HELLO, NEW FAVORITE! Sorry about the caps, but I’m really excited about this Mediterranean Coleslaw. It’s so freaking delicious. This coleslaw is actually very similar to my Marinated Cauliflower Salad, but with a coleslaw (shredded cabbage and carrot) base instead of cauliflower, and a more lemon-y dressing. It’s fresh, crisp, colorful, and the perfect side dish for dinners or potlucks!
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What is Colesaw Mix?
This recipe uses bagged “coleslaw mix” that you can purchase in most grocery stores in the U.S. It’s simply a mix of shredded green cabbage and carrots. While I don’t use convenience products like this often, I find that coleslaw mix is extremely convenient, usually very inexpensive, and doesn’t leave me with ½ head of leftover cabbage.
If you do want to use fresh cabbage, you’ll need about six cups of shredded cabbage (loosely packed) and one shredded carrot.
What to Serve with Mediterranean Coleslaw
I think this slaw would make a great side dish to burgers (particularly my Mediterranean Turkey Burgers), Sheet Pan Greek Chicken and Vegetables, or even Beef Kofta Meatballs. Or, make it part of a vegetarian platter with Herby Potato Salad and some Hummus.
You could also pile this coleslaw into a wrap with some Garlic Marinated Chicken to make a wrap sandwich. Or top the Mediterranean Coleslaw with some Garlic Butter Shrimp and make it a meal salad.
How Are The Leftovers?
As with any coleslaw, the cabbage will begin to wilt as it is refrigerated. I enjoyed the leftovers of this coleslaw for about two days before it got a little too limp for my tastes. You’ll definitely want to give it a stir every time before serving to make sure the dressing and all the flavors get redistributed.
Mediterranean Coleslaw
Servings 5 1 cup eachIngredients
Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup olive oil ($0.42)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice ($0.18)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
Salad
- 16 oz. coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots) ($1.69)
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced ($0.75)
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley ($0.23)
- 1 2.25oz. can sliced black olives ($1.50)
- 1/2 12oz. jar banana pepper rings ($1.00)
- 2 oz. feta, crumbled ($1.25)
Instructions
- Prepare the lemon garlic vinaigrette first. Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper in a bowl or jar. Whisk until combined, or close the jar and shake until combined. Set the dressing aside.
- Dice the bell pepper and chop the parsley. Add the coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots), bell pepper, black olives (drained), banana peppers, feta, and parsley in a large bowl.
- Pour the vinaigrette over the salad ingredients then toss until everything is combined and coated in dressing. Let the slaw sit for 15 minutes before serving. Stir one last time just before serving to redistribute the vinaigrette.
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Equipment
- Chef’s Knife
- White Cutting Boards
- Liquid Measuring Cup
Nutrition
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How to Make Mediterranean Coleslaw – Step by Step Photos
Prepare the lemon garlic vinaigrette first. Combine ¼ cup olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl or jar. Whisk until combined, or close the jar and shake until combined. Set the dressing aside.
Dice ½ a red bell pepper and chop about ¼ cup fresh parsley. Drain the black olives. Add one 16oz. bag coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots) to a large bowl along with the bell pepper, parsley, black olives, about ½ jar of banana peppers, and 2 oz. crumbled feta.
Pour the prepared lemon garlic vinaigrette over the salad ingredients in the bowl.
Toss the ingredients together until everything is combined and coated in the vinaigrette. Let the salad sit for about 15 minutes for the flavors to combine, then toss once again before serving.
I used Kalamata olives instead of black, and roasted red pepper instead of fresh, and 3/4 of a jar of banana peppers. I was sad to discover my feta has gone by so no cheese. Still delicious, I think the saltiness of the olives made up for no feta. Topped a big bowl full of of slaw with a cup of salted cooked French green lentils- fantastic vegan lunch. I’m not even vegan but with meals like that I feel like I could be.
Loved this recipe. The dressing was nice and light and well balanced with the spices. We made this in December with oven baked chicken and it was delicious. It would be a wonderful summer salad too.
Made this and ready liked it . Will be a repeat dish.
