Crispy Oven-Roasted Cabbage Wedges
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
About this time last year, I went on a Six Seasons tear, making half a dozen recipes, all of which I loved:
- the kale salad that started it all
- gremolata-style roasted mushrooms
- burnt carrots with honey and almonds
- crushed and fried potatoes with crispy herbs
- Brussels sprouts with lemon, anchovy, and Pecorino
- and skhug, which I could drizzle over anything but which I especially like with cauliflower and roasted delicata squash
Here’s the latest hit to add to the list: roasted cabbage wedges with walnuts, parmesan and balsamic.
The recipe reminded me foremost how delicious roasted cabbage is without anything more than olive oil, salt and a hit of vinegar upon exiting the oven. BUT, it also reminded me how little touches can bring an otherwise ordinary dish to a whole new level.
Here, that touch comes by way of a bright, textured salsa made with olive oil, garlic, fresh lemon juice, and equal amounts of toasted walnuts, dried bread crumbs, and grated parmesan cheese. The salsa, which on its own tastes very lemony and a bit salty, gets spooned over the wedges of sweet, caramelized cabbage, which temper the sharpness.
I made this for dinner one night using a purply cabbage from our CSA, then made it again the following night using a head of Savoy cabbage. Both were delicious. I’ve been serving it alongside pizza, but I think it would be especially good with this parmesan-roasted chicken.
Crispy Roasted Cabbage How-To:
Cut the cabbage through the core into about 8-10 wedges.
Toss with olive oil and salt on a rimmed baking sheet; then roast for 15 minutes at 475ºF.
Meanwhile, gather your salsa ingredients: olive oil, lemon, garlic, walnuts, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and parmesan.
Combine them in a bowl.
Stir to combine.
When the cabbage is nicely bronzed, toss it with a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar or saba*.
Spoon the salsa over top and serve immediately.
Crispy Oven-Roasted Cabbage Wedges
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: serves 2 as a side dish
Description
From Joshua McFadden’s Six Seasons
The original recipe calls for saba*, which I’ve never tasted, but which, according to Amazon, is made by “cooking selected grape musts, especially of Lambrusco or Trebbiano grapes, over fire,” and is the main ingredient in the production of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. Don’t feel you have to run out and buy a bottle —2 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar has been working just fine for me.
To toast walnuts: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spread the walnuts on a sheet pan. Transfer to the oven and cook for about 9 minutes or until the nuts are golden and smelling toasty. Remove, let cool, then, if you’re up for it, transfer to a tea towel and rub away the skins. Then transfer nuts to a sieve and shake to remove the papery skins.
To make dried bread crumbs: Preheat the oven to 250ºF. Pulse stale bread in a food processor until fine, like the texture of coarse polenta. Spread onto a rimmed sheet pan. Transfer to the oven and cook 45-60 minutes or until very dry—crumbs should take on very little color.
If you like video guidance, check out this Instagram Story.
Ingredients
- 1 head Savoy cabbage, cut into 8 to 10 wedges
- 8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon saba* (see notes) or 2 tablespoons balsamic, I like white balsamic
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup toasted walnuts**
- 1/3 cup dried bread crumbs*** or panko
- 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving
- juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Heat oven to 475ºF.
- Spread the cabbage wedges out onto a large sheet pan. Drizzle with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat, then spread back into a single layer. Transfer to the oven and roast for 15 minutes or until it’s browned and crisped around the edges and slightly softened in the center. Note: don’t be alarmed if you see extra-charred bits—this is going to happen, and some of the extra-crispy bits may be inedible. What you don’t want to happen is have the cabbage not be all the way cooked through. Plus, the perfectly bronzy bits are so, so good.
- Sprinkle the saba or vinegar over the cabbage and toss lightly to season them, trying to keep them intact.
- While the cabbage is roasting, put the garlic in a small bowl and pour on the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the walnuts, bread crumbs, parmesan, and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Stir and adjust the seasoning to taste.The texture is supposed to be like a “loose, sloppy salsa,” and to achieve this, you may need to add more lemon and olive oil. Both times I’ve made this, I’ve ended up using all of the lemon juice (so about 3 tablespoons total), and 2 more tablespoons olive oil. Also, the mixture itself may taste quite lemony and maybe a little salty … this is OK—when it hits the sweet cabbage, the sharp flavors will soften.
- Arrange the cabbage wedges on a platter. Spoon some of the walnut salsa over top—keep the extra handy in a small bowl at the table…you’ll want more with every bite. Grate a little more parmesan over top. If you wish, drizzle on more saba (or balsamic) or lemon.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: cabbage, roasted, walnuts, lemon, parmesan, bread crumbs, vinegar, saba, Savoy
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
27 Comments on “Crispy Oven-Roasted Cabbage Wedges”
I got Six Seasons for Christmas and regrettably haven’t cooked much from it! Thanks for highlighting some recommendations!
Hi, Ali – a bit late to the dance here, but I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed revisiting Paris thru your photos. As for PW – her husband and staff are lovely, but the only thing she has IMHO over you is an incredible talent for self-promotion. I have enjoyed and benefitted from your cooking classes WAY more than from my week in Provence. Hoping that our paths cross again soon.
PS – let me know if you are in need of more shallots –
This sounds delicious. I’m curious if leftovers are tasty. I’d hold the salsa until ready to serve…
I made this last night. Loved it! Thank you for the interesting veggie dishes- we can’t have too many of those in this world!
★★★★★
So happy to hear this, Holly!! I love this one. It feels a little involved having to make the salsa, but I think it’s worth the effort.
This was wonderful. Way more than the sum of its parts. I’m so glad you featured this because even though I have Six Seasons, I would have blown right by this recipe otherwise. Fantastic meal.
★★★★★
So happy to hear this, Jami! Isn’t it funny how different recipes appeal to different readers? I never would have made the celery soup had my mother not suggested it.
This was great Alex.
I ended up using little gem lettuces and forgot to add the balsamic prior to roasting (added it after but think easier to ensure even distribution by adding it before). Would say that this is one of those recipes where everything is there for a reason — the sweetness of the balsamic is critical to balancing out the sharp walnut salsa. And whilst it totally worked with the little gem, I think it would be amazing with the more substantial/toothsome cabbage.
★★★★
So happy you liked this one, Alex! I feel like the salsa could go well with other roasted crucifers: Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. Bummer little gems didn’t work out quite as you had hoped. xo
It’s an amazing recipe. I have first tried it when you posted it on Instagram, but until now I didn’t have a chance to post a comment here to tell others how great it is :). I’ve made it twice so far and tonight I’m going to make it again. I’ve replaced the walnuts with toasted almonds and it is delicious. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
★★★★★
Made this with a flat green cabbage instead of Savoy because that’s what I had. SO GOOD!!! The cabbage too a bit longer to soften up but it was worth the wait. So sweet and a great contrast to the tangy umami of the salsa. A definite winner. Will be making it again soon. Thanks!
★★★★★
So happy to hear this, Rebeca!
This was amazing! All three members of my household, including my adult daughter home because of the pandemic, adored this. We barely needed the salsa, it was just so good! Don’t get me wrong, the salsa was great, but the roasted cabbage w the balsamic was delicious enough. This is definitely going into the rotation. Thank you!!
★★★★★
So nice to hear this, Susan! And I am all about simplifying these days, so next time I will try it without the salsa, too. Thanks for writing!
Made this with green cabbage because it’s what I had. Took much longer than 15 minutes in our oven but wow! What an elegant way to plate and eat cabbage! Used gluten-free breadcrumbs with success. We thoroughly enjoyed this. Thanks, Alexandra, for such amazing recipes!
★★★★★
So nice to hear this, Hina! And I know: roasted cabbage … who knew? 😂😂😂 Thanks for writing!
The roasted cabbage was delicious. So good even without the walnut topping!
★★★★★
Yay! So nice to hear this, Susan 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for writing.
This recipe is so much more than the sum of its parts! I had an ordinary green cabbage about the size of a Ford Pinto and I used about half of that. I was concerned about getting it tender because it is denser than a Savoy cabbage, so I inverted another baking sheet on top of it for the first 15 minutes. That worked great! The salsa is killer. I think top-shelf olive oil for the salsa really pushed the boat out.
★★★★★
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I have several Ford Pinto-sized cabbages in my fridge at the moment. Great to hear this worked with yours… will give the recipe a drive with mine 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thanks so much for writing!
Loved the outcome, but recipe was not clear as to when to add the balsamic so I sprinkled on cabbage about 3/4 of the way to doneness. Also has anyone tried putting the walnut topping on and then put it all back in the oven for a bit to warm it? May try that next time. All in all the husband liked it, I loved it and it’s a good Mediterranean type dish.
★★★★
Always wondered about the combination of cabbage and vinegar.always loved roasted cabbage.So this recipe is a bomb for me! Trying out today itself
★★★★★
Hope you love it!
Looks fantastic! I would not let the cabbage char. Golden brown is perfect. Also you said, not to let it cook through…lower temp and add water and vinegar. Gentler way to go.
Ali, to clarify, does the cabbage go back in the oven after 15 minutes or is it done? I am assuming the balsamic goes on after the 15 min. in oven, then gets tossed a bit with vinegar, then the dressing goes on. I read reviews and thought some put back in oven after the balsamic but before the dressing.
Hi! It’s done after the 15 minutes — it does not return to the oven. Once the cabbage is charred to your liking (around 15 minutes or so), remove it and dress as directed.
Thank.you.for sharing this recipe, much tastier than my default cabbage dishes, lots of flavor!