Red Cabbage Pasta Salad Recipe
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Jump to RecipeThis red cabbage pasta salad recipe is loaded with fresh celery, carrots, bell pepper, and of course tons of green peas for a great side dish.
This pasta salad has a wonderfully creamy ranch dressing, a great crowd pleaser for your next pot luck, BBQ, or party!
What’s better than a sweet and tangy salad that goes great with anything off the BBQ? This Red Cabbage Macaroni Salad is a super fun take on the classic summer side dish. And because its vegan and gluten-free everyone at your table can enjoy it! The dressing is made with a fantastic dairy free ranch dressing – so it has TONS of flavor and is still plant-based.
This Red Cabbage Pasta Salad Recipe Is:
- Creamy
- Loaded with Flavor
- Tangy
- Delicious
- Crunchy
- Vegan and gluten free!
- A fun summer side dish, the perfect crowd pleasing dish for your summer BBQ, potluck, or cookout
You can probably tell I love macaroni salad from all the recipes I have on The Herbeevore! I absolutely love it. As a Midwesterner I love all creamy salads, and macaroni salad is one of my favorites that are my go-tos in the summer. For me, no BBQ is complete without pasta salad, macaroni salad, or coleslaw. The combination of crunchy veggies and a creamy tangy dressing make a BBQ complete.
This cabbage macaroni salad is a super bright and fresh take on the classic macaroni salad. The crunchy veggies and pasta pair really well with the creamy ranch dressing. This simmer side dish pasta salad goes great with burgers, dogs, or anything off the BBQ.
What’s In This Cabbage Pasta Salad Recipe?
Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!
- Elbow Macaroni Noodles: You can use normal macaroni noodles if you can eat wheat, or a gluten free version as well.
- Celery
- Carrots
- Red Cabbage
- Onion
- Relish: to give the dish a little sweetness!
- Apple Cider Vinegar,
- Ranch Dressing – I love a good ranch dressing, which gives this salad an amazing flavor and creaminess!
- Salt & Pepper
Make Ahead Macaroni Salad for Entertaining!
This vegan mac salad side dish is great for entertaining as it is an easy make-ahead side! It actually takes better the longer it sits. This is great to make a day ahead of your cookout and just grab and go to bring it along.
The flavors marry together better when left sitting a while, and the veggies don’t lose any of their crunch! I love Make Ahead Meals (I have a whole recipe collection of them here) and am all in favor of prepping anything ahead of time!
How Do I Make This Cabbage Pasta Salad?
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook to package directions. Rinse with cold water, drain, and set aside until cooled.
- In a large bowl add the cooled macaroni and the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Stir well to combine. Taste for flavor and add any additional spices, salt, or pepper as needed.
- Refrigerate overnight in an airtight container. Remove from fridge right before serving.
This is a fun dish that the whole family will love. The macaroni salad provides a little nostalgia for the creamy pasta salads of yesteryear. And since its vegan, gluten free, and dairy free, its friendly to most people with special diets.
Dietary Modifications
- This recipe is vegan, because it calls for vegan mayo and dairy free ranch dressing, but you can absolutely make this with real dairy products if you aren’t vegan or eating dairy free.
- It is gluten free if you are using GF pasta, but you can use any kind of pasta you’d like. Also, you can use any shape you’d like, I prefer the classic macaroni noodle, but a small shell pasta or ditalini will work just fine.
- This is also refined sugar free, since all the sweetness comes from the peas and relish in this dish! If you feel you need extra sweetness you can always stir in a teaspoon of sugar.
More BBQ Side Dishes You’ll Love
Pot Luck Greek Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette
Kidney Bean Salad: Copy Cat Recipe
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Red Cabbage Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) box macaroni noodles gluten free
- 1/4 cup sweet onion diced
- 2 carrots shredded or spiralized
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1/2 bell pepper
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing dairy free
- 1/4 cup relish
- Black Pepper
Instructions
- Cook macaroni noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, combine the onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper, red cabbage, apple cider vinegar, ranch dressing, relish, mustard, salt and pepper. Add the cool macaroni noodles and stir well to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving… But overnight is best!
Nutrition
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I love pasta salad and can’t wait to try this one! ? Thanks for sharing!
Sooooo delicious
Love the healthy ingredients