Crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad is a classic potluck dish that I’ve made a hundred times. I tweaked the recipe slightly, by adding shelled edamame and adjusting the salad dressing to up the health factor. Still SO good and an easy recipe I keep coming back to again and again!
I may be dating myself, but how many of you recognize this cabbage salad? You know the one with ramen in it? Well, if your hand is up, stay tuned because I’ve made this one HEALTHIER. It’s still awesomely tasty, but it has zero refined sugar and skips that nasty salt bomb in the tiny little packet of the ramen noodles. Is this ringing a bell yet?
My mother made this salad for SO many potlucks back in the day, and I have too. I’ve made a lot of salads over the last couple of years, and love playing with ingredients to make it both tasty and healthy. Gone are the days of eating boring lifeless salads. Bring on all of the flavor, the crunch, and the familiarity.
Ingredients needed for this Crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad Recipe:
- Packaged Cabbage Slaw – but you could chop your own green cabbage.
- Red Cabbage – or use an equivalent amount of extra packaged slaw.
- Matchstick Carrots – you could also cut your own here.
- Shelled Edamame – found in the frozen vegetable section of your grocery store.
- Green Onions
- Package of Ramen Noodles – broken up and toasted.
- Slivered Almonds – toasted as well.
- Sunflower Seeds – optional salad topping.
Ingredients needed for the Salad Dressing:
I did most of the tweaking here, because salad dressings shouldn’t be loaded with sugar.
- Canola Oil – you could try swapping this for olive oil, but I decided to stick with the original.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – or Rice Wine Vinegar would be nice too.
- Honey – used to sweeten instead of sugar.
- Soy Sauce – to give an Asian flavor.
- Chili Paste or Sriracha – for some added flavor (and color!). This won’t make it super spicy, it’s just for flavor. Try it, you’ll like it!
- Salt and Pepper – to taste.
How to make Crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad:
- Mix the salad dressing together, and shake vigorously. Set aside, or in the refrigerator if you are prepping in advance.
- Microwave the frozen edamame. Add a pinch of salt, and let cool.
- Break up the ramen noodles, and toast on the stove top until fragrant and slightly browned. Set aside to cool.
- Toast the slivered almonds as well. Set aside to cool.
- Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl. To serve, drizzle salad dressing on top, and mix well. EAT.
You can do either of three things with the dressing:
- Add all the salad dressing when you make it, or well in advance of your meal.
- Before adding the ramen or nuts, add the dressing, and then add ramen and nuts right before serving.
- Apply dressing to individual salads at meal time.
Since cabbage is a strong vegetable, it doesn’t wilt easily and will hold up to the dressing for awhile. I tend to like it better when the salad has time to soak up some of the flavors from the dressing, but you do you. 😀
Other Potluck Salad Ideas:
What do they call potlucks now? Share-a-dish? Bring-a-plate? Hmmm. Do tell. What do YOU call it?
- Creamy Potato Salad – my mom’s awesome recipe
- Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad – one of my all-time favs
- Mexican Quinoa Salad with Fresh Corn – a recent obsession
Enjoy, ya’ll!
Make this salad next: Healthy Broccoli Salad with Honey Dijon Dressing
Please let know if you try this recipe. Be sure to comment and leave a review on the blog so I can see what you think. You can also like my Facebook Page, follow me on Pinterest, and catch me on Instagram.
xoxo ~Sue
Crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad is a classic pot-luck dish that I've made a million times. I tweaked the recipe slightly, by adding shelled edamame and adjusting the salad dressing. Still SO good and an easy recipe I keep coming back to again and again!
- 16 oz package cabbage slaw
- 1 1/2 cups red cabbage - chopped
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup green onions - diced
- 8 oz. shelled edamame
- 3 oz. package ramen noodles - broken into pieces, and toasted
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds -toasted
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- sunflower seeds - optional topping
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce - I use reduced sodium
- 2 teaspoons chili paste or sriracha - for a little spice and taste (optional)
- salt and pepper - to taste
Mix the salad dressing ingredients together and refrigerate.
Microwave the shelled edamame according to package directions. Remove from package to cool.
Spread the ramen noodle pieces and slivered almonds in a large saucepan. Toast on medium heat, just until you can smell them and they are slightly browned. Remove from heat to a paper towel to cool.
Combine the cabbage slaw, red cabbage, shredded carrots, and green onions in a large bowl. Add cooled edamame, ramen noodles, and slivered almonds. Stir to combine.
Drizzle dressing over the salad and stir. Serve immediately.
- You can omit the red cabbage, and just add more green cabbage mix, if desired.
- This salad can also be prepared by adding the dressing about an hour before serving. Wait to add the ramen, almonds, and sunflower seeds until serving, for best results.
- You can add dressing to individual servings as well, if you don't plan to eat the entire salad.Â
 
 
  
  
 
  
Just made this salad for dinner. I added cooked-then-chilled shrimp and used sesame oil/sunflower oil mix instead of canola. Oh and added some red pepper flakes on top. It was delicious! We ate 2 heaping bowls each, oopsie! I will definitely make this again, thanks for the yummy recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cabbage salad, Tricia! It’s one of my favorites. Thanks so much for your feedback! 🙂
We all know salads are healthy for you, but sometimes they get boring. This salad is awesome and is different than most! It won’t disappoint.