Southwest Roasted Cabbage Wedge Salad

Remember that grilled cabbage recipe that was posted on June 29? It’s become a surprising favorite in our family. This Southwest Roasted Cabbage Wedge Salad takes the classic to another level - chorizo, corn, tomatoes, chipotle ranch and lots of cilantro! This Labor Day, we’ll be serving this with our flat iron steaks, omitting the chorizo called for in the recipe. Served warm or at room temperature, this can be prepared slightly ahead of time and ready when the steaks are put on the grill. We’ll be grilling the cabbage instead of using the oven, but this recipe gives you the option of using the oven.

Ingredients

FOR THE CABBAGE

 1 head cabbage quartered

 olive oil

 salt & pepper

FOR THE CHIPOTLE RANCH*

 1/2 cup mayo

 1/4 cup olive oil

 1 clove garlic

 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

 2 tablespoons fresh parsley

 1-2 chipotles in adobo to taste

 1 tablespoon dried chives

 salt if needed

 water or milk, or non-dairy milk to thin

FOR THE SALAD

 olive oil

 4 ounces chorizo or soyrizo

 1/3 cup corn

 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes quartered

 cilantro chopped, to taste

Method:

 Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place cabbage wedges on the baking sheet and drizzle all sides with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place each wedge cut-side down and bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Flip to the other cut side and cook for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, add all the chipotle ranch ingredients (through the chives) to a food processor or blender. Pulse to combine. Taste; add water and/or salt if needed. Set aside.

Heat some oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the chorizo and crumble with a wooden spoon. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until it starts to brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To assemble, place a cabbage wedge on a plate and drizzle with dressing. Top with chorizo, corn, tomatoes and cilantro. Can be served warm or at room temperature.

Notes and Options:

Crumbled, fried bacon would also be delicious on this salad.

If you don’t care for the smoky warmth of chipotles in adobo, feel free to omit them. You will have a more traditional ranch dressing.

You will probably have more dressing than you need for this recipe. You can store the leftover dressing in the fridge for 2-3 days.