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In this Leftover Turkey Salad, I use not only leftover turkey but other leftover ingredients from our Thanksgiving meal including celery, cranberries, and pecans.
It’s been quite a week this week. My birthday was a couple of days ago and I’m feeling a little spoiled.
Normally we’re only able to fit in dinner and maybe a movie. This year since Thanksgiving is late we were able to spend some quality time together and it’s been great plus my parents have been in town that past week, too. If only it was like this every year!
Let’s switch gears and talk about today’s recipe, Leftover Turkey Salad. I’m pretty sure you’ve guessed where I’m going with this. It’s a salad that uses your leftover Thanksgiving turkey. I wanted something a little different that was on the lighter side of the usual leftover recipes.
I don’t know about you but sometimes by the end of Thanksgiving weekend I’m feeling a little gross and the last thing I want to look at is another spoonful of dressing or slice of pie. Chef salad is okay but sometimes it can feel a little overdone. I was looking for a little variety and I think I found it with this salad.
The salad begins with a simple spring mix and sliced pears. Gorgonzola cheese is practically a must with the pears. I make use of some leftover dressing ingredients, celery, and pecans. Top it off with turkey and homemade creamy cranberry vinaigrette.
You can make this dressing with fresh or frozen cranberries. Although I recommend fresh, I actually couldn’t find either when I went to shoot this video. I ended up using canned whole berry cranberries that I strained. It’s a very versatile recipe!
I hope you love this Leftover Turkey Salad as much as we do! It’s perfect for a quick weekend lunch or dinner. Just add some leftover rolls to round out the meal.
If you know of anyone who would love this salad, please share this post with all your friends and family. Just click on the social media icons below! Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy!
Leftover Turkey Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 6 – 8 cups spring mix
- 1 pear cored and thinly sliced
- 1 – 2 stalks celery chopped
- 4 oz gorgonzola cheese crumbled
- 8 oz turkey chopped
- 1/3 cup pecans chopped and toasted
Dressing
- ½ cup cranberries fresh or frozen must be thawed if frozen
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- ½ Tbsp shallot chopped
- 2 Tbsp orange juice
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Salad
- Toss the spring mix, pear slices, celery, and turkey with the cranberry dressing.
- Divide salad among bowls or plates. Top with gorgonzola and toasted pecans.
Dressing
- Add the cranberries, vinegar, shallot, juice, honey, mustard, and oil to a food processor or high-speed blender. Process the dressing until the cranberries are broken down and everything is combined. Pour into a serving bottle or bowl. Let chill.
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