Hi, prepared this salad yesterday. It was DELICIOSO. As if it couldn’t taste even better, today it was delicioso MUCHÍSIMO! Going for a third helping tomorrow, I know my friends will love it.
Made this for dinner with friends and we all enjoyed it! I used kalamata olives and crumbled feta cheese. We will be having this all summer. So good!
Delicious. I had kalamata olives so I substituted them. Wonderful recipe that I will definitely make again soon.
Delicious! I used shredded mozzarella because I’m not a fan of feta. Next time I think that I would use Parmesan to get the salty tang. I did add a bit more lemon juice because this really soaks up the dressing.
Made this last night and we really liked it. I liked that it wasn’t loaded with mayo. It makes a lot so we’ll have it again tonight!
Love the idea of coleslaw without Mayo. I’m definitely going to try this recipe and plan to add grilled jumbo shrimp or rotisserie chicken to it for a quick & easy lunch. My husband should really enjoy it too.
How long does the salad stay fresh? Thinking it would be a great side dish in my weekly lunch prep.
It’s really your call but I think two days is its max before it’s too soggy.
Made this 6/23/24 – YUM!!! This is very tasty and very simple to throw together. The only thing I did differently was to use about a teaspoon of capers instead of the olives because I’m not a fan of black olives. Served this with Chicken Souvlaki and it was a wonderful combination. So glad I found this recipe. Thank you!!
This coleslaw is delicious! It makes a great lunch with some baked chicken strips and hummus. I love it!
Fabulous flavor!!! I did use real garlic instead of powered. My preference bc….. I LOVE GARLIC!!!!
Is there a different cheese you would recommend
Feta would really work best here! You could try some fresh mozzarella or maybe some cubed white cheddar, or you could omit!
Made this today…. Delicious and so easy!
Could you sub Kalamata olives?
Absolutely!
This is my absolute favorite salad! Nailed it!
Looks good will try.
Want to try!!! Not a fan of feta cheese, what can I use in place of it??
I don’t think there’s anything that I’d replace it with, if you don’t like feta. I’d probably just leave it out. :)
What could I substitute for banana pepper rings?
Try slices of pepperoncini.
I am going to make this tonight just the way you have it listed. Than if I need to change something I will next time. The recipe sounds wonderful just the way it is listed. Thank you!
I wonder if the coleslaw could be substituted with broccoli slaw?
Definitely!
This sounds delicious, I can’t wait to try it. This is a really good idea, too, I’m always looking for add’l ways to get in veggies and normally I roast veggies a lot…which I don’t want to do in the summer!!
Like every recipe I’ve tried from your site, this recipe is delicious. I wanted to make it a meal, so I added a can of white beans. I saw in comments that it was a nice side to chicken or fish, so I’ll try that next time. This recipe is another keeper. Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes.
I love your site and your recipes are some of my all time favorites. I’ve told so many people about your site after they asked for a recipe of something I’ve made (or mentioned). But, I have a request – instead of saying a 2.25 can of olives for instance, could you give a measurement of the ingredient? I buy things like banana peppers, olives, etc in large containers and I am never really sure I estimated correctly. Of course there’s no such thing as too many olives, but too many peppers might be a different thing :-)
thank you for delicious AND affordable meals – you have mastered the perfect balance of effort, cost and taste!
OH YUM!
I made this with the following tweaks: 2 Tblsp fresh lemon juice, 1 garlic clove crushed and since I did not have any fresh parsley, I used 3 tsp parsley flakes in the dressing. In the salad itself I used both black olive slices and kalamata olives sliced (both were leftover and not enough on their own). This far exceeded my expectations! The recipe has been moved to my Keepers Folder.
A bit salty but really good taste . Very good with fish
I made this for a potluck picnic this past weekend and it was delicious. The store did not have the bagged cole slaw mix so I had to buy the head of cabbage and thinly slice it, and grate the carrots so it was a bit more labor intensive. The only thing I really changed from the recipe was instead of using the feta cheese – I used sliced and diced up provolone cheese which I like better. I made it about 3 hours before so it was about midway between really crunchy and well blended. There was very little left – just enough for the two of us to have for dinner the next night and it was still delicious as leftovers.
