Fried Cabbage Winter Salad is an interpretation of a side dish my grandmother would make at the ranch. Savory and delicious, I decided to add a few more ingredients and turn it into a winter salad. So good!
We eat salad at most every meal. Honestly, I get a little tired of cold dishes. And in the winter, I am not a fan. But a warm cabbage salad with butternut squash, apples and pomegranate really does the trick.
Is it me, or do most winter dishes seem to involve cheese? I am not complaining. I love cheese! But Fried Cabbage Winter Salad is just veggies.
Skip the Bacon
Of course, it does have bacon, but you can skip that ingredient. Simply heat 2-3 tablespoons (30-45ml) of olive oil in a pan instead of frying the bacon. Follow the recipe the same way.
At first, I was looking for walnuts to make this recipe. Alas, I had none in the cupboard. Sometimes when you are at the ranch, you use what you have on hand. Actually, it’s not sometimes. All the time. I substitute like crazy because there is no way I am driving 1 hour to the grocery store. But yeah, walnuts would have been good in this salad. Next time.
Use Walnuts or Pecans
But pecans are the more Texas choice, and this is a Texas dish. For some reason in Texas, we have a penchant for frying things. Fried lettuce? Yep, I’ve heard of it. Fried Cabbage Winter Salad is in the same category as fried lettuce, but in my book, it makes more sense.
Another variation is to leave the apples out of the cooking portion of this dish. Simply add them raw as a garnish. Crispy sweet and tangy, they go so well with the butternut squash and onions. I hope you enjoy this Fried Cabbage Winter Salad as much as we did!
Fried Cabbage Winter Salad is so good
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
Cabbage:
4–6 slices of bacon
1 large onion, sliced into slivers
2 cups cubed butternut squash (420g)
1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled and sliced
½ head of cabbage, finely shredded
¼ cup chopped parsley (8g)
½ cup chopped pecans (57g)
½ pomegranate, kernels removed
Pecan Vinaigrette:
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp. minced onions or shallots (10g)
1 tsp. real maple syrup (5ml)
½ cup apple cider vinegar (120 ml
¼ cup pecan or walnut oil (60ml)
1/2 cup olive oil (120ml)
Instructions
Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven until crispy, allowing the fat to render. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels.
While the Dutch oven is warm, add the onion and allow to brown until translucent. Add the butternut squash and apple. Sauté until slightly brown, about 3 minutes over high heat. Add the cabbage and cover the pan. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes until the cabbage is wilted. Remove from the pan and place in a large salad bowl. Allow to come to room temperature.
Garnish with the parsley, walnuts and pomegranate seeds. Toss with vinaigrette (You may not need all the dressing)
Serve immediately.
This is a great winter salad. Ate it cooled down as a meal. Leftovers served the next day with a fried egg.
Heck yeah! We have made it several times this winter. So healthy! Enjoy! MG
This is the perfect cozy salad. I love this mixture of flavors. Thanks for sharing!