Light and Easy Summer Slaw

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 11/19/21
Light and Easy Summer Slaw

The Spruce Eats / Diana Rattray

Prep: 12 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Total: 17 mins
Servings: 6 servings

This light and delicious summer slaw recipe is more than just a cabbage salad. Using only two pans—a small saucepan and a bowl—this delicious coleslaw is easy to prepare and a nice change from the traditional slaw. This summer slaw is made with a variety of colorful vegetables including, cucumber, tomato, green and red onions, bell peppers, and tossed with a light, tangy vinegar dressing. Simply prepare, pop in the refrigerator to chill until ready to serve; this is a side dish that you will make over and over again. 

Perfect for those warm summer days filled with picnics and barbecues, this slaw is refreshing, light, and sure to please kids and adults alike. Summer slaw is great with ham, hot dogs, or sausages, or served with pork, beef, or brisket barbecue.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup white vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 teaspoon celery seeds

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 medium cabbage, chopped

  • 1/2 large red onion, chopped

  • 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

  • 1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped

  • 1 medium cucumber, seeds removed, chopped

  • 1 tomato, seeds removed, chopped

  • 4 green onions, chopped

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, mustard, sugar, oil, celery seeds, and black pepper then stir to combine.

  3. Place saucepan over high heat and bring the mixture to a boil and remove from heat. Set aside to cool slightly.

  4. Combine chopped vegetables—cabbage, onions, bell peppers, cucumber, and tomato—in a large bowl and toss with warm dressing mixture.

  5. Chill salad thoroughly before serving and then toss again.

Tips

Save yourself some time and grab a bag of precut cabbage from the grocery store instead of chopping up a head of cabbage.


To save even more time, consider using a blender or food processor to chop up the vegetables. To chop in an electric blender, cut the vegetables into chunks and fill the blender about half full. Cover the vegetables with cold water to within about an inch to the top. Pulse until you reach the desired consistency. Dump the vegetables into a colander to drain and repeat with the remaining vegetables.


Make sure to plan accordingly to give the time needed to chill the salad, approximately two hours, and before serving, toss the slaw a second time.

Recipe Variation

Switch it up a bit and add some other vegetables to your summer slaw, such as carrot, red cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and celery.


Add some sweetness by including some raisins in the slaw.

How to Store

While best eaten the same day it is made, leftovers of this summer slaw should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one day. Any longer, and the cabbage can get limp and soggy.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
130 Calories
7g Fat
16g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 130
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 1g 3%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 35mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 16g 6%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 71mg 353%
Calcium 52mg 4%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 468mg 10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)