Quinoa Cabbage Crunch Salad, a tasty and textured salad made with red and green cabbage, quinoa, edamame, carrots, green onion, and cilantro in a peanut sauce. Perfect for meal prep!
Make it a big, fat, crunchy salad 🥗
If you’ve followed my recipes for awhile, you’ll know I’m a big fan of a make-once-eat-all-week salad. I called this meal prep strategy my “big fat salad strategy” and this crunchy cabbage salad is a perfect example.
The key to a good backup salad is that the ingredients are sturdy and hold up well in the refrigerator days after making, and this salad surely meets this criteria.
The cabbage, quinoa, edamame, and carrots create a thick salad that’s great to grab-and-go for quick lunches. I hope you give it a try!
Ingredient Notes
SALAD INGREDIENT NOTES
- Quinoa: a great protein-packed grain
- Cabbage: I used both red and green cabbage
- Edamame: great source of protein, choose either fresh or frozen
- Carrots: shredded carrots add flavor and crunch
- Fresh cilantro: chopped cilantro adds a pop of flavor
- Green onion: sliced green onion adds flavor and color
- Peanuts: chopped peanuts for crunch and healthy fats
DRESSING NOTES
- Peanut butter: the base of the sauce, I used smooth
- Soy sauce: a touch of low sodium soy sauce adds flavor to the sauce; use tamari if gluten free
- Lime juice: a bit of acid for balance; lemon juice works as well
- Maple syrup: for a touch of sweetness
- Rice vinegar: balances the sauce
- Sesame oil: a touch for flavor; you can omit to make it oil-free
- Ginger: I used ginger powder but fresh ginger would work beautifully
- Seasonings: salt (I used sea salt) and red pepper flakes (optional, but add a little zing)
Step-by-step photos
1
Cook quinoa
First, cook the quinoa by adding it to a pot with double the amount of water, bringing to a boil, then simmering until water is absorbed. Then let sit a few minutes, and fluff with a fork.
2
Cook edamame
Meanwhile, in a small pot boil water and add fresh or frozen edamame. Boil 5 minutes, or until edamame has become soft (but not mushy). Drain and set aside.
3
Make the peanut sauce
While the quinoa and edamame is cooking, make the sauce by combining peanut butter, soy sauce (or tamari), lime juice, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger powder (or fresh ginger), salt, and red pepper flakes (if using) to a small bowl. Whisk to mix well, then set aside.
4
Assemble the salad
When quinoa and edamame have cooked the sauce is ready, to a large salad bowl add red cabbage, green cabbage, grated carrots, cilantro, green onion, peanuts, cooked quinoa, and cooked edamame. Drizzle the salad with the peanut sauce, then toss to combine.
Meal prep tips
- Tips for extending freshness. This salad has sturdy ingredients like cabbage that hold up well in the refrigerator over many days, but to extend the storage time you can keep the sauce on the side and only add it when you’re ready to eat.
- Portion into single servings. Make a big batch and then portion out into single serving containers for easy grab-and-go lunches.
- Make it a “backup” salad. Instead of portioning out, keep the salad in the refrigerator as a “backup salad” for last-minute lunches or for when plans changed with your usual meal plan.
My Favorite Prep-Worthy Salads
Here are more salads that are perfect for prep:
Quinoa Cabbage Crunch Salad
Ingredients
Salad ingredients:
Sauce ingredients:
- ⅓ cup smooth peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, or tamari
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder, or 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Cook quinoa: Add ½ cup quinoa to a small pot with 1 cup water. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook about 15-20 minutes until water is absorbed. Remove the lid and let sit 5-10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
- Cook edamame: Meanwhile, in a small pot boil water and add 1 cup edamame. Boil 5 minutes, or until edamame has become soft (but not mushy). Drain and set aside.
- Make sauce: While the quinoa and edamame is cooking, make the sauce by combining ⅓ cup smooth peanut butter, 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce (or tamari), 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon ginger powder (or fresh ginger), 1 pinch salt, and 1 pinch red pepper flakes (if using) to a small bowl. Whisk to mix well, then set aside.
- Assemble salad: When quinoa and edamame have cooked the sauce is ready, to a large salad bowl add 1 cup red cabbage, 1 cup green cabbage, 1 cup grated carrots, ½ cup cilantro, ⅓ cup green onion, ⅓ cup peanuts, cooked quinoa, and cooked edamame. Drizzle the salad with the peanut sauce, then toss to combine.
Equipment
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in August 2024 and was updated for clarity in March 2025.
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