Elevate Your Salad Game: Unforgettable Shaved Cabbage Salad with Creamy Feta Vinaigrette and Spiced Pecans
Prepare to transform your perception of coleslaw with this extraordinary Shaved Cabbage Salad. Boasting an incredible creamy feta vinaigrette and perfectly spiced pecans, this dish transcends the ordinary, becoming a vibrant, flavor-packed experience. If you’ve always believed you weren’t a fan of cabbage salads, this recipe is set to surprise you, proving that a simple slaw can be elevated to gourmet status. Not only is it exceptionally delicious, but it also holds up beautifully, making it an ideal choice for potlucks, barbecues, and meal prep throughout the week. For more culinary inspiration, explore our collection of Quick Healthy Recipes!
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Have you ever encountered a recipe that captivates your taste buds from the very first bite, leaving you utterly wowed? This Shaved Cabbage Salad with Creamy Feta Vinaigrette had precisely that effect on me. While I anticipated a good flavor profile – after all, who can resist the allure of feta cheese? – I genuinely did not expect it to be this sensational. It’s a dish that redefines what a simple cabbage salad can be, transforming it into a culinary highlight for any occasion.
While you could certainly categorize this as a coleslaw, I prefer the more elegant term “shaved cabbage salad.” This description better encapsulates the sophisticated blend of textures and flavors at play. The combination of thinly shaved cabbage, the luxurious creamy feta dressing (generously featuring even more feta in the salad itself – a definite yes, please!), and the delightful crunch of spiced nuts elevates this dish far beyond your typical picnic fare. It’s an ‘upscale’ slaw, yet remarkably simple to prepare, promising to be a crowd-pleaser that everyone will adore – I can confidently say that.
My own son, who typically gravitates away from cabbage dishes, surprised me with his endorsement, declaring this salad “really good, for a slaw.” This anecdotal evidence speaks volumes about its broad appeal. While not everyone might share my intense adoration for it, most people will undoubtedly find it highly enjoyable, making it a fantastic contribution to any potluck or barbecue. And for those who fall in love with it as much as I have, prepare for endless requests for the recipe!
Beyond its incredible taste, one of the greatest advantages of this salad is its make-ahead potential. It keeps remarkably well when dressed for at least a day, or even longer if you keep the creamy feta vinaigrette on the side and toss just before serving. This convenience makes it a stress-free option for entertaining or for preparing healthy lunches throughout the week, ensuring you always have a vibrant, flavorful side dish ready to go.
The Art of the Shaved Cabbage Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing
Crafting this exceptional salad begins with the heart of its flavor: the creamy feta vinaigrette. Starting with the dressing allows the various flavors to meld and deepen, creating a more harmonious and rich taste. You’ll likely find yourself with a little extra dressing, which is actually a bonus, as this versatile vinaigrette is absolutely delicious on almost any green salad, or even as a marinade. Its tangy, savory notes with a hint of sweetness are truly addictive.
Mastering the Cabbage Cut: Why Shaving Matters
Over the years, as a connoisseur of vinaigrette-based coleslaws (like our popular Cumin-Lime Slaw, Spicy Asian Slaw, and Caesar Slaw), I’ve experimented with countless methods for thinly cutting cabbage. Each technique – from traditional knife slicing and splitting layers to using a food processor or hand grater – yields vastly different results. Slicing with a knife can be tedious and time-consuming for larger quantities. A food processor, while quick, often produces pieces that are too small and uneven, lacking the desired texture. And hand grating? That tends to create a “slaw pulp,” which, as unappetizing as it sounds, simply doesn’t deliver the crispness we’re aiming for.
In my experience, the mandoline slicer is the undisputed champion for this recipe. It allows for beautifully thin, uniform “shaved” pieces of cabbage that are larger than grated or finely chopped versions. This specific cut is crucial because these larger, thinner pieces maintain their structure far better. Even after a few days, a mandoline-shaved cabbage salad remains delightfully crisp, avoiding the sogginess that often plagues grated slaws. This resilience is precisely what makes it such an excellent make-ahead option, perfect for advanced preparation without sacrificing quality. For those in search of a reliable tool, this moderately priced mandoline slicer is the one I use and highly recommend.
The mandoline isn’t just for cabbage; it’s equally effective for achieving perfectly thin slices of the sweet onion required for this recipe. After slicing, a rough chop can further reduce the onion pieces to your preferred size, ensuring they integrate seamlessly into the salad without overpowering other flavors.
The Vibrant Visual and Nutritional Appeal
While you can certainly use just one color of cabbage, combining both purple and green cabbage offers a delightful visual contrast, making your salad much more appealing. Beyond aesthetics, incorporating different colored vegetables also boosts the overall nutritional profile, providing a broader spectrum of vitamins and antioxidants. Each bite becomes a treat for both the eyes and the body.
The Perfect Crunch: Spiced Pecans
The addition of spiced nuts is a non-negotiable component that elevates this salad from delicious to truly exceptional. The crunch and savory, slightly spicy notes of the pecans perfectly complement the creamy dressing and crisp cabbage. Our easy and healthy spiced nuts recipe, featuring pecans chosen for their ability to absorb and hold spices beautifully, works wonderfully here. However, feel free to get creative with your choice of spiced nuts. A maple-glazed variety, like this recipe, would also introduce a fantastic sweet and savory dynamic. Walnuts are another excellent nut choice that would add a lovely texture and flavor to the mix.
I genuinely hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do. It has definitively earned its place at the very top of our list of favorite slaws, and I’m confident it will become a staple in your kitchen too!
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Shaved Cabbage Salad with Creamy Feta Vinaigrette & Spiced Pecans
Ingredients
Creamy Feta Vinaigrette:*
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup or honey
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
Salad:
- 1/2 small head purple cabbage thinly sliced (about 4 cups)**
- 1/2 small head green cabbage thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
- 1/2 medium sweet onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped chives OR 2 thin green onions chopped
- 1 cup spiced pecans broken into large pieces (use this recipe or another favorite)
Instructions
Make Dressing:
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Combine all dressing ingredients in a small food processor or blender and process until creamy.
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Set aside.
Make Salad:
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Mix cabbages, onion, feta, and half the pecans in a large bowl.
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Toss with half of the creamy feta dressing until all is evenly coated.
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Top salad with chives (or green onions) and remaining nuts and serve. You can pass the remaining vinaigrette with the salad if desired.
Notes
**Or all purple, or all green cabbage.
Nutrition
Other Easy and Delicious Salads You May Like:
If you’re a fan of fresh, flavorful salads, be sure to explore some of our other popular recipes:
Tuscan White Bean Salad
Tex-Mex Salad with Ranch-Style Beans & Homemade Dressing
Classic Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe
Bacon Caesar Slaw
Orange Almond Salad with Orange-Balsamic Vinaigrette
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