Leftover Turkey and Cranberry Sauce Salad

Not sure what to do with all of those Thanksgiving leftovers? Repurpose them in this Leftover Turkey and Cranberry Sauce Salad! It’s delicious and a healthy alternative for the days after Thanksgiving leaving no food to go to waste.

If you haven’t noticed, it’s been all things Thanksgiving here on THM! As I talked about in my Cauliflower Stuffing post, I am a full-fledged Canadian (okay half Canadian) who is obsessed with all things US Thanksgiving. So I am very much going to draw the process out for as long as possible. I also just love that there’s something in between Halloween and Christmas because in Canada Michael Bublé’s Christmas album comes out full swing on November 1st.

It’s also been fun to revisit some classic recipes around here. This turkey and cranberry sauce salad recipe was originally posted in November of 2014 when I was very much living in Canada. I can’t even tell you how challenging it was to find turkey and cranberry sauce off season. But I made do. Luckily things were much easier this go-around and we happily enjoyed this salad for lunches all week.

How to Make Turkey Cranberry Salad

This turkey cranberry salad could not be easier!

STEP 1: pick about 3 cups of meat off your turkey carcass. Chop or shred it if it comes off in bigger chunks.

STEP 2: toast your walnuts on the stovetop or in the oven for 5-7 minutes at 350 degrees F. (highly recommended though optional)

STEP 3: mix your turkey, walnuts, celery and onion.

STEP 4: top with mayonnaise, cranberry sauce and lemon juice.

STEP 5: serve! This tastes great on bread, a lettuce wrap or just on its own!

*Full recipe listed down below.

Can you use chicken in place of turkey?

Absolutely! This turkey cranberry salad tastes delicious year-round, even if you can’t get your hands on some turkey. Just use the same amount of shredded chicken in place of turkey. And if you can’t get fresh cranberry sauce, reach for canned – just try to find one without a ton of sugar added!

Most importantly, enjoy Thanksgiving. How special is it that we dedicate a day to showing gratitude for the people we love.

Leftover Turkey and Cranberry Sauce Salad

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 servings 1x

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 3 cups leftover cooked turkey, shredded*
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped (whites and light green only)
• 1/3 cup walnuts (optional: toasted)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise**
• 1/3 cup cranberry sauce
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• salt and pepper, to taste
• splash lemon juice

Instructions

1. In a large bowl combine turkey, celery, onions and walnuts.
2. Add in mayonnaise, cranberry sauce, spices and lemon juice.
3. Serve on bread or on a salad.
4. Note: the flavours get even better as it sits so I recommend making this in the morning and letting it sit for a few hours, but if not it’s still delish!

*Feel free to sub in leftover chicken.
**Greek yogurt works great too if you don’t have or like mayonnaise

Like this post? You may also enjoy: