Pork
$2.43per plate
Prep
20 min
Vegetables · Coleslaw
Classic Coleslaw
Most homemade coleslaw fails the same way: it tastes great for ten minutes, then turns into a soupy bowl of cabbage swimming in thin dressing. This coleslaw recipe fixes that with one extra step - salting the shredded cabbage and draining it before the dressing goes anywhere near it. Thirty minutes of salting pulls out the water that would otherwise leak into your dressing, so the slaw stays crisp and creamy for days instead of hours. One head of cabbage and a couple of carrots feed eight people for about 34 cents a plate, which is why it belongs next to almost everything cheap and savory: oven-baked BBQ ribs, crockpot pulled pork, baked beans, burgers, or a plate of fried cabbage if you want cabbage two ways. Browse more easy dinner ideas to build the rest of the plate.
$0.34per plate
Estimated recipe total
$2.70 · serves 8
Cook
0 min
Total
1 hr 20 min
Serves
8
Recipe from Budget Plates · https://www.budgetplates.com/coleslaw-recipe
Equipment
- Box grater or food processor
- Colander
Variations
- Use a 14-ounce bag of coleslaw mix instead of shredding cabbage and carrots yourself.
- Use plain yellow mustard instead of Dijon for a more old-fashioned, slightly sweeter slaw.
- Cut the sugar to a single tablespoon, or leave it out, adding an extra splash of vinegar.
- Add a half teaspoon of celery seed or two tablespoons of grated onion for a deli-style flavor.
1 How to make it
1
Shred the cabbage and carrots
Quarter the cabbage, cut out the tough white core, and slice each quarter crosswise as thinly as you can - about an eighth of an inch. Shred the carrots on the large holes of a box grater. A food processor with the shredding disc does both in under a minute if you have one, and bagged coleslaw mix works too if you would rather skip this step entirely.
2
Salt the cabbage and let it drain
Toss the shredded cabbage with about half a teaspoon of the salt in a colander set over a bowl and leave it for 30 minutes. This is the step that keeps coleslaw from going watery: salt pulls moisture out of the cabbage now, so it cannot leak into your dressing later. You will see a few tablespoons of liquid collect underneath.
3
Rinse and dry
Rinse the cabbage briefly under cold water to wash off the excess salt, then squeeze it firmly in handfuls and pat it dry with a clean towel. Get it as dry as you reasonably can - damp cabbage thins the dressing. The shreds should feel limp but still snap when you bend one.
4
Whisk the dressing separately
In a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, the remaining salt, and a good grind of pepper until completely smooth. Mixing the dressing on its own first means no pockets of straight mayonnaise clinging to the cabbage, and it lets you taste and adjust before anything is committed.
5
Toss and chill
Add the cabbage and carrots to the dressing and toss until every shred is lightly coated. It will look a little dry at first - that is correct, because the vegetables loosen as they sit. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving so the flavors settle and the dressing thins to the right consistency.
6
Taste again before serving
Give it one more toss and taste. Cold food mutes seasoning, so it often wants another pinch of salt, a splash of vinegar for brightness, or a little sugar to round it off. If any liquid has collected in the bottom of the bowl, toss it back in or drain it off, whichever you prefer.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Bagged coleslaw mix. A 14-ounce bag of shredded coleslaw mix replaces the cabbage and carrots and saves the knife work. Salt and drain it the same way; bagged mix is usually drier to begin with, so 20 minutes is enough.
- Yellow mustard. Plain yellow mustard works in place of Dijon for a more old-fashioned, slightly sweeter slaw. Use the same amount.
- Less sugar, or none. Cut the sugar to a single tablespoon for a tangier slaw, or leave it out entirely. Add an extra splash of vinegar if you do, so the dressing still tastes bright rather than flat.
- Add celery seed or onion. A half teaspoon of celery seed gives it the familiar deli flavor, and two tablespoons of grated onion adds a savory edge. Both are optional and neither changes the method.
3 Budget tips
- A whole head of cabbage usually costs less than a small bag of pre-shredded mix and gives you nearly twice as much slaw. Shredding it yourself is the single biggest saving here.
- Cabbage keeps for weeks in the fridge, so buy a head when it is cheap and use half for slaw and half for a hot skillet dinner.
- The dressing is five things most kitchens already have. Skip bottled coleslaw dressing, which costs more per batch than everything else in this recipe combined.
- Doubling the recipe for a cookout costs almost nothing extra and takes the same twenty minutes of prep.
- See more recipes priced per serving in the Budget Plates Index.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Refrigerate coleslaw in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Because the cabbage is salted and drained first, it stays crisp far longer than slaw dressed straight away; give it a stir before each serving. Mayonnaise-based salads should not sit out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if it is above 90 F outside, so keep the bowl on ice at a cookout.
Freezer
Coleslaw does not freeze. The cabbage cells rupture as they thaw and the dressing separates, leaving a watery, limp bowl. Make it fresh - it only takes twenty minutes of real work.
Reheating
Not applicable; coleslaw is served cold straight from the refrigerator. If it has been sitting a few days and looks loose, drain the liquid and stir in a spoonful of fresh mayonnaise to bring it back together.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
140
Protein
1g
Fat
11g
Carbs
10g
Estimates per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
What is coleslaw dressing made of?
The classic creamy version is mayonnaise thinned with vinegar and balanced with a little sugar, mustard, salt, and pepper. That is the whole dressing - five pantry ingredients whisked smooth before the cabbage goes in.
How do you keep coleslaw from getting watery?
Salt the shredded cabbage and let it drain for 30 minutes before dressing it, then rinse and squeeze it dry. Cabbage is mostly water, and salting pulls that water out ahead of time instead of letting it leak into the dressing on the table.
How long should coleslaw chill before serving?
At least 30 minutes. It goes on looking slightly dry, and chilling gives the vegetables time to loosen and the dressing time to thin to the right consistency. An hour is better if you have it.
How long does coleslaw last in the fridge?
Up to 4 days in an airtight container, and it holds its crunch well because the cabbage was drained first. Do not leave a mayonnaise-based salad at room temperature longer than 2 hours, or 1 hour on a hot day above 90 F.
Can I use bagged coleslaw mix?
Yes. A 14-ounce bag stands in for the cabbage and carrots with no other changes. Still salt and drain it - bagged mix releases less water than a fresh head, but it releases some.
How is $0.34 a plate figured?
About $2.70 for a head of cabbage, two carrots, and the pantry dressing, divided by eight servings, comes to roughly 34 cents each. The cabbage is more than half the total, so buying a whole head instead of a bag is what keeps it this cheap.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
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This one is also part of our American Comfort Classics collection.
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