Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw
If you even slightly like the flavor of raw kale you’re going to love this Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw, and this is good any time of year!
PIN Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw to try it later!
One of the fun things about having a vegetable garden is growing plants you might not have tried, and many years ago I experimented with a type of heirloom kale called Red Russian Kale. That variety of kale is recommended for eating raw, and it was the inspiration for this Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw.
And recently I made this again to improve the photos and see if I can entice fellow kale lovers to try it! I did like the flavor of the raw kale, and going partly on instinct, I combined it with red cabbage, green onions, and a slightly chile-flavored dressing to make a colorful coleslaw I thought was just delicious.
For the new photos I just used organic kale from the grocery store for the kale, and you could also make it with baby kale if you want to skip the step of slicing up the kale! But if you like kale and cabbage I think you might enjoy this salad as much as I did!
What is Red Russian Kale?
Red Russian Kale is a variety of kale with purplish-gray leaves. When I grew this type of kale it was even thriving in the Utah heat, but apparently it’s very hardy in the cold as well. The leaves are shaped like oak leaves, and the stems are smaller than other kale varieties. And this is a very attractive plant, as well as being tasty, and this type of kale is sometimes grown in flower beds. From a blogger in Denmark, I learned this plant is also called Ragged Jack. And of course, the Red Russian Kale can also be cooked like other types of greens.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
- Kale strips
- red cabbage
- green onions
- mayo
- white wine vinegar
- Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) (see notes)
- Celery Seed (affiliate link)
- ground Ancho chile (affiliate link), or can use any chile powder you have
- salt to taste
How to make Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw:
(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)
- If you have large kale leaves like I did, start by chopping off the thick stems.
- Then fold each kale leaf over and cut out most of the thick rib.
- Pile the kale leaves up and cut into thin slices, then chop.
- I gave the kale a good wash in the salad spinner (affiliate link).
- I use the Mandoline Slicer (affiliate link) to slice the red cabbage; just slice with a knife if you don’t have a mandoline.
- Slice the green onion.
- Whisk together mayo, white wine vinegar, Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or sweetener of your choice, Celery Seed (affiliate link), ground Ancho chile (affiliate link) or other chile powder, and a bit of salt to make the dressing.
- Combine kale, cabbage, and green onion in a large plastic bowl.
- Then stir in desired amount of dressing, until all the kale and cabbage leaves are slightly coated.
- This will keep in the fridge for a day or two, although the red cabbage gives a slightly purplish tint to the dressing. That didn’t stop me from gobbling it up though!
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw served with Rosemary Mustard Grilled Chicken, Maple Glazed Salmon, Baked Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Almond and Parmesan Baked Fish or Grilled Boneless Pork Chops would be a perfect low-carb meal.
More Recipes Using Kale:
Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast Squares
Kale, Mushroom, and Cheese Breakfast Casserole
Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana Soup
Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw
Anyone who likes the flavor of raw kale is going to love this Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw!
Ingredients
- 4 cups sliced Kale strips (see notes)
- 4 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced (see notes)
- 1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup mayo
- 3 T white wine vinegar
- 2 T Monkfruit Sweetener (see notes)
- 1 tsp. celery seed
- 1/4 tsp. Ancho Chile powder (or can use regular chile powder)
- salt to taste
Instructions
- For baby kale or small Red Russian Kale leave, just cut off the thin stems from the young leaves, then wash the kale and dry very well.
- If you have large kale leaves, start by chopping off the thick stems.
- Then fold each kale leaf over and cut out most of the thick rib.
- Pile the kale leaves up and cut into thin slices, then chop up enough to make 4 cups of chopped kale.
- I gave the kale a good wash in the salad spinner (affiliate link), but baby kale in a package won't need to be washing.
- I use the Mandoline Slicer (affiliate link) to make 4 cups sliced red cabbage; just slice with a knife if you don't have a mandoline.
- Slice about 1/2 cup green onion.
- Whisk together mayo, white wine vinegar, Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) or sweetener of your choice, Celery Seed (affiliate link), ground Ancho chile (affiliate link) or other chile powder, and a bit of salt to make the tasty dressing.
- Combine the kale, cabbage, and green onion in a large plastic bowl.
- Then stir in desired amount of dressing, until all the kale and cabbage leaves are slightly coated with dressing. (You may not need all the dressing but it's good on many other vegetable salads!
- This will keep in the fridge for a day or two, although the red cabbage gives a slightly purplish tint to the dressing. That didn't stop me from gobbling it up though.
Notes
Four cups of kale is about 1 lb. kale leaves, sliced. Four cups of red cabbage is about 1/2 large head cabbage. I used Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link) but use any sweetener you prefer.
Recipe created by Kalyn years ago when she had Red Russian Kale in her garden!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 247Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 321mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 5gSugar: 5gProtein: 4g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Everything in this Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw is a perfect low-glycemic ingredient, making this a great recipe for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. It’s also low in net carbs so it should also work for low-carb diet plans.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salads to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for This Recipe
This recipe was first posted in 2008 when I had Red Russian Kale in my garden! Recipe was last updated in 2022.
19 Comments on “Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw”
I have made a similar version, but your dressing sounds simple and quicker! I’ll give it a try! I add roasted sunflower seeds or shelled pistachios, too.
Hope you enjoy! I like the idea of adding sunflower seeds or pistachios!
Doren, glad you liked it. And I'm wondering why I can't see most of the photos for this post.
I needed to make a nice vegetable dish for company last night – had kale (green) and red cabbage on hand and lo and behold, you had this recipe. Oh my, how wonderful.
I had no white wine vinegar, used white balsamic vinegar, and eliminated the sweetener… Been using white balsamic a lot lately, nice flavor.
Thanks for this and all your other inspired recipes. Don't know what I'd do without you,
I Love red kale ;-))
Olga
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Never seen this kind of kale but the colour certainly is beautiful. Love the sound of the salad too!
I only had ‘ornamental kale’ in my garden… But, that could well have been edible. Back when I planted it ‘exotic’ vegetables (as is, not carrots) were not very common. I’ll have to look for this
Red Russian kale is new to me too. Sure looks delicious and love the vivid colours!
Russian Kale, is absolutely new to me. Would love to try it since it looks so wonderful on your blog 🙂 I love growing my own veggies too, nothing like walking in your own garden with a pair of scissors, and then straight ti the frying pan.
russian kale…interesting…i wonder if i can find em here in hong kong
Those of you who haven’t had the red kale, it’s quite different than regular green kale. The flavor is milder and less bitter, and the leaves are thinner. I do highly recommend trying it!
I have only tried green kale but the red Russian kale looks really healthy and tasty too.
Anything Russian is intriguing (got a wee bit in my heritage). Purple kale is so beautiful. And your salad looks lovely!
I always enjoy sauteed red Russian kale but haven’t tried it raw yet. This would be a great side for a cookout.
I love kale, to look at end eat. Plus, as you say, it’s one of those miracle vegetables that likes the cold weather. Great sounding salads.
Simona, you should try it. You can probably plant it now where you live. I like the taste of this a lot.
Michael, love the name change to purple soup! I notice when I make soup with red chard it makes the liquid part of the soup a lovely shade of red.
I have some beautiful red Russian kale in my garden this year from seeds that I bought on a whim. While I do like to toss a torn leaf into my garden salad my favorite use for kale is the Portuguese soup caldo verde. I notice there is a link to a recipe here, and there are as many variations as there are Portuguese cooks, but using this kale I change the name to caldo purpurino, or purple soup. 🙂
Z
I don’t grow this kind of kale, but I have seen it and it is a pretty plant. Interesting info regarding using the young leaves.