Not sure what to do with Thanksgiving leftovers? Repurpose them into leftover turkey and cranberry sauce salad! This is a delicious and healthy option for the days after Thanksgiving without wasting any food.
In case you haven’t noticed, THM is full of Thanksgiving content! As I talked about in my cauliflower stuffing post, I’m a full-blown Canadian (well, half-Canadian) obsessed with all things American Thanksgiving. So I’m very willing to make this process as long as possible. I’m also loving some of the events between Halloween and Christmas, because in Canada, Michael Bublé’s Christmas album is set to be fully released on November 1st.
It’s also fun to revisit some classic recipes here. This Turkey Cranberry Dressing Salad recipe was originally posted in November 2014 when I was living in Canada. I can’t even tell you how challenging it is to find turkey and cranberry sauce in the off-season. But I made do. Luckily, things got a lot easier this go-around and we happily enjoyed this salad for lunch all week long.
What you need for leftover turkey salad
- leftover turkey – If you don’t have turkey or aren’t making turkey during Thanksgiving, feel free to portion out the leftover chicken.
- celery – for austerity! Don’t ignore this.
- green onions – White and light green parts only. If you only have 1/4 cup of chopped red onion, feel free to add that.
- Walnut – I recommend baking them as it really brings out the flavor.
- mayonnaise – Creamy. If you don’t have mayonnaise or don’t like mayonnaise, divide the Greek yogurt into equal portions.
- cranberry sauce – Make your own bonus points!
- spices – Paprika, salt + pepper
- lemon – Just a splash of lemon juice to enhance the flavor
How to Make Turkey Cranberry Salad
This Turkey Cranberry Salad couldn’t be easier!
Step 1: shredded turkey
Remove about 3 cups of meat from turkey carcass. If it comes off in large chunks, chop or mince it.
Step 2: Toasted walnuts (optional)
Toast walnuts on the stovetop or in the oven at 350 degrees F for 5-7 minutes.
Step 3: Mix Turkey Salad
Mix turkey, walnuts, celery and onion. Top with mayonnaise, cranberry sauce and lemon juice.
Step 5: Serve!
Delicious on bread, lettuce wraps, or on its own!
How to Enjoy Leftover Turkey Salad
1.Sandwich – Just scoop about 1 cup of turkey salad onto your favorite bread. Option to add lettuce or extra onions. Even better if you put it on a croissant – yum!
2. Lettuce wraps – Don’t have any bread on hand? Just use lettuce! Bibb lettuce works best, but you can use any large lettuce you have on hand. Then pick it up with your hands and eat it
3. Salad – Serve leftover turkey salad over lettuce or even on its own!
–>FAQ
Absolutely! This Turkey Cranberry Salad tastes delicious year-round, even if you can’t buy turkey. Just substitute an equal amount of shredded chicken for the turkey. If you can’t get fresh cranberry sauce, buy canned – try to find one that doesn’t have a lot of added sugar!
If you don’t have or don’t like mayonnaise, you can easily substitute it with plain Greek yogurt or avocado mayonnaise.
As you can see from the photo, your Turkey Cranberry Salad may appear pink. This is what happens when you mix it with cranberry sauce. It still tastes delicious.
Storage instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
More Thanksgiving recipes:
Leftover Turkey Cranberry Dressing Salad
Not sure what to do with Thanksgiving leftovers? Repurpose them into leftover turkey and cranberry sauce salad! This is a delicious and healthy option for the days after Thanksgiving without wasting any food.
- Preparation time: 10 minutes
- Cooking time: 0 minutes
- Total time: 10 minutes
- yield: 6–8 number of copies 1x
- category: Lunch
- method: mix
- diet: gluten free
- 3 cups Leftover cooked turkey, shredded
- 2 Celery stalks, chopped
- 2 Green onions, chopped (white and light green only)
- 1/3 cup Walnuts (optional: toasted)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup cranberry sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon chili
- salt and pepper, to taste
- splash lemon juice
- In a large bowl combine turkey, celery, onion and walnuts.
- Add mayonnaise, cranberry sauce, spices and lemon juice.
- Serve with bread or salad.
- Note: It tastes better when it sits, so I recommend making it in the morning and letting it sit for a few hours, but if not, it will still be delicious.
