Roasted Cabbage Slaw with Sweet Sesame Onions

This Roasted Cabbage Slaw with Sweet Sesame Onions is packed with fiber-rich veggies and flavored using marinated onions. An easy meal that you bake then toss together in the same pan to minimize on dishes.

Close up of a bowl of rice topped with mixed roasted cabbage, squash, chickpeas and marinated onions.

Why You’ll Love This Roasted Cabbage Slaw with Sweet Sesame Onions

  • Salad you can eat with a spoon. Cutting the ingredients into bite sized pieces will make it easier to eat, but also gives you more surface area to help flavor your meal too.
  • Budget friendly fall meal. Using in season fall veggies makes this filling meal friendly for your wallet.
  • Nutrient dense. Squash, cabbage, and chickpeas provide an array of nutrients including fiber, antioxidants, and minerals like iron that can help reduce the risk for chronic disease.
Cutting board with heads of red and green cabbage, bowl of chickpeas, delicata squash, red onion, and cilantro on it.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Cabbage: I used a combination of red and green cabbage, but feel free to use just one or the other.
  • Squash: Most squash varieties can work for this. Personally I am a big fan of delicata squash, honeynut squash, butternut squash and acorn squash as suitable alternatives. If you feel the skin is too tough to eat for any of these varieties, feel free to peel before baking. You can also use sweet potato or carrots.
  • Chickpeas: Our main protein source. I used canned chickpeas for convenience, but feel free to use beans cooked from scratch. This can also work with lentils if you are not a fan of chickpeas.
  • Onions: I used red onion, but you can also do this with white onions or shallots if preferred.
  • Herbs: I used cilantro, but you can swap with a different herb you prefer like parsley.
  • Lime: I used both the zest and juice.
  • Vinegar: I used rice vinegar. Alternatively, you can also use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar instead.
  • Spices: I used coriander, garlic and ginger primarily. Feel free to change up the spices based on your own preference.

How to Make Roasted Cabbage Slaw with Sweet Sesame Onions

Preheat the oven to 425F and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the rinsed chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry. Transfer the chickpeas to one baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tbsp of oil. Toss to coat and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the chickpeas from the oven and top with the chili oil and a pinch of white pepper and salt. Use a spoon to stir everything together then place back in the oven for 10 minutes until crispy then allow to completely cool.

While this is roasting, transfer half the sliced onions to a bowl along with the herbs, ginger, lime, maple syrup, tamari, sesame oil, sesame seeds and a pinch of salt. Using clean hands, massage the ingredients into the onions until they begin to soften slightly. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.

Add the cabbage and half the onions to another tray. Top with 1 tbsp of oil (or more as needed to properly coat), 1/2 tsp each garlic powder, fennel seeds and coriander and a generous pinch of salt. Toss the cabbage to coat then spread it into a single layer on the tray then roast in the oven until charred around the edges for 22- 25 minutes, tossing half way.

Cut the ends off of the squash, then cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds, then thinly slice into half moons. Transfer to a separate baking sheet then coat with 1/2 tsp each of garlic powder and coriander. Drizzle with 1 tbsp or more oil as needed, then toss together to evenly coat. Spread the squash out on the tray in a single layer then place in the oven on the bottom rack for 15-22 minutes or until the bottoms begin to get golden brown. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt when out of the oven.

Use tongs to transfer the roasted squash and marinated onions (reserving the marinade) to the tray of cabbage along with half the roasted chickpeas then gently toss everything together.

To serve, add a cooked grain of choice to a serving bowl then top with a portion of the cabbage and squash mix. Top with extra crispy chickpeas and use a spoonful of the onion marinade to drizzle over each bowl as desired and enjoy.

Hack the Recipe Tips

  • For the best texture for your vegetables, ensure that you have enough space on your baking tray to spread out your vegetables. Allowing more space allows the veggies to better caramelize and crisp around the edges. If the veggies are laying on top of each other, they are more likely to steam and get soggy.
  • Save time on chopping by using pre-shredded cabbage!
  • If you don’t like the sharp taste of onions, soak the sliced onions in cold water for 5-10 minutes then drain and pat dry before using in this recipe. This helps to rinse off some of the astringency from your onions and makes them more enjoyable to eat raw.
Side view of a bowl of rice topped wtih mixed roasted cabbage, squash, chickpeas and marinated onions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can this be meal prepped?

The marinated onions can be made in advance. After mixing together, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The cabbage and squash mixture can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Allow the chickpeas to cool completely then store in a glass container with a loose fitting lid at room temperature to help maintain the crispiness.

