Apple Cabbage Salad

With both green and red cabbage, this apple cabbage salad is a mix of crisp apples, walnuts and blue cheese tossed in champagne vinaigrette.

Salads don’t have a season in my kitchen. No matter if it’s chilly or hot, I will adjust my ingredient choices depending on the time of year.

My approach is to always start with the salad base. What kind of lettuce? Does a salad even need lettuce? These are the kinds of questions I am asking myself.

I find during fall and winter that I am more likely to reach for greens that are heartier than lettuce.

Salads made with shredded brussels sprouts are one lettuce swap that I love and cabbage is another.

A cousin to kale and broccoli, cabbage doesn’t get as much attention as its cruciferous vegetable relatives, but it should for its health benefits and its taste.

• Cabbage is a great source of Vitamin C.
• It is has lots of antioxidants, which help with inflammation.
• Your digestive system will thank you for all that fiber.

Cabbage and Apples: The Best of Bitter and Sweet    

No matter green or red, cabbage tends to have a pleasantly bitter flavor. The apples in this salad add bites that are juicy and sweet.

Cabbage is tough, so you have to slice it very thinly, also known as shredding it. Then cabbage ends up with just the right amount of crunchy texture.

To go with those flavors of bitter and sweet, I add chopped walnuts because I always like something nutty in a salad.

Then crumbled blue cheese gives the salad a salty pungent bite. Blue cheese and apples are such a good pairing!

Ingredients & Substitutions

This is what you need to make this cabbage salad with apples:

• Cabbage: Green and red cabbage taste pretty similar. Red is a bit earthier. I just love the color combo, so that’s part of the reason why I like to use them both. Tear off any wilted outer leaves before you shred it.
• Apples: Make sure you pick a crisp apple! My go-to varieties are Pink Lady and Honeycrisp.
• Scallions: For onion flavor and something fresh, I reach for green onions and thinly slice them.
• Walnuts: Apples and walnuts are very on-brand for autumn. Make sure to toast the nuts before stirring them into the salad. Spread the walnuts on a sheet pan and toast them in a 350-degree F oven for 5-7 minutes. You can also use toasted almonds.
• Blue Cheese: Kind of funky and salty, blue cheese goes perfectly with the bitter cabbage and the sweet-tart apples. If you aren’t a fan, swap it out for feta or goat cheese.
• Parsley: For a finishing touch of fresh herbs, I also add chopped parsley.
• Champagne vinaigrette: For the dressing, I make vinaigrette with champagne vinegar, whole grain Dijon mustard and garlic.

How To Make This Salad

1. Prep the ingredients. This involves slicing the cabbage thinly so it is shredded, and cutting the apples into matchsticks. You can buy bagged pre-cut cabbage if you want to skip this task.
2. Combine the ingredients. In a big bowl, stir together the green cabbage, red cabbage, apples, scallions, walnuts, blue cheese and parsley.
3. Make the vinaigrette. Whisk the minced garlic, whole grain mustard, champagne vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
4. Drizzle the vinaigrette into the salad. Toss everything around, so the cabbage and apples are all dressed.

Can You Serve This As Apple Cabbage Slaw Instead of A Salad?

Absolutely! Mayonnaise is not a requirement for coleslaw. In fact, there are lots of red cabbage slaws with vinegar-based dressings.

If you do treat it like coleslaw, it would be great as a side for roasted chicken, pork or other meats. It would bring something fresh and crisp to these more heavy dishes and flavors.

Storing

One of the best parts of this cabbage salad recipe unlike salads with delicate leafy greens is that you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. If you are planning to do that, try not to douse the whole thing in vinaigrette. Cabbage will stay relatively crisp, but it helps not to fully dress it. The apples will brown a bit, but it’s just cosmetic. They will still taste good.

More Apple Salad Recipes

Brussels Sprout Apple Salad
Kale Apple Salad
Apple Walnut Salad
Pumpkin Wild Rice Salad
Autumn Chopped Salad

Apple Cabbage Salad

• Author: Paige Adams
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
• Category: Salad
• Method: Toss
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

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Description

With both green and red cabbage, this apple cabbage salad is a mix of crisp apples, walnuts and blue cheese tossed in champagne vinaigrette.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• For salad
• 1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded
• 2 crisp apples, cut into matchsticks (Pink Lady, Honeycrisp)
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 crumbled blue cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• For dressing
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
• 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

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Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, apples, scallions, walnuts, blue cheese and parsley.
2. For the dressing, whisk together the garlic, mustard, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
3. Drizzle the dressing into the salad, tossing to coat.

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Notes

You can use pre-cut shredded cabbage.

Keywords: apple cabbage slaw, cabbage salad with apples, apple cabbage salad