I made this for a family get together and it was a huge hit even with those who aren’t really slaw people. My tweaks: halved cherry tomatoes instead of bell pepper, kalamata olives instead of regular, and added 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar to the dressing. I mixed it all up about 5 hours ahead of time and it was fine. But I prefer a bit more crunch so next time I probably wouldn’t do it more than 2 or 3 hours ahead.
What a fun spin on coleslaw.
Made this as a side dish with lemon souvlaki chicken and it was delicious! Only thing I added was a little rice vinegar as I love the zing that it adds to the dressing. I don’t like my slaw too crunchy so I added dressing earlier. With this slaw I think I’d wait a bit so it still a little crunch. Maybe add about 1/2 before serving next time. Will definitely make again!
this is a fun spin on coleslaw.
This looks amazing. I love coleslaw, can’t wait to try this totally homemade version.
What a great looking version of cole slaw. I’ll have to try this out for summer bbqs.
Great cole slaw recipe.
This. Was. Delish! Paired with the Black Bean Burger Patties (original recipe with Worcestershire of course) and your Mushroom rice… Mwuah! So good! I actually omitted the peppers bc I didn’t have them but added in some finely chopped red onion. Very good recipe. Thank you. I also followed some comments advice about waiting to add certain ingredients e.g. the dressing till later when you’re ready to eat except the only thing I omitted was the feta till the serving of the dish bc I think leaving the dressing on the hearty cabbage and carrots really helped to kind of soften and pickle them a little bit before eating. I’m excited to have some today (the following morning) to see how the flavors have developed overnight. Thank you for the recipe. I like how this was a twist on the conventional Asian style cabbage slaws grocery stores tend to lean towards in their bagged salads. Keep coming out with new variations, please! Always a fan of how simple but delish your recipes are and how as a new cook, I can practice my hand at tweaking them to our family’s liking!
Hi! If I were to make this recipe meal prep style to eat throughout the week, would you keep the dressing on the side and add it in the morning before I am going to eat it?
It just depends if you prefer the salad to be really crunchy or not. If you want it to stay super crunchy definitely keep the dressing on the side. If you prefer your cabbage a little softened (sometimes it’s easier to digest that way), you can dress it ahead of time and let the dressing wilt the cabbage. :)
I can’t stand soggy salads or slaws, so I just kept the dressing separate and my husband and I just dressed our slaw at the table. It was delicious and stayed crunchy for a couple of days. Yum.
THIS WAS DELICIOUS – I have made it no less than 5 times in the last 2 weeks (without black olives). One of your best yet! thank you.
I love a good coleslaw.
The vinaigrette didn’t have quite the kick and balance I like so I added 1 tbsp each of honey and apple cider vinegar.
Subbed feta for capers because I was out.
Tripled the parsley
I was in a rush preparing a dinner for a friend, so I got the premade slaw kit at Trader Joe’s (it included their honey dressing). So I just added the sliced olives, parsley, sliced bell pepper, and the feta cheese. It was excellent and went very well with the lasagna I’d made!!! It was a hit for my friend and her family! Thank you! Now I’ll try it with your lemon
vinaigrette dressing!!!
Loved the slaw! My mother enjoyed it as well. I shredded my own cabbage and added shredded carrots as none of the bagged slaw at my local grocer looked good. A little extra work, but not too much. It ages well, mom prefers it after it has a chance to sit in the dressing for a few days. Will be making this again.
We loved this! It was a nice change up from your typical slaws. Great with grilled sweet Italian sausages!!
… hmmm… ideas still coming… could add canned tuna to the braised veggie/rice combo… ?
Will try this… but also wonder if the limp leftovers could be gently ‘cooked’,… i.e., braised, simmerec, etc. until the veggies are tender. Sounds like a ‘sin’, but I think it might be an improvement over soggy raw vegs. Hmmm…. Serve the ‘cooked’ veggies over rice?
This turned out great! I made a double batch of the dressing and used it to marinate chicken thighs to go with it.
This looks so good! I am going to the store to get everything to make it tonight!
This sounds seriously amazing, and will be the next Coleslaw I make. The flavor must be out of this world! I’m sure we’ll love it.