This is not your mother’s coleslaw. With a twist of lime, a scoop of sour cream and a sprinkle of taco seasoning (among other tasty things), Mexican Rainbow Coleslaw is an extraordinary side dish, sandwich topper and more!
Why We Love It
Delicious Mexican-inspired food. Cold side dishes. Tasty salads. These are a few of our favorite things, so when this little indulgence is made, it sure is a treat! When we’re really in a South of the Border mood, we enjoy this with Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas!
Why You’ll Love It
This tangy slaw is so easy to make! You don’t have to cook or chop anything- just mix. It keeps well in the fridge for a few days and is so versatile!
Try it on top of your next burger to spice things up a bit or serve it as a side with grilled chicken or pork. Put it on top of your next taco or use it as a dip with your next quesadilla. Heck, you could even fill Tostito Scoops with it for your next snack!
Colorful, yummy and fun, the possibilities are endless!
Looking for another fun slaw? Check out Zucchini Slaw–a summertime fave!
Ingredients for Mexican Rainbow Coleslaw
- 12 ounce bag rainbow slaw or broccoli slaw (found near the bagged coleslaw mix in the produce section)
- 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
- 1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup light mayonnaise (Hellmann’s recommended)
- 1/4 cup light or reduced fat sour cream (Daisy’s or Breakstone’s recommended)
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- Juice from one small lime (about 2-3 tablespoons)
How to make Mexican Rainbow Coleslaw
You’ll want to gather the following equipment:
- two mixing bowls
- mixing spoons
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- small colander
- knife
Thaw the frozen corn. Place the corn in a bowl on your countertop. For faster thawing, add some water to the bowl.
If you prefer to skip this step, you can use canned or fresh corn as an alternative.
Bowl #1: The Slaw. Empty the bag of rainbow slaw into this bowl. Then add the drained and rinsed black beans and defrosted corn. Gently mix.
Bowl #2: The Dressing. Place the mayo, sour cream and taco seasoning into this bowl. Mix well.
Lime time. Use the knife to cut the lime in half. Remove any seeds, then squeeze the lime over the dressing in Bowl #2. You want to get about 2-3 tablespoons of juice from doing this. Then mix the juice with the dressing until fully incorporated.
Kitchen Ready Betty tip: Juice from a fresh lime is strongly encouraged. It tastes so good! For easier squeezing, quarter the lime into wedges. Don’t worry if a little pulp happens to make its way into the dressing–consider it extra flavor!
Put it all together! Add the dressing from Bowl #2 to Bowl #1. Mix thoroughly to ensure the slaw mixture is entirely covered by the dressing.
Cover and chill. You can eat this slaw right away, but I find it tastes best after sitting in the fridge for about 1 hour. It also gives time for the taco seasoning to not feel so gritty.
Mexican Rainbow Coleslaw Leftovers?
Store them in an airtight container and refrigerate. Enjoy within two-three days. If the slaw’s dressing starts to get a little runny, simply drain it and add a little extra mayo before serving.
What is rainbow slaw anyway, and how is it different from coleslaw?
Rainbow slaw is the new kid on the block when it comes to shredded bagged cabbage options. It is more colorful, more flavorful and more nutritious than traditional coleslaw. Let’s dive in a little bit deeper to find out why!
Traditional coleslaw typically consists of the following shredded ingredients: green cabbage, red cabbage and carrots. Its main ingredient, green cabbage, does offer a hefty serving of vitamin K.
Rainbow slaw usually consists of the following shredded ingredients: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and red cabbage. If you know your superfoods, then you see more than one on that list.
Everyone is aware of broccoli’s mighty powers, but what about red cabbage’s? It is ten times more nutritious for you than green cabbage, boasting bragging rights to Vitamin C, flavonoids and antioxidants. Woo hoo!
So with green cabbage out of the picture in this mix, rainbow slaw clearly wins the contest in being better for you. Plus, with its broccoli and cauliflower stars, it has more flavor and crunch. Have I sold you on it yet? Go try it!
For more interesting recipe ideas with bagged coleslaw and rainbow slaw (you can almost always swap out the former for the latter), check out allrecipes’ 20 Recipes That Start With a Bag of Coleslaw Mix. There are some really good ideas on that list!
Mexican Rainbow Coleslaw
Description
There's a new coleslaw in town. Once you try it, you'll be hooked! Nutritious rainbow slaw dazzles in this recipe with its tangy, creamy, taco inspired dressing. Black beans and corn add to the fun! Easy to make with just a few ingredients, this slaw will be in your salad rotation in no time!
Mexican Rainbow Coleslaw
The Slaw.
The Dressing.
Instructions
Prep time!
-
Frozen corn
Before starting, thaw frozen corn in small bowl on countertop. Add water to the bowl to expedite thawing.
You may substitute canned or fresh corn and eliminate this step.
The Slaw.
-
Bowl #1.
Add contents of rainbow slaw bag to this bowl. Then add black beans and defrosted corn; mix. Set aside.
The Dressing.
-
Bowl #2.
Place the mayo, sour cream and taco seasoning into this bowl. Mix well.
-
Lime time.
Cut lime in half. Remove any seeds, then squeeze the lime over the dressing in Bowl #2. You want to get about 2-3 tablespoons of juice from doing this. Then mix the juice with the dressing until fully incorporated.
Juice from a fresh lime is strongly encouraged. For easier squeezing, quarter the lime into wedges.
Put it all together!
-
Add contents of Bowl #2 (dressing) to Bowl #1. Gently mix until well blended.
Chill.
-
Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
The slaw can be enjoyed right away, but tastes better after sitting in the fridge. This also gives time for the taco seasoning to soften in the dressing.
Leftovers.
-
Cover in an airtight container and refrigerate. Enjoy within 3 days.
Before enjoying again, drain any excess water and add a little extra mayo (one tablespoon at a time) to add some creaminess back to the dressing.
Note
I always use Hellmann's light mayonnaise for this recipe.
You can swap out the rainbow slaw for broccoli slaw or even traditional bagged coleslaw if you prefer.
I always let this sit for an hour in the fridge to avoid a gritty feeling from the taco seasoning. I typically use McCormick's, but any taco seasoning will work well.
User Reviews
The coleslaw sounds yummy and is so easy to make.
It is very easy to make! It never lasts for long!