This sweet and spicy coleslaw has plenty of crunch! It’s an unforgettable side dish.

Sweet and spicy flavors are almost always a sure win with my family. However, coleslaw? That has not always been a reason to cheer. A few years ago that changed when we tried this recipe for classic coleslaw.

Since then, we’ve tried some pretty amazing coleslaw recipes. This Sweet and Spicy Apple Coleslaw was eaten down to the very last apple slice and ribbon of cabbage.

The comment “Best Coleslaw I’ve ever tasted” was heard and there were echoes of that from almost everyone at the table. I made this for dinner guests again last night and was thrilled that it turned out so well.

A certain non-coleslaw-loving brother of mine just might have taken the serving bowl back to his chair and finished off every last bit.

Spicy Apple Coleslaw

This was the first apple coleslaw we tried, but it certainly hasn’t been the last.

We’ve been making this Sweet and Spicy Apple Coleslaw and the Cranberry Apple Coleslaw now for several years.

I love adding apples to traditionally savory dishes like these Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Bacon or this Blueberry Apple Walnut Salad. They add a terrific sweet bite to the dish and we all love that.

Spicy Coleslaw Recipe

We love spicy flavors and in coleslaw the heat is balanced by the creamy sweet dressing. Mexican Street Corn Coleslaw and Jalapeno Coleslaw are two awesome examples of that.

The Sweet and Spicy Apple Coleslaw includes a couple of ingredients that I wouldn’t have thought to include without inspiration from Chef John.

When I saw corn nuts in the original recipe, I may have stopped and stared. I don’t really even like corn nuts. It just sounded so unusual, I had to try it. And they worked!

Just a couple of tablespoons of crushed corn nuts changes the flavor and texture of the salad from very good to delicious. This is an excellent summer salad that I have made many times over the past few years.

For what it’s worth, the Tabasco sauce doe

Tender pasta and mouthwatering flavorful tomatoes are tossed together with a tangy-sweet dressing to make a versatile Tomato Pasta that can be served warm, cold, or at room temperature.

This is perfect for summer barbecues and potlucks, as it can be left out for a couple of hours without any issues.

Tomato Pasta

While this just might be the easiest pasta recipe I’ve ever made, it’s also one of my favorites for flavor. I eat this pasta hot, cold, room temperature, it’s fantastic however you serve it.

With just a few ingredients, you can mix up a batch of marinated tomatoes in the morning, let them rest on the counter or in the fridge for the day, then toss the tomatoes with pasta for dinner.

This is delicious right after it’s stirred together, but it only gets better after spending a while in the fridge. I’ve found I like the leftovers even more than when first made.

So, take my advice and make the full recipe. The pasta will keep nicely for a few days and can be eaten cold for easy lunches or warmed up for a hot meal too.

With some sliced grilled chicken added to the pasta, this is a hearty dinner the whole family enjoys. I typically stir together the pasta and tomatoes as a pasta salad and store it in the fridge.

When I’m ready for dinner, I combine the pasta and chicken in the skillet and warm it up for a quick minute. You can even toss in a couple of handfuls of baby spinach or some sauteed mushrooms.

A sprinkling of Parmesan is another great way to finish the recipe. With this tomato pasta tucked in the fridge, you have endless dinner options at your fingertips.

Tomato Pasta Recipe

1. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package, adding a generous tablespoon or so of kosher salt to the water as it cooks. Drain, but do not rinse.
2. Combine

Perfectly bite-size Marinated Tomatoes are seasoned with a combination of oil, vinegar, and spices along with just the right amount of sweetness.

I’ve always liked tomatoes, but these tomatoes are irresistible!

I’m feeling very Mary Poppins over here as I realize that just a spoonful of sugar has transformed my much-loved tomatoes into something altogether different!

I made these marinated tomatoes for the first time 11 years ago the day after Ree posted them. This recipe is adapted from and with thanks to Missy via The Pioneer Woman.

Marinated Tomatoes

I am sold on this flavor combination. I couldn’t stay out of them all afternoon as they were marinating on the counter and in the refrigerator.

I kept telling myself I needed to stir them to make sure they were marinating just right. Somehow that wound up in a taste or two each time. Consider yourself warned, these are addicting.

