Turkey Cobb Salad

Why You’ll Love This Turkey Salad

This hearty Turkey Salad recipe is perfect for this time of year. It pulls together some of the best flavors of the fall season with elements of sweet and salty, crisp and chewy, tangy and fresh. You can line up the toppings like an autumn version of a classic Cobb salad, or toss it al together. But however, you choose to make it, it’s a wonderful post-holiday meal. Here’s why you’ll love it.

• Use up leftovers. This turkey salad is a great way to use up what’s left of your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Besides the turkey, toss on some sweet potatoes, as well as any apples and walnuts you have lying around from making apple pie or apple crisp and bacon that you might have tucked into your stuffing. And your last little smidge of cranberry sauce gets blended into the dressing.
• Super versatile. If you don’t have any of the ingredients listed, just swap them for something else you have on hand.
• Light but satisfying. After all that heavy feasting, this is a fresh and wholesome meal that still packs in the deliciousness and will fill you up and keep you fueled through some post-holiday shopping!

Salad Ingredients

Here’s a rundown of what you’ll need to assemble this leftover turkey salad, plus some ideas for substitutions so you can make it with what you have left after Thanksgiving without another trip to the grocery store. Head down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full amount and directions.

• Salad greens. I like tender baby greens, but feel free to use your favorite or any extra you might have if you made this Thanksgiving salad as a holiday side.
• Roasted sweet potatoes. You’ll need cubed and roasted potatoes. You can use leftovers, pop some in the air fryer, or buy a frozen package like the ones from Cascadian Farm Premium. If you don’t have sweet potatoes, try roasted butternut squash.
• Cooked chopped turkey. You can use leftovers from your Thanksgiving Turkey or an Air Fryer Turkey Breast. Or make it any time of the year with chicken instead.
• Apple. Wash it well and thinly slice it. You can peel the apple if you prefer. Pears are a great alternative.
• Cheddar cheese. This salad tastes amazing with a nice, sharp cheddar, but feta, blue cheese, or goat cheese are great options too.
• Chopped walnuts. Lightly toast them for the best flavor. Feel free to substitute pecans or make some Honey Glazed Walnuts.
• Dried cranberries.
• Bacon. Use your favorite of these ways to cook bacon. Once it is nice and crispy, crumble it.
• Cranberry Balsamic Vinaigrette. All you need to do is blend leftover cranberry sauce with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and some salt and pepper. If you are out of cranberries, any balsamic dressing will do.

Proper Storage

• Before assembling. If you want to prep ahead, you can place the different components in storage containers and refrigerate them for a few days before assembling the salad. You can even prepare the dressing up to 3 or 4 days ahead of time
• After preparing. This turkey salad really is better when enjoyed fresh so that it doesn’t get soggy. But if you do not finish it, be sure to cover and refrigerate it as quickly as possible after serving and it should keep for 1 to 2 days.

More Leftover Turkey Recipes

• Leftover Turkey Soup
• Gluten Free Turkey Tetrazzini
• BBQ Turkey Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• White Turkey Chili