Broccoli and Cabbage Salad

This salad is as fresh and as crisp as a salad can be! Loaded with both red and green cabbage, broccoli florets, tomatoes, and cucumbers, and tossed with an oil and vinegar dressing, this salad is light, healthy, and colourful. Perfect as a summer side, great for picnics, and can be made ahead of time too!

This Broccoli and Cabbage Salad could be called a coleslaw considering the amount of cabbage in it, but I prefer to call it a salad. To me, coleslaw has at least ninety percent cabbage, but this salad has only about fifty percent. So, let’s call it a salad! We love this one, because as you know, I’m a sucker for coleslaw, so I can never get enough cabbage. And, John.e loves broccoli more than anything else in the world – probably even more than he loves me! Ha!

The Thomas-Ewing household loves a good salad. I want to say we eat salad regularly, but that would suggest two or three times a week. In our home, it’s more like two or three times a month. John.e is okay with a green salad, but I prefer salads that are bulky. When I eat a salad, I want a salad! None of this side order stuff. There’s a time and place for a simple bowl of greens with balsamic vinaigrette. But, whenever I crave a salad, I want it to be substantial, just like this Broccoli and Cabbage Salad!

SPEAKING OF COLESLAW…

I have my standard Home Style Cream Coleslaw, which is the one I grew up with. My mom made this one quite often. During the warmer months, I prefer to have either this Dill Pickle Coleslaw or my Jalapeno Buttermilk Ranch Coleslaw. And, in the cooler months, it’s got to be my Toasted Cashews and Brussels Sprouts Coleslaw or this Healthy Winter Coleslaw. They’re all very delicious, but sometimes, food just fits a certain season.

The thing about coleslaw is that it’s hard to make one that tastes terrible. And, even if you do, it’s easy to correct it. You can always add more dressing, more veggies, more seasonings, etc. The most important thing about any coleslaw is to let it sit in the fridge for a few hours before eating it. It will always taste better a few hours later.

There are some steadfast rules about making a really great-tasting coleslaw. And, there are rules that are meant to be broken. The only rules I abide by are the following. First, pineapple does not belong in coleslaw. Period. It doesn’t belong on a pizza either, but that’s a topic for another time and place.

CHOPPED, SHREDDED, OR GRATED?

When it comes to preparing vegetables, I’m a masochist. I actually do find so much pleasure in chopping vegetables. It’s my version of therapy! If you don’t care to spend the time chopping, you can shred, grate, or dice to your heart’s content using your food processor.

Here’s the thing though. A food processor will most likely over-process. I like the inconsistency of handmade. I like the feeling of a job well done once all of that chopping is out of the way. More importantly, I’d rather wash up one knife and a cutting board rather than a 6-piece food processor!

HOW TO CUT CABBAGE

Preparing the cabbage can be daunting though. Let’s face it – cabbages are big and can be rather tough to cut through. I have watched home cooks butcher a cabbage simply because they did not cut it properly. The first thing you want to do is to cut the cabbage into manageable pieces.

Turn the cabbage upside down so that the core is facing up. Using a very large knife, cut through the center of the core, halving the whole cabbage into two even sections. Repeat with each half so that you have quartered the entire cabbage.

The key to easy chopping for this salad is to keep the core intact. Do not remove it. It will hold all of those leaves in place. Working with one section at a time, start at the top and cut across the leaves in 1/4-inch slices. Once you reach the core, stop and discard the core section. Use your hands to toss the cut cabbage to loosen it. Add it to a bowl and move on to the other sections. If you do not need to use all it of, wrap the quarters in plastic wrap and keep them in the crisper section of your fridge.

Alternatively, you can use a vegetable peeler like I did in this case. Carefully pull the peeler across the cut surface of the cabbage, starting near the core where the leaves are held intact. Pull downward to make long, thin shreds. You can shred or chop; whatever is easier for you!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this Broccoli and Cabbage Salad recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Cabbage – In comparison to green cabbage, red cabbage can taste a little more peppery, but almost never does! You can use red and green as I have or all green cabbage if it’s easier for you.
• Broccoli – Use one large head of broccoli. If using broccoli crowns, you might need two since they tend to be a little smaller in size.
• Tomatoes – Your favourite tomato is what you want here. I used cherry tomatoes. If you use large tomatoes, core them and cut them into chunks.
• Cucumbers – I used mini cucumbers cut into 1/4-inch coins. If you use a larger English cucumber, you can dice it or cut it into half-moon shapes.
• Oil – Any light cooking oil will do. I like canola oil here, but you can use any light-tasting oil.
• Vinegar – I’m using apple cider vinegar. You can use other vinegar like champagne, rice, white, etc., but nothing extremely strong like malt or balsamic.
• Sugar – Just a bit of sweetness is needed to offset the acidity in the vinegar.
• Garlic – Grate the garlic clove instead of chopping it. This will ensure the garlic is more evenly dispersed.
• Green Onions – They add a bright and fresh flavour.
• Parsley – This will add both colour and freshness.
• Salt & Ground Black Pepper

HOW TO MAKE A BROCCOLI AND CABBAGE SALAD

Add the prepared green and red cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, and green onions to a large mixing bowl and set it aside. Next, in a small bowl, prepare the dressing by whisking together the canola oil, vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt, and ground black pepper.  

Pour the dressing into the bowl with the cabbage and toss well to coat evenly. The salad can be served immediately but is best if refrigerated for 2 hours first. This gives the vegetables time to absorb the flavours of the dressing.  

LET’S MAKE BROCCOLI FLORETS

As you can see from the photographs, the broccoli pieces are very close and even in size. There is an easy way to do this and I’m going to walk you through it. I wish I had taken photos of the process, but I didn’t, so I’ll have to rely on my words.

First, remove the outer leaves if there are any and trim away that long, hard stem as close to the bottom of the actual broccoli flowers as possible. (The bumpy green part of the broccoli that we eat are actually little flowers that have not yet opened up.) Toss the leaves in your compost pile. You can do the same with the stem, or you can peel it, cut it into bite-sized pieces and roast it at 400 degrees F with olive oil, salt, and pepper until fork-tender.

Turn the broccoli upside down so that the core is facing up. Use a paring knife to cut around the perimeter of the core, allowing large chunks of the broccoli to fall away. Once you’ve removed the core, you can start to cut the larger pieces into florets. Again, we will work from the bottom – stems facing up. Using the same paring knife, carefully cut through the smaller stems. This will create florets.

PERFECT FOR A PARTY!

Depending on the time of year, this Broccoli and Cabbage Salad is very inexpensive to make. (Sometimes, both of those veggies can be quite pricey, so watch for weekly sales.) Personally, this would be a dish that I would gladly serve at a summer picnic or dinner in the park or at the beach. Think about any backyard barbecue or family reunion-type gathering. This salad would be perfect!

If you plan to bring this salad to a function that’s being held outdoors, be sure to pack it into a cooler so that it stays cool. There’s no mayonnaise or sour cream, so it won’t turn bad from any direct heat, but it will lose its crispness and wilt.