Marinated Tomatoes Recipe

1. Place the halved tomatoes in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with sugar, salt, pepper, parsley, basil, and thyme. Add the oil, vinegar, and garlic.
2. Toss well and then allow the tomatoes to marinate at room temperature or in the refrigerator for a few hours. The tomatoes will create their own amazing marinade as they rest.

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Sweet and tangy Southern Coleslaw is nicely balanced with just enough tang from the vinegar and a sprinkling of sweetness from the sugar. The dressing is so simple, so sweet and tangy, this is a classic coleslaw recipe perfect for any occasion.

Coleslaw for Pulled Pork

This is the coleslaw we use for the ever-popular BBQ Sundaes and Pulled Pork Sandwiches. When I make BBQ Pork Mac and Cheese, I make a batch of this coleslaw to serve with it every time. We love it that much!

I made this coleslaw recipe for the first time, at my husband’s request, along with the first batch of Memphis Style Ribs we ever cooked. We all loved it so much; I wound up making this slaw twice more with each subsequent batch of ribs.

Updated to add: I’ve been making this coleslaw at least once a month for the past six years. Every time someone tastes it (especially if said person is not already a fan of coleslaw) they ask for the recipe. This is the coleslaw that you’ll want to serve all summer long.

Southern Coleslaw Recipe

If you’ve never made coleslaw before, let me share a secret: it’s the easiest side dish in the world. (Check out the video to see just how easy it is to make it!)

I found this Southern Living recipe for Memphis Style Coleslaw over at Our Best Bites and gently adapted our version from that one. It takes about 3 minutes to stir it all together and then you’re done.

(Even if you shred your own cabbage instead of buying a bag of shredded cabbage, you’re only looking at maybe two minutes longer.)

It couldn’t be any quicker and easier to pull this tasty side dish together. Even grabbing a container of ready-made coleslaw from the grocery store takes longer than this coleslaw recipe.

Let me tell you, that homemade coleslaw is so much better than anything you can get from the deli section at your grocery store. Crunchy crisp shredded cabbage with creamy mayo and tangy mustard makes the ideal complement to so many savory main dishes.

When we all happily eat the same dish three times in a week, that’s good evidence that the recipe was loved. Last night, I piled the last of this slaw over pulled pork sandwiches and pretty much solidified the fact that this the best southern style coleslaw I’ve ever tasted.

If you had a bad experience with a soggy, sloppy coleslaw that’s left you

The Sweet Kale Vegetable Salad is my newest favorite salad. I don’t do a whole lot of copycat recipes, but this one, I can’t even tell you how much this one needed to be made.

This is a copycat recipe for Costco’s Sweet Kale Salad and I’m telling you now that you’re going to love it.

Sweet Kale Salad

The crunchy greens, sweet-tart cranberries, and crunchy-salty pumpkin seeds are tossed in a creamy poppyseed dressing to make this salad.

All of the flavors work together to make this salad worthy of our Thanksgiving table, and likely at least a dozen more tables as well before the end of the year.

I would have never guessed that this combination of flavors would work so well, but it does! My kids don’t typically love the “green stuff” in this salad, they watched me make it and were skeptical. However, one taste and they were sold; my middle son even asked for seconds.

Costco Kale Salad

A couple of weeks ago, while I was grocery shopping, there were two women standing in the icy cold produce room at Costco chatting about how amazing this salad is.

I don’t even remember the last time I bought a pre-made salad, (I have a thing for making salads, and rarely am I impressed with the store-bought varieties.) However, these ladies were so enthusiastic, I picked up a bag to try for myself.

Holy smokes. I loved it. Absolutely, positively, loved the Costco salad.

But I knew right away that we could improve on it. I’ve been making this poppyseed dressing for a few years now and every single person that tries it raves about it.

I knew that the homemade poppyseed dressing would take this salad combination right over the top and I wasn’t wrong. Plus, making the salad at home lets me add more of my favorite ingredients.

I went back to the grocery store the next day and picked up the ingredients to make this salad for myself. I made it that night and ate it for dinner, I ate it again the next day for lunch, for a snack, and with dinner again.

Even after tossing the salad with the dressing, it kept nicely for as long as it lasted in my house, about 36 hours.

All of my ramblings are simply to say that you really want to try this salad. If you’re not a b