Mittelscharf mustard.

Step by Step

1. Prepare: slice the cabbage very finely and place it into a large bowl.
2. Add dressing: add the orange juice, olive oil, mustard, maple syrup, salt, and pepper.
3. Mix: use your hands to mix very thoroughly, massaging for about a minute.
4. Add remaining ingredients: add the orange slices and pomegranate arils and serve.

Recipe Notes

I recommend trying to make this at least an hour in advance of serving, but you can skip the resting time if you massage the cabbage a while longer. It is a bit like kale in that it’s a bit too chewy or hard without taking that step.

As mentioned, it does last a few days, so you can make a larger batch and store it for later. This makes up the longer than usual active time needed for another salad. To make ahead, I recommend mixing the cabbage and dressing, the topping with the orange and pomegranate right before serving.

This makes a fairly small salad, and I usually double it if I’m prepping it for the week. If you know you’ll like it, then just double it from the get-go, and if you’re not sure, stick to this the first time.

How to Store

Storage: keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing cabbage salad.

Expert Tips

• Add vinegar: if you like more acidic food, try adding a little balsamic vinegar to the salad, or rice vinegar for a more Asian-inspired flavour. I love acid and I like the salad without, but the option is there.
• Use a mandolin: if you have a mandolin, certainly use it to slice the cabbage. I use the slicing attachment on my food processor – if you have neither, you can also grate the cabbage on the largest side of your box grater.
• Use your hands: they are your best tool in the kitchen, and by far the best way to mix this salad.

More Winter Salads

Pumpkin Salad
Moroccan Roasted Vegetable Salad
Crispy Lentil, Orange, and Pomegranate Salad
Beet Salad with Spinach and Orange

This post was first published in January 2018. It has been updated with new photos and improvements to the text as of February 2021.

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