We always called this “pepper cabbage” growing up and I remember first having it at Good & Plenty restaurant in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It’s a relish or slaw that’s quick pickled and contains no mayonnaise like a regular coleslaw. It’s light, crisp and refreshing with a perfect sweet and sour balance and is great as a side for so many meals. The Pennsylvania Dutch Amish old saying “7-sweets-7-sours” refers to having both sweet and sour dishes in a meal to balance out the flavors and this qualifies as both I guess!
This is a very simple recipe you can make year round but I struggled for years to get the balance right and there’s a few things I realized along the way that made this recipe taste exactly how I remembered.
- Use white vinegar. A lot of recipes called for apple cider and that just wasn’t right. White also doesn’t discolor the final dish.
- You must use green bell peppers. You could add a sweet red or orange pepper as well but green is essential to the flavor and can’t be substituted.
- Use celery seed. I first tried substituting celery salt and it wasn’t right. Celery seed is essential to the flavor profile. You can often find small jars of it at the grocery store as it’s a spice you may not have in your arsenal.
- Let it marinate. You just let this sit in the fridge for a few hours or preferably overnight for the flavors to meld and come together.
I used a food processor to chop most of the ingredients (cabbage and carrots) but I preferred to cut the pepper by hand as a food processor can sometimes make the chopped peppers watery if you’re not very careful when pulsing.
I’ve found some green cabbage to actually have a slight spicy kick to it so don’t be surprised if you feel some heat and wonder what the heck did I add to make this a bit spicy? It’s the nature of cabbage and some can taste different depending on the kind you get. I prefer a regular green head of cabbage as that’s traditional for this recipe.
This recipe makes a lot but it keeps well in the fridge for about a week and can be enjoyed with a lot of meals. I’ve even heard of some people canning it to eat later and they say it still retains some crunch but I’ve never tried that. I used to can years ago but gave away all my equipment. If you try this please rate and review and I hope you enjoy it!
Pennsylvania Dutch Style Pepper Cabbage Slaw
12
servings20
minutes5
minutesThis is an easy delicious side that’s sweet and sour and naturally vegan!
Ingredients
1 medium-head green cabbage (about 2 pounds), core removed
1 medium carrot
1 large green bell pepper (diced by hand preferred)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup vegan cane sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon celery seed
Directions
- Using a food processor or chopping by hand, process or chop the cabbage, carrot into small dice. You can try to process the pepper as well but I’ve found it’s better to dice that by hand as it can become watery when the food processor is used. You could use the small holes side of a box greater as well for the carrots and cabbage. Place all the prepared vegetables in a large bowl and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine the salt, vinegar, sugar, water and celery seed and warm on low to medium heat until you see a few bubbles form but not a full rolling boil. Turn off the heat and let it cool slightly (doesn’t have to be completely cold) and pour over the vegetables and mix well to combine.
- Chill in the fridge for at least two hours or preferably overnight for the flavors to meld and then serve.
- This will keep for up to a week in the fridge.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Use regular green cabbage for this recipe.
- If you want this is a bit sweeter, you can add an additional 1/4 cup of sugar. I buy organic cane sugar to ensure it’s not been bone char processed.
- Make sure to use celery seed and not celery salt.
- Use a green bell pepper as it’s essential to the flavor profile but if you want, you can add another sweet bell pepper to the recipe like a red, yellow or orange variety.
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