This Lemon-Dressed Cabbage & Caramelized Leek Salad was the first recipe I ever developed for a pop-up, and let me tell you – it’s everything I ever wanted. Sweet and crispy cabbage is tossed with caramelized leeks, topped with fried leeks, served over a lemony yogurt sauce and finished with a seedy, nutty sesame crispbread. It sounds like a lot, and there are a lot of components, but it is a straight-up restaurant meal at its finest. PLUS, if you prep all the components ahead of time, it’s an easy (and delicious) meal prep dinner. From my pop-up to your kitchen, okay?
Table of contents
Ingredients for the sesame crispbread
The sesame crispbread makes this salad unique and adds that textural element that all good salads need. It’s nutty, crunchy and so addicting. You’ll want to put it on everything!
- 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
- 1/4 cup white sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup black sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoons za’atar
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 cup warm water
What other nuts you can use in place of sesame seeds
Sesame seeds are rich and nutty, so if you want to swap them out I suggest going for something with a similar flavor profile. Some ideas are:
- Sunflower seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Poppy seeds
My personal favorites from this list are sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds because of their crunch texture and buttery flavor. They also toast well, lending that amazing nutty flavor that this crispbread needs.
How to caramelize leeks
Caramelizing anything takes time and patience, but when you start to get that golden color and beautiful nutty smell, it’s like magic. Leeks are great to caramelize because of their natural sugars, similar to yellow onion. Here’s how to caramelize the leeks:
- While the cabbage is roasting, place a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and let them melt and mix together. Add the sliced white parts of the leeks to the pan, season with a pinch of salt and stir to coat in the fat.
- Then, over the course of the next 35-45 minutes, caramelize the leek bottoms. This means stirring occasionally and allowing the leeks to melt into the fat, shrinking to 25% of their size and becoming a shade darker and stickier. It’s a wait, but it’s worth it! When the leeks are done, remove them from the pan and set them aside.
How to fry leeks
Fried leeks truly complete this salad. They’re crisp, mild and so addicting. Plus, frying the green leek tops allows this recipe to use the entire leek, which is always good! We don’t mess around with food waste on this blog. Here’s how to fry the leeks:
- Wipe out the pan from caramelizing the leek bottoms and add in 1/3 cup olive oil. Prepare a paper towel-lined tray next to the pan. Set the pan over medium heat and bring the oil to 325°F.
- In three batches, fry the green sliced leek tops for 3 minutes or until they are a shade darker and crisp. Use a slotted spatula or spoon to transfer them to the paper towel-lined surface to drain. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and set aside.
The best way to time out this recipe
This recipe is simple in terms of timing because once the seed bread is done, the steps follow each other seamlessly. Here’s how to time this recipe to make the cooking process simple:
- Start by making the seed bread.
- Chop the cabbage while the seed bread bakes.
- Once the seed bread is out of the oven, increase the temperature and put the cabbage in the oven when it’s done heating.
- While the cabbage roasts, caramelize the leek bottoms.
- After the leek bottoms are caramelized, fry the leek tops.
- Finish by making the lemon yogurt dressing, then take the cabbage out of the oven.
- Assemble in bowls as directed!
How to prepare and store this cabbage salad for meal prep
This salad is GREAT for lunches throughout the week. There are so many textures and flavors, you won’t get sick of it by the time Friday rolls around.
To store this salad, I suggest keeping everything in separate air-tight containers. Store the cabbage, leek bottoms, leek tops, and yogurt dressing in the fridge. The seed bread can be kept on the counter in a dark place, but you can also store it in the fridge to ensure it keeps its crunch.
When you’re ready to eat, assemble the bowl as you normally would. If you want to eat the salad warm, heat up the cabbage and the leeks in a separate bowl in the microwave before placing them on top of the yogurt dressing. To warm the seed bread, toast for a couple of minutes in a toaster, air fryer or in the oven.
Looking for similar recipes?
I am a baked salad girl, but you already know this by now.
And that’s everything for this Lemon-Dressed Cabbage & Caramelized Leek Salad!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Watch the recipe here
The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.
Lemon-Dressed Cabbage & Caramelized Leek Salad
Equipment
- 1 chef's knife
- 2 half sheet pans
- 1 Spatula
- 1 large sauté pan
Ingredients
For the sesame crispbread
- 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
- 1/4 cup white sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup black sesame seeds
- 2 teaspoons za'atar
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 cup warm water
For the cabbage salad
- 1 1/2 medium heads of cabbage thinly sliced
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 medium leeks green and white parts separated, both thinly sliced
- 1 large lemon for zest and juice
- 2/3 cup skyr or greek yogurt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
To make the crispbreads:
- First, begin by making the crispbreads.
- Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, almond flour, flaxseed meal, sesame seeds, za'atar, Aleppo pepper, and salt. In a separate small cup, whisk together the water and honey until combined.
- Pour the water into the oats and mix until it resembles the texture of coarse sand.
- Spread this out onto a parchment-lined half sheet pan and use a spatula to flatten it until it is half a centimeter thick.
- Add this to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and set aside. See note.
To make the cabbage salad:
- Increase the oven's temperature to 400°F.
- While it is heating up, scatter the cabbage onto a half sheet pan (it's ok if the pan is crowded, it means the pieces below will steam and get soft while others will roast and get crispy), drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with a few pinches of salt. Mix.
- Roast the cabbage for 25-30 minutes or until some pieces are deep golden brown and crisping up.
- While the cabbage is roasting, place a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and let them melt and mix together. Add the sliced white parts of the leeks to the pan, season with a pinch of salt and stir to coat in the fat.
- Then, over the course of the next 35-45 minutes, caramelize the leek bottoms. This means stirring occasionally and allowing the leeks to melt into the fat, shrinking to 25% their size and becoming a shade darker and stickier. It's a wait, but it's worth it! When the leeks are done, remove them from the pan and set them aside.
- Wipe out the pan and add in 1/3 cup olive oil. Prepare a paper towel-lined tray next to the pan. Set the pan over medium heat and bring the oil to 325°F.
- In three batches, fry the green sliced leek tops for 3 minutes or until they are a shade darker and crisp. Use a slotted spatula or spoon to transfer them to the paper towel-lined surface to drain. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and set aside.
- In a small bowl, grate in the zest of one large lemon. Add the yogurt and season with a pinch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Mix and set aside.
- When the cabbage is out of the oven, squeeze all of the juice of the zested lemon over the pan and mix to combine. It should taste tart and salty. Add the caramelized leeks and mix again. Taste and season with more salt as preferred.
To serve:
- Add a swipe of the yogurt mixture to the side of each plate.
- Pile the cabbage and caramelized leek mixture on top.
- Sprinkle a generous portion of the fried leeks on top of the cabbage.
- Break off a big hunk of crispbread and top the salad with it.
- And enjoy!
Wow this was such a great lunch ! The crackers : OMG !!
Although I didn’t end up frying the green parts of the leeks because I didn’t have any on hand and I used orange zest instead of lemon, it was so so good ! Will definitely make this again <3
thank you once again for these amazing recipes 🥹
I’m so glad you made it!! This is one of my favorites, even though (yes) it is a lot of work haha
Delicious as leftovers! I made the seed crackers using paprika instead of Aleppo pepper and they still had wonderful flavor. Also, I did not take the extra step of frying the green parts of the leek, instead, I cooked both the whites and the greens together. An extremely round salad in flavor and a delightful touch of protein.
I’m so thrilled you made it! Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind rating and review!
Justine’s instagram video for this recipe is what brought me here and got me excited about…cabbage. I can’t tell you how much I LOVE this dish. Because I was new to the recipe it was a little labor intensive up front but I think the second time will go quicker. Every component of this recipe is so so good, and I can’t imagine it not all together. I love it. Thank you!
Ahhhh thank you so much for this kind comment!! I’m so glad you took the time to make it…it is intense, but I love it so much! I’m glad you seemed to enjoy it the way I do, too <3
Justine, I made this today exactly as you printed it, and it was superb. The fried leek tops made the whole dish.
Sometimes I avoid frying since I live in a small apartment and hate dealing with the oil, but I am SO glad I decided to go for it today.
Thank you for continually sharing your creativity with us! This is something I never would have thought to make on my own 🙂
I am so SO thrilled you liked it! And also immensely impressed you made it! It’s no small recipe, but I hope it will give you at least a few meals as a reward <3 Thank you for making the recipe, and for taking the time to leave such a kind rating and review!
This was so delicious!! I can’t believe all of the different flavors that combine in this dish. The work was so worth it
I’m so so SO happy you took the time to make it! I’m glad you enjoyed the pay off! Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind rating and review <3
I couldn’t stop munching on the cabbage and leeks when I stirred it together! So delicious as always.
Haha I do the same thing! I’m so glad you liked it, and thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review <3
Justine! This is SO GOOD. I found myself with a free morning when an appointment cancelled and I thoroughly enjoyed preparing this meal and all the components. It made for a truly delicious lunch and shockingly filling! I’m delighted to have the leftovers for tomorrow. The fried leek tops were the perfect finishing touch!
Ahhhh this makes me so happy! I’m so glad you had the time to make it, it’s one of my absolute favorites 🙂