Add some crunch to your plate with this colorful cabbage and potato salad!
It’s starting to look and smell a lot like Spring around here and I love it. The days are longer, trees are full of tiny buds, the birds are chirping again and it’s getting warmer; so warm I’ll have to start wearing my spring coat soon.
I wish it could stay like this all year. A few days ago I spoke to Oma (my grandmother), right when she was in the garden putting her flowers in, and it really made me wish I had a garden. I hope I do get to have one some day. At the moment, I have some indoor plants and I also want to plant some herbs, but there’s only so much I can do inside.
But I love the idea of having your own garden and watching everything grow. My grandparents have been doing it all their lives, they grow their own vegetables, have a few fruit trees, even grapevines, and their little house and yard are completely decked out in lovely flowers.
Although I just shared a perfect Spring salad, I thought I’d share a more wintry too. This cabbage and potato salad is colorful, but uses produce that has been in season (at least here) for months, so everything is easy to get and very, very affordable. You can’t really beat something that is good yet cheap, right? I picked up the habit of adding potatoes to salads from my mom. She always did that, especially during the colder months, to add some bulk and flavor to her greens.
Now, we mostly eat salads as sides, but I often eat a salad just as such too, it all really depends on the day and the hour. What’s great about this cabbage salad is that it can easily be adjusted to fit the occasion. The more potatoes you add, the more this becomes a proper side dish, or alternately if you decide to skip the potatoes, it is a great light salad.
And Rok, who is the sandwich master in the house, also says this works great in a sandwich too and I completely agree. So, while this is a very simple meal, it’s very versatile which is why I love to make it.
Colorful cabbage and potato salad with beans
A vibrant and light salad that also works great in a sandwich.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Sides
- Cuisine: European, Slovenian
Ingredients
- 1/2 small head savoy cabbage, cored and thinly sliced (about 220g or 7.7 oz)
- 1/2 small head green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced (about 200g or 7 oz)
- 1/2 small head red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced (about 200g or 7 oz)
- 3 medium potatoes
- 1 small can (150g or 2/3 cup) Borlotti (cranberry) beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons olive or sunflower oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt and more to taste
- a mix of pumpkin and sunflower seeds for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a medium pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-high and cook covered for about 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender and can be pierced with a fork.
- Cool the potatoes with cold water, remove the skins and cut into small pieces.
- Meanwhile:
finely slice the cabbage and mix it together in a large salad bowl, - make the vinaigrette: in a small bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar and salt.
- When the potatoes are ready, add them to the cabbage along with the beans and vinaigrette.
- Toss until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Keep in the fridge until serving time, covered with plastic wrap.
Notes
I normally make this salad on a whim and so I always use canned beans, that I rinse before using. With careful planning, you can use home-cooked beans instead. The Borlotti beans that I love to use have to be soaked in water for 12-24 hours before using and take an hour to cook. The longer they soak, the faster they cook. Kidney beans have to be soaked for at least 4 hours and take an hour to cook as well. Whichever you choose, the instructions for cooking dry beans should be written on the package, because cooking time depends on the type of bean.
I prefer starchy potatoes in this salad, that break apart when cooked and mix in better with cabbage. The cooking time depends on the size of potatoes you use. The smaller the potato, the faster it cooks.
I love how you combined so many different types of cabbage to make such a colorful salad!
-Kelsey
Thanks Kelsey!