Roasted Sesame-Chile Cabbage Salad

This Sesame-Chile Cabbage Salad is the perfect complement to your favorite protein. Inflammation-calming cabbage is massaged with spicy chile-ginger oil and roasted until fork-tender with a slightly smoky char. After roasting, the cabbage is dressed in a deep, toasty, umami dressing and finished with a sprinkling of crunchy sesame seeds and a fresh hit of scallions. Keep reading for our expert tips, including what ingredients can be substituted.    

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Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! 

• Keep the cabbage core attached to the wedges to make them easier to flip during cooking. Plus, the core becomes quite tender after roasting, so there’s no need to waste it. 
• If you notice the cabbage wedges are browning too much before they become tender, cover them loosely with foil.
• Adding crushed red pepper to the cabbage before roasting gives it a nice, subtle heat that is evenly distributed throughout the dish. 
• Serve the dish with lime wedges to add a fresh flavor burst.

Nutrition Notes

• Cabbage is a delicious way to get your cruciferous veggies in. It’s loaded with gut-loving fiber and immune-supporting vitamin C. Eating more cabbage has been associated with healthy cholesterol levels and fighting off cancer cells. 
• Sesame oil comes from sesame seeds, both important ingredients in this dish—not only for their nutritional attributes but for the toasty flavor only sesame can bring to a dish. Sesame oil has been connected to better cholesterol levels and blood pressure, and adds to the cancer-fighting nature of this dish. Sesame seeds have similar properties, with the addition of fiber and plant protein.
• Scallions are in the same family as onions, with the benefit that both the small white bulb and long green shoots coming off the bulb can be eaten. Like onions, scallions provide fiber, vitamin C and the antioxidant quercetin for a healthy, illness-fighting immune system.