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Tangy, crunchy, slightly sweet and perfect for a light meal or a terrific side dish, this Coleslaw Pasta Salad is a keeper.
One day last summer, I wound up with a small amount of leftover coleslaw and a wee bit of cooked pasta in the fridge. As we tend to do with leftovers, I tossed them together and ate the pasta/coleslaw for lunch. It was GOOD.
Live and learn, leftovers really can be amazing and this pasta salad is proof of that. I tweaked the coleslaw dressing a wee bit, wrote it all out, and made a plan to photograph the salad.
That was months and months ago! Finally, the other day, when I was ordering groceries to make a batch of Southern Style Coleslaw to go with our BBQ Pork Mac ‘n Cheese, I remembered to order extra cabbage so that I could make this pasta salad again.
At long last, now that I finally have photos to add to this post, I’m able to share the recipe with you. And it is just in time for warmer weather too. I’m a huge fan of all kinds of cold salads once the weather starts to heat up.
Just a heads up that if you make this pasta more than a few hours in advance, the pasta will absorb more of the sauce. It will still be good, but it won’t be quite as creamy or saucy. I like to wait to stir it all together just before serving.
If you want to make this salad ahead of time for easy meals, I recommend storing the dressing separately. Pour the dressing over each serving and toss to coat when you’re ready to eat.
Serve this salad with Beer and Garlic Grilled Chicken, Sweet and Tangy Pulled Pork, Garlic Butter Steak Bites, or Oven Broiled BBQ Chicken. And for even more salad inspiration, don’t miss the rest of our pasta salads.
For another great dinner option that would be delicious with this pasta salad, I have these Smash Burgers on the list to try soon.
Coleslaw Pasta Salad Recipe
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, onion, and celery seeds.
- Add the pasta to the bowl and stir well to coat. Add the coleslaw mix and toss to combine thoroughly.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss again before serving.
Coleslaw Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounces ditalini or salad pasta any small pasta will work nicely
- 1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion or onion powder
- 1 tablespoon celery seeds
- 1 16- ounce bag of coleslaw mix
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, onion, and celery seeds.
- Add the pasta to the bowl and stir well to coat. Add the coleslaw mix and toss to combine thoroughly. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss again before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
the coleslaw salad looks delicious will try very soon
so very good thanks for sharing
I’m thrilled that you enjoyed the salad, Wendy.
There was a recipe on the mazzetti slaw dressing for this salad many years ago with th ed dressing of course,I love it
I’m so glad you love it, Susan!
I made this recipe today and it was very good. I could not find celery seed in the grocery store, so I did not add that ingredient and it was still quite good. Are the servings one cup servings?
I think so, Jill. I don’t measure them out, but that’s my best guess. It was definitely enough for 12 people to enjoy though.
I made this today for my family and it was SOOOO DELICIOUS! I’ll definitely be making it again!!!
I’m so glad that you love the recipe, Jaedyn.
Can’t seem to print recipes I want.
Hi Brenda, you should be able to click the print button in the recipe card. If you don’t see a print button, it’s possible that you’re running an ad-blocker. You may need to turn it off in order to print the recipe.
Where is the recipe????? Too much gabbing and very hard to find the recipe. I never found it for the coleslaw/pasta recipe. You work is too difficult to find.
Hi Marcia, the recipe is at the bottom of the post in a printable recipe card. However, if scrolling is just too much effort in order to get to the free recipe, please make use of the handy Jump To Recipe button at the top of the page.
Loved this salad. Made it for 4th of July. I did add a little more dressing
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the salad, Stacey.
Had this at my friends house. Delicious! Making it for our German company coming this weekend.
I’m so happy to hear you like the recipe, Lori!
Thanks for the recipe, I made it for Easter…..it was a HIT!!!
I’m so happy you liked it!
This salad was a hit! Definitely saved and will make again. Thanks for sharing!
I’m happy to hear it was a hit, Randi!
Made this during Christmas for my husband who requested a coleslaw, but also loves pasta. He loved it so much he wants it again for new year. Definitely saving this, it’s easy, and not expensive to make.
I’m so glad your husband loved the pasta salad, Natalie!
Great recipe, thank you. Worth saving, and will.
I hope you love the salad, Sue!
Made this today. Perfect for a memorial weekend. Went perfect with Bratwurst and smoke sausage . If you never have made this.. it’s a keeper. My family and friends loved it!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the salad.
Love pasta, love coleslaw this recipe doesn’t get any betty than that. The dressing was spot on. I used angel hair coleslaw only because ditalini is so small I didn’t want the slaw to over take it. Yummy
I’m so glad you like it!
I added chicken to mine and froze as it made too much
I’m glad you liked it. I’ve never tried freezing a pasta salad. Let me know how that works for you!