This cabbage salad was intended to be a shaved Brussels sprout salad, the kind that are very “in” right now. But Alex and I happened to have a Savoy cabbage on hand. Turns out, Brussels sprouts and cabbage are part of the same veggie family, so they’ve got a similar flavor. Shred up Savoy cabbage and it’s frizzled leaves look just like shaved Brussels sprouts! It makes one seriously tasty cabbage salad, mixed with tangy apples, toasted walnuts, and a zingy vinaigrette dressing. Here’s how to make it!
How to make cabbage salad
This salad idea was born from a Savoy cabbage Alex and I picked up at the farmer’s market. We shredded the cabbage into thin ribbons, and combined it with tart apples that we’d also picked up at the market. It makes one incredibly tasty mix! The Savoy cabbage shreds are little confetti-like streamers that go hand-in-hand with the crisp apples and crunchy walnuts. It was just the right balance for our meal of wild rice stuffed squash and rosemary roasted potatoes, and is an excellent fall salad or winter salad for any meal. To make this cabbage salad, it’s very simple. Here are the basic steps:
Chop the veggies: Thinly slice the Savoy cabbage and chop the apple. Make the dressing: Mix up a vinaigrette of cider vinegar and olive oil, with a bit of maple syrup. Toast the nuts: Toast the walnuts in a pan.Serve: Mix it all together with a bit of Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese and serve! The result is any incredibly refreshing wintery salad that pairs perfectly with almost any main course.
What is Savoy cabbage?
Savoy cabbage is a variety of cabbage that’s green in color with crinkled leaves. When thinly sliced, the leaves look like beautiful frizzy confetti. The flavor of Savoy cabbage is mild and its leaves are much more tender than green cabbage. Can you substitute regular green cabbage for Savoy cabbage? Not really. Because of the differences, we do not recommend substituting green cabbage for Savoy cabbage in this recipe. Try to find Savoy cabbage for this one if at all possible: it’s available in most mainstream grocery stores! What else to do with cabbage? Go to our 12 Top Cabbage Recipes.
Video: How to cut cabbage
Alex and I have perfected a method for how to shred cabbage for a cabbage salad, without your knife slipping or ending up with really long or uneven pieces! Even though purple cabbage is shown in the video, it applies to how to shred Savoy cabbage too. Here’s our step by step guide sharing the knife skills for how to cut cabbage!
Variations on this salad
This cabbage salad has endless variations. Here are a few ways you could change it up!
Add glazed nuts. Add a sweet element with maple glazed nuts! Try our Glazed Walnuts or Glazed Pecans.Use a different dressing. A different dressing gives it a new flavor: try Best Balsamic Vinaigrette, Dijon Mustard Dressing or Lemon Vinaigrette.U
This cabbage salad recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, omit the cheese.
Looking for more salad recipes?
Outside of this cabbage salad, here are a few more of our favorite salad recipes: 3.3 from 4 reviews
Wedge Salad with Potato ChipsEasy Bean SaladCaribbean Black Bean SaladGreek SaladCucumber Salad with VinegarClassic Vegan Potato SaladPeach & Burrata Caprese SaladThai Cucumber SaladWatermelon Feta SaladShepherd Salad20 Epic Salad Recipes
Last updated: January 2020