How can I revive the crispiness of the chickpeas?

If you feel that the chickpeas have softened, you can place the chickpeas on a baking tray and place in the oven at 400F for 5 minutes to help re-establish their crispy behavior.

Can I just place all my vegetables on the same sheet pan?

You can if you have enough space. Make sure you have enough space to spread out the cabbage and squash into a single even layer. Because this often can be difficult to do, I instead recommend separating the veggies between two large sheet pans. This will ensure more browned and caramelized veggies versus veggies that end up getting soggy and steaming on top of each other.

Roasted cabbage, squash, chickpeas and marinated onions topped over a bowl of rice.

Make It Balanced

While you can eat the roasted veg and chickpeas together on their own, I find this meal more satisfying when served along with a grain of choice. Feel free to use regular white rice or bump up the nutrition with any of the following:

  • Quinoa
  • Farro
  • Whole grain wraps

More Filling Plant-Based Recipes

Bowl of rice topped with roasted cabbage, squash, chickpeas and marinated onions.

If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.

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Close up of a bowl of rice topped with mixed roasted cabbage, squash, chickpeas and marinated onions.

Roasted Cabbage Slaw with Sweet Sesame Onions

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  • Author: Catherine Perez
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 3 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Roasting
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This Roasted Cabbage Slaw with Sweet Sesame Onions is packed with fiber-rich veggies and flavored using marinated onions. An easy meal that you bake then toss together in the same pan to minimize on dishes.


Ingredients

Scale

Chili Chickpeas

  • 1, 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tbsp avocado oil
  • Fresh cracked white pepper
  • 1 tsp chili crisp oil

Marinated Onions

  • 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup cilantro or parsley, stems removed and minced
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
  • Juice and zest of 1 lime
  • 12 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tsp tamari
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Squash and Cabbage

  • 1 lb delicata squash
  • 1 lb cabbage, thinly sliced (I used about 1/2 small head each of green and red cabbage)
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil or more as needed
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
  • Cooked Jasmine rice for serving


Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425F and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the rinsed chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry. Transfer the chickpeas to one baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tbsp of oil. Toss to coat and bake for 20 minutes.
  2. Remove the chickpeas from the oven and top with the chili oil and a pinch of white pepper and salt. Use a spoon to stir everything together then place back in the oven for 10 minutes until crispy then allow to completely cool.
  3. While this is roasting, transfer half the sliced onions to a bowl along with the herbs, ginger, lime, maple syrup, tamari, sesame oil, sesame seeds and a pinch of white pepper and salt. Using clean hands, massage the ingredients into the onions until they begin to soften slightly. Place in the fridge until ready to serve and adjust sweetness of the marinade based on preference.
  4. Add the cabbage and half the onions to another tray. Top with 1 tbsp of oil (or more as needed to properly coat), 1/2 tsp each garlic powder, fennel seeds and coriander and a generous pinch of salt. Toss the cabbage to coat then spread it into a single layer on the tray then roast in the oven until charred around the edges for 22- 25 minutes, tossing half way.
  5. Cut the ends off of the squash, then cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds, then thinly slice into half moons. Transfer to a separate baking sheet then coat with 1/2 tsp each of garlic powder and coriander. Drizzle with 1 tbsp or more oil as needed, then toss together to evenly coat. Spread the squash out on the tray in a single layer then place in the oven on the bottom rack for 15-22 minutes or until the bottoms begin to get golden brown. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and white pepper when out of the oven.
  6. Use tongs to transfer the roasted squash and marinated onions (reserving the marinade) to the tray of cabbage along with half the roasted chickpeas then gently toss everything together.
  7. To serve, add a cooked grain of choice to a serving bowl then top with a portion of the cabbage and squash mix. Top with extra crispy chickpeas and use a spoonful of the onion marinade to drizzle over each bowl as desired and enjoy.


Notes

For the best texture for your vegetables, ensure that you have enough space on your baking tray to spread out your vegetables. Allowing more space allows the veggies to better caramelize and crisp around the edges. If the veggies are laying on top of each other, they are more likely to steam and get soggy.

Save time on chopping by using pre-shredded cabbage!

If you don’t like the sharp taste of onions, soak the sliced onions in cold water for 5-10 minutes then drain and pat dry before using in this recipe. This helps to rinse off some of the astringency from your onions and makes them more enjoyable to eat raw.

This post contains affiliate links which means I will make a small commission if you purchase from those links. I only recommend and share products that I know, trust and personally use myself!

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