Creamy Coleslaw

This creamy coleslaw recipe is crisp and refreshing.

It’s a great side for many different dishes, and picnic and potluck friendly! Best of all, it’s so easy to make.

Check out the many variations…and the secret step.

We start with our basic recipe that goes perfect with our Sloppy Joel. It’s refreshing and marries well with the tangy-sweet meat sauce.

Shred It

Shredding cabbage is super easy, but in a pinch the pre-shredded stuff in the grocery store works.

We usually do chop our own, but we wanted to see how the packaged shreds fare. The shreds are a little larger than we like, but overall they do just fine and we don’t have leftover cabbage. This 12-ounce bag of coleslaw mix yields 8 cups of veggies.

If you opt to shred your own, you will need 4 cups of thinly sliced green cabbage (about 1/2 medium cabbage), 2 cups of thinly sliced red cabbage (about 1/4 medium cabbage), and 2 cups of grated carrots (about 2 medium).

• Rinse the cabbage and remove tough outer leaves so only clean, compact leaves remain.
• Cut the very bottom of the stem off to flatten the bottom of the cabbage. Turn the cabbage so the stem is flat against the cutting board. Cut the cabbage in half from top to bottom.
• Cut those halves in half to yield quarters. Remove the stem and tough core from each wedge by cutting diagonally across to remove the solid parts.
• Laying the cabbage quarter on its flat side, use a knife or mandolin to cut into thin strips. Slice the shreds in half horizontally to shorten them. Cut the shreds vertically a final time, if you like your shreds thinner.

Marinate It…the secret step

We marinate the slaw veggies in water, cider vinegar and a little sugar. It really does make a difference! See Chef Joel’s tip below.

Dress It

In a medium bowl, whisk together allergy friendly mayo, cider vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, celery seed, salt and black pepper.

We usually use apple cider vinegar. However, you can substitute white wine or champagne vinegar.

Hold the shredded veggies and dressing separately in the refrigerator until serving time. This way the veggies will be fresh and crunchy.

When you’re ready to serve, add the dressing to the veggies and toss to combine.

Variations

Here are some fun add-ins to change up your coleslaw. Mix or match and add any of the following to the recipe. Make it yours! We’d love to hear from you on what your favorite add-ins are.

• 1-2 tsp sriracha, or other hot sauce (add to the sauce)
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard (add to the sauce)
• 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• 3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped
• 1/3 cup diced red onion
• 3/4 cup raisins or cranberries
• 1 cup diced pineapple
• 1/2 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 tsp fresh horseradish, grated
• 1/8 tsp smoked paprika

Chef Joel’s Tip

My first job out of culinary school was a position as sous chef at a Black Angus Steakhouse. Their coleslaw packed a punch, with mayonnaise, sour cream, white vinegar, sugar, paprika, and prepared horseradish.

The secret to their slaw is the marinating of the vegetables in water, cider vinegar, and sugar. After an hour or two, we drained the vegetables well before adding the dressing, to make an awesome slaw. At home, I suggest draining the vegetables well and then spinning them in a salad spinner.