Crunchy Ramen Noodle Cabbage Salad

This is the addictive cabbage salad that shows up at every potluck and vanishes first. The hook is the ramen: the noodles go in dry and crushed, not cooked, so they add a cracker-like crunch alongside toasted almonds and sliced onion.

The dressing is clever frugality at work. That little beef seasoning packet from the ramen does the savory work, whisked with oil, sugar, and vinegar into a sweet-and-tangy coating. Nothing goes to waste and nothing gets cooked.

Timing is the one thing to mind. If you want maximum crunch, toss the noodles and almonds in right before serving. If you like them a little softened and the flavors more married, dress it ahead and let it sit. Either way, toasting the almonds and dry noodles first deepens their flavor and makes the whole bowl snap. It is a fast, no-cook coleslaw upgrade that travels well.

Kitchen Tips

• Use the ramen noodles dry and crushed. Cooking them defeats the whole crunchy point.
• Toast the almonds and crushed noodles in a dry pan or oven for richer flavor and extra crunch.
• For the crispest salad, add the noodles and almonds just before serving.

Variations

• Add cooked chicken or edamame to turn it into a main-dish salad.
• Swap sunflower seeds or sesame seeds for some of the almonds.
• Use a chicken ramen packet, or a splash of soy sauce and toasted sesame oil, to shift the flavor.