Caramelized roasted cabbage with crispy chickpeas, creamy tahini sauce, and an herby jalapeño gremolata has just an exquisite flavor and incredible combination of textures!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 40 minutes
  • Total time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: dinner, Main, Main Course
  • Cuisine: Mediterranean

Ingredients

For the Roasted Cabbage

  • 1 small to medium head green cabbage
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon berbere, baharat, ras el hanout, shawarma spice blend, or smoked paprika (Or use more of any of these, to taste)

For the Garlic Lemon Chickpeas

  • 2 teaspoons oil (divided)
  • 15 oz can chickpeas (or [adjustable]1½ cups[/adjustable] cooked chickpeas)
  • 4 cloves garlic (sliced)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

For the Tahini Sauce

  • ½ cup tahini
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 clove garlic (grated or minced)
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ¼ cup water (or more, if needed)

For the Jalapeño Herb Gremolata

  • 1 jalapeño (finely chopped)
  • ¼ cup chopped red onion (or shallot)
  • ¼ to ½ cup chopped parsley or cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • salt and pepper (to taste)

Method

Roast the cabbage.

  1. Take your cabbage and remove any outer leaves that are wilted or bruised. Wash it well, and slice it in half. Cut each half into wedges, making sure each wedge has some of the core. The core helps hold the cabbage leaves together. Slice into 4 wedges if using a small cabbage, or 6 to 10 wedges if using a larger cabbage. The wedges should not be thicker than about 1½” at their widest side.
  2. Preheat the oven to 400°F (205° C). Use a baking sheet large enough to hold all of the cabbage wedges.
  3. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, salt, and your spice blend of choice. Brush both sides of each cabbage wedge with the seasoned oil, and place them on the baking sheet with one oiled side facing down. Repeat for all wedges. Drizzle any remaining oil over the cabbage. Lay a sheet of parchment loosely over the cabbage. Do not seal the cabbage in. The parchment should just sit on top of the cabbage wedges. (parchment on top helps cook the cabbage evenly without drying out.)
  4. Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, remove the parchment, and increase the oven temperature to 425° F (218° C). Flip the cabbage wedges and return them to the oven for about 10 minutes or longer, depending on the size of the cabbage, until the outside is caramelized and the inside is very soft and tender.

Meanwhile, make the chickpeas.

  1. If using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse them, then spread them on a kitchen towel to remove excess moisture. If using freshly cooked chickpeas, dry them as well if they are wet.
  2. Heat a medium 9” to 10” skillet over medium heat, and add 1 teaspoon of the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chickpeas and toss well to coat. Cook for about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until some of the chickpeas start to turn golden. You don’t want them to turn entirely golden yet, because we are going to continue to cook them for another few minutes.
  3. Add the sliced garlic and the remaining teaspoon of oil. Toss well, and continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the garlic is golden and crispy and most of the chickpeas are nicely golden. The garlic is added later, so it doesn't burn before the chickpeas are ready. Add the salt and Aleppo pepper flakes, and toss well. Remove the skillet from the heat, and immediately add the lemon zest. Toss again. The residual heat from the pan will lightly toast the pepper flakes without burning them. Set aside.

Make the tahini sauce.

  1. Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, Dijon mustard, and a few tablespoons of water to a bowl. Mix well. The tahini will thicken and seize up slightly at first. Continue adding water a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition, until you have a smooth, creamy tahini sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.

Make the gremolata.

  1. Finely chop the jalapeño, red onion or shallot, and herbs. Add them to a bowl with the salt, pepper, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar. Toss well to combine.

Serve.

  1. Once the cabbage is done roasting, all of the components are ready. To serve, spread the tahini sauce on a serving platter and top with the caramelized, delicious cabbage. Add a generous helping of the crispy chickpeas and garlic, and then the gremolata. Add more lemon juice, if needed, and garnish with sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds for extra crunch and protein.
  2. If you are using a small cabbage, you can easily enjoy an entire wedge at a time. Otherwise, use a fork and knife and eat the cabbage wedges topped with the tahini sauce, chickpeas, and gremolata. Serve as-is or with toasted sourdough, garlic bread, or pita bread.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.