Awhile back, I made a crazy-good dog sauce starring pimiento-stuffed olives and it was so delicious, that I just had to repeat the basic idea, morphing it into this Pimiento Green Olive & Pepper Slaw with Feta Cheese & Bacon, and what a TREAT!!!

I ~~hated~~ DESPISED cole slaw when I was a kid. But set a bowl of potato salad in front of me, and you might not’ve gotten any! I guess a lot of people and restaurants just added too much vinegar or something for me back then, and I just couldn’t do it.

So, I finally decided to take this all-American comfort dish into my own hands one day, and voilà! I loved it!! Ever since then, whenever I get a craving for a salad on the side, and don’t want to make two totally different kinds, “his” and “hers”, that’s faster than potato salad even, I just have fun and play with some slaw adding whatever I have on hand!

It’s amazing what you can find lurking in the pantry and fridge when you think you “don’t have anything to fix”. And I already had every single ingredient right in front of me! You just might, too! And if you don’t, you can adjust this recipe to suit whatever you do have or whatever flavor you’re in the mood for if not wanting to make a trip to the store!

I happened to have some leftover cabbage, obviously, and lots of olives that I had won from a Facebook contest from Pearls Olives! The sweet red cubanelle peppers were from the freezer (homegrown in my garden last year), and while looking for a pretty one, I found a little feta cheese hiding in there, too!

Starting to sound pretty good? 😀

I also had a few strips of precooked bacon hanging out in the fridge (and waving madly to be invited to the party, too!), and like bacon wasn’t going to be in there? 😉

Red onion also made the cut, and I whipped up a wonderfully light and creamy sauce to make everybody happy!

The ingredients might sound funky, but MAN were they good together! You can use any kind of olives that you like, and any variety of pepper that you enjoy will do just fine, too.

So if looking for a cole slaw that’s more than “just a filler” and is a unique, flavorful, superstar all on it’s own, next time venture out of your comfort zone and try making this tasty Pimiento Green Olive & Pepper Slaw with Feta Cheese & Bacon instead! SO much more fun!! Enjoy as a side, or pile on top of dogs, brats, burgers or pulled barbecue! Enjoy!!

Bacon, Pimiento Green Olive & Sweet Red Pepper Cole Slaw with Feta

Ingredients

For Slaw Mixture:

4 cups shredded cole slaw mix with green and red cabbage and carrots, snap large pieces smaller
1/2 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup diced or julienned sweet red cubanelle pepper, can sub any color bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red onion
3 strips crisp-cooked bacon, chopped or torn into small pieces, more if you like

For Dressing:

1/2 cup regular heavy mayonnaise
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
1/3 - 1/2 cup vo/oil-style zesty Italian salad dressing, my homemade or store-bought, to taste
1 Tbl. spicy brown mustard
1/2 tsp. celery seeds
1 1/2 Tbl. honey
1/4 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. celery salt
1/8 tsp. coarse ground black pepper

Instructions

In medium bowl, whisk dressing ingredients well until creamy. Taste-test, adjust as you like. Cover and chill until needed.

Add all Slaw Mixture ingredients into a large bowl. Toss with spoon or fold with spatula to mix gently.

Pour dressing over cabbage mixture. Fold well to coat all. Cover and chill.

Fold or stir before serving to incorporate any dressing on bottom of bowl.

Garnish with a little more crumbled bacon, feta cheese, and olives if you'd like.

Wonderful as a side dish with ribs, chicken, or steak! Terrific piled onto burgers, any pulled barbecue, corned beef/pastrami or steak sandwiches, or even on grilled brats or hotdogs! Uses are endless!