Leftover Turkey Salad with Apple, Cranberries, and Pecans
Updated
Updated
This Turkey Salad is a simple and delicious way to use up leftover turkey from Thanksgiving dinner or throughout the year!
“Leftovers are the best part of Thanksgiving” is a pretty fair statement, right? Maybe, maybe not. But one thing is for sure- there are always a ton of leftovers.
If you’ve got family staying over, this Turkey Salad is a simple way to use up a little bit of turkey for lunch the next day!
Lori Lange of Recipe Girl fame, published a cookbook (of the same name.) Available here (<< that’s an affiliate link.)
Seemed only natural that it would be the next step in her successful cooking career. And it does not disappoint! The chapter on salads includes this one and I love it!
This Turkey Salad has a great balance of ingredients, in flavor and texture, including baby spinach, apple, smoked Gouda, cheese, dried cranberries, and candied pecans, tossed in a light vinaigrette. Delicious!
Recipe Variations
- Replace the maple syrup with honey
- Swap out the Gouda cheese for Gruyere, Monterey Jack, or Muenster.
- Instead of pecans, use walnuts.
- Toss in some candied nuts, instead of roasted!
- Use pear in place of the apple – or both!
- Try leftover roasted chicken year round!
Other Salads you should try!
I hope you love this delicious and simple recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
How To Make This Turkey Salad
Leftover Turkey Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Salad
- 8 cups baby spinach
- 1 1/2 cups chopped or shredded roasted turkey
- 1 large Red Delicious apple, , cored and chopped or sliced
- 3/4 cup smoked Gouda cheese, , cubed, shredded, or shaved
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, ,toasted
Instructions
- Put all the dressing ingredients in a jar with a tightly fitted lid. Shake vigorously for about 10 seconds to incorporate.
- Toss together the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
- Drizzle the dressing on top of the spinach mixture and gently toss together. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Variations
- Replace the maple syrup with honey
- Swap out the Gouda cheese for Gruyere, Monterey Jack, or Muenster.
- Instead of pecans, use walnuts.
- Toss in some candied nuts, instead of roasted!
- Use pear in place of the apple - or both!
- Try leftover roasted chicken year round!
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!*this post contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you from the link above.
This sounds so yummy after all of the heavy food from Thanksgiving. Totally having this tomorrow night.
I agree! Hope you enjoyed it!
Thanks so much for sharing my recipe!
We made this tonight, and it was fabulous! Not that I’m surprised…it came from you! :) Just thought I’d let you know and say thanks.
I don’t frequently make salads at home…I just can’t usually get excited about them. This one, however, sounds seriously delicious. I like the combo of turkey and cranberry, but not in a heavy Thanksgiving way. The dressing sounds delis, too.
I really need to delve further into Lori’s book but from what I can tell so far, it’s definitely a keeper. I see we’re on the same page in terms of salad this week…necessary in this heat!
This looks awesome! Love the addition of smoked gouda.
So easy, and I can tell from the combination it will be very tasty.