Why Ina Garten’s Slaw-for-a-Crowd Is My Go-To Summer Side

I’m lucky enough to live in Florida, where the weather is warm and sunny for the majority of the year and outdoor parties happen often. Truly the land of backyard barbecues and al fresco dinner parties with friends, the Sunshine State lends itself to plenty of group gatherings. In the decade we’ve lived in our small beach town, we’ve hosted and attended everything from birthday parties in the park to multi-family beach days, all of which involved lots of delicious food.

Still, a good summertime and warm-weather dish can be hard to find. I’m always on the hunt for a tasty side dish that can be made ahead and kept cold in the refrigerator or in a cooler. A long-time fan of any Ina Garten recipe, from her hearty oatmeal cookies to her vegetable carbonara pasta, I was working my way through a summer menu on the celebrity chef’s website when a side dish caught my eye. Garten’s vegetable coleslaw seemed to take simple, store-bought coleslaw to the next level. With two different kinds of cabbage, plus carrots, kale and lots of condiments and spices thrown in, the slaw recipe sounded delicious and I couldn’t wait to try it out.

On the Barefoot Contessa website, Garten says her vegetable coleslaw is her “new favorite” version of the classic side dish, a salad made from shredded cabbage and creamy dressing. “When it comes to summer holidays,” she writes, “I love to serve the classics—hot dogs, hamburgers, coleslaw, and potato salad.” Garten goes on to add that her favorite part of the dish is that “you don’t even have to turn on the oven.”

Since it’s often close to 100 degrees outside where I live, recipes that don’t heat up the house are ones we turn to again and again. Making this no-cook side dish is easy: Fit a food processor with its thickest slicing blade and, after cutting a pound of white cabbage and ¾ pound of red cabbage into wedges, feed the cabbage into the food processor to shred. Next, pull out your food processor’s grating blade and grate five carrots into slivers. The prettiest addition to this slaw is the luscious green kale leaves, which you’ll slice into ribbons with a knife on a cutting board. 

Next up, make the dressing by combining 2 cups of high-quality mayonnaise (I promise, the higher the quality, the better the dressing will taste) with ¼ cup of Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 teaspoons of cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons of celery seeds, 1 teaspoon of celery salt, 1½ teaspoons of kosher salt and a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. The mustard and vinegar included in this dressing add a bit of acidity and lightness, something you want on a hot summer day.

Mix the dressing and shredded veggies in a large bowl and the dish is technically ready to serve. I’ve found, however, that it only improves in flavor as it hangs out in the refrigerator, so I typically make mine the night before a summer gathering, storing it in a covered bowl in the fridge and giving it a few light stirs to really let the bright, creamy dressing soak into every little shred of cabbage, carrot and kale.

This slaw is a delightful twist on a cookout or barbecue classic, and each time I arrive at a summer gathering with it, I get compliments. Some love the addition of kale to a cabbage-heavy slaw. Others love the addition of celery flavors through celery seed and celery salt, since both spices add the celery flavor we’ve come to love in cold, creamy salads without the texture change that diced or sliced celery itself would add to the mix.

Garten’s Vegetable Slaw recipe initially appeared in her 1999 cookbook, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. Although it’s been in print for close to 20 years, the slaw still holds up and is a go-to dish for me any time the weather heats up—which is often in Florida. What’s more, I can feel good about sharing the dish at a cookout, since it’s packed with healthy ingredients. Cabbage offers nutrients like vitamin K, magnesium and vitamin C and may improve immune health, provide anticancer nutrients, boost gut health and reduce inflammation in the body. Kale helps the digestive system stay regular and can help promote bone and immune health in addition to protecting against cancer. Vitamin A–packed carrots help with things like eye health, immunity, heart health and improved skin. There’s little not to love about this Ina Garten classic, and it’s sure to remain a must-make for summer parties for me for years into the future.

Trying to decide the best mayonnaise to toss into this refreshing summer slaw? EatingWell asked five chefs for their own favorites and the results were split between Hellmann’s and Duke’s. As a proper southern girl who visits Greenville, South Carolina—home of Duke’s mayo—often, the yellow-topped condiment is my go-to pick for its light-and-creamy flavor profile. Truly, any higher-end mayo would be delicious in this Ina Garten side; after all, the veggies are the star of this slaw.