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Red Cabbage Pasta Salad Recipe

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This 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!

summer cabbage salad with macaroni salad with red cabbage healthy recipes for potlucks summer side dishes

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
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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
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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!

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How Do I Make This Cabbage Pasta Salad?

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

Vegan Tzatziki Pasta Salad

Pot Luck Greek Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette

Avocado Grapefruit Salad

Coleslaw Pasta Salad

Kidney Bean Salad: Copy Cat Recipe

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If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!

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Red Cabbage Macaroni Salad

This creamy red cabbage macaroni salad is loaded with fresh celery, carrots, bell pepper, and of course tons of hearty cabbage for a tasty side dish. This pasta salad has a wonderfully creamy ranch dressing, a great crowd pleaser for your next pot luck, BBQ, or party!
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Course Appetizer, Pasta, Salad, Side Dish, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Hawaiian
Servings 8 people
Calories 349 kcal

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

Calories: 349kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 1gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 287mgPotassium: 149mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 3053IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 24mgIron: 1mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a rating and comment below, let us know what you loved about it!

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5 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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