If you have more leftover turkey than you know what to do with, then why not add it to this light and zesty turkey salad that will balance out all the traditional heavy Christmas food? This Leftover Turkey Salad is easy to adapt with whatever you have on hand, making it the perfect festive fridge raid salad.
About this turkey salad recipe
A nutrient dense base of spinach, rocket (arugula) and watercress mixed with a simple balsamic dressing, topped with beetroot, shredded leftover turkey, juicy clementines, avocado, goats cheese and pomegranate.
This turkey salad is light and fresh and really has it all and it makes a nice change from all the usual festive food. Something a bit lighter to balance it all out.
Don't let any of that Christmas meat go to waste and use leftovers in this salad. Pretty much anything goes in this salad, so use what is in your fridge and don't let anything go to waste.
Looking for some other festive recipes to try? Why not try our Cranberry Chicken, Mulled Apple Juice, or Christmas Cheesecake?
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Greens - We have used a mixture of spinach, rocket and watercress as we find it gives the salad a nice iron boost to this turkey salad, but it has plenty of flavour too.
- Beetroot - This gives lots of chunky texture to the salad. We just used store bought cooked beetroot (not pickled), however you could roast your own if you prefer. You could also swap it for roasted vegetables like in our Winter Salad.
- Turkey - This recipe is a great opportunity to use up leftover turkey from your Christmas roast dinner. You could also use chicken instead. Try our Roast Turkey Breast or Slow Cooker Turkey Crown.
- Dressing - You don't want the dressing to be too over powering, as the fruit gives this salad all the flavour. So we went with a simple balsamic dressing that compliments it well. It is just a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. You could add a little mustard too if you like.
- Avocado - Not only does avocado add a nice pop of colour, but it adds some creaminess to it. You can leave it out if you aren't a fan of avocado though.
- Clementines - We have used sweet and juicy clementines which add a real boost of flavour and adds to the dressing. They look stunning sliced on the salad too.
- Pomegranate - It's not a Christmas salad without some pomegranate and they also add a burst of fruity flavour. We buy them just as the seeds to save time.
- Pine nuts - If you want to add some extra texture to your turkey salad, then this is a good addition. Toasting them first really brings out the flavour. You could swap them for walnuts or pecans too.
- Goat's cheese - Creamy and tangy goats cheese is the perfect finishing touch to this salad. You could use brie or stilton instead.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make leftover turkey salad - Step by step
One: Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until they start to brown.
Two: Add the salad leaves to a mixing bowl. Cover with the dressing and add the turkey.
Three: Add the beetroot, avocado, pomegranate seeds and clementines.
Four: Mix well. Serve with the pine nuts and goat's cheese.
Serving suggestion
This is a full meal by itself, so there isn't anything that we would really add to this turkey salad. However, we would happily eat bread with everything. Why not try making our Homemade White Bread, Slow Cooker Bread, Easy Bagels or Cheesy Garlic Bread to go with this.
You could even make some Sourdough Croutons to go on top.
Variations
This is a great fridge raid salad, as it is easy to adapt with whatever ingredients you have in your fridge. At Christmas time, we usually have a few different greens, fruit, meats and cheeses in the fridge and when it all needs using up, it goes in a salad. This is one of our favourites, as it is so light and fresh, with plenty of flavour.
Leftover shredded turkey makes this salad nice and filling. However, if you you don't have turkey then you can use leftover Roast Chicken or leftover Roast Beef instead.
Want to make this salad even more filling? You could add some leftover Roast Potatoes that have been heated through in a pan. You could also add some pasta, orzo, rice or giant couscous. This really is easy to adapt.
You could also crumble on some stilton instead of goats cheese.
FAQs
This salad is made from leftovers, however once it is made up you can store it in an air tight container for up to 2 days as it hasn't been cooked again. If might start getting a little soggy.
Yes, if you don't have leftover turkey, then you can use leftover chicken instead. You can also cook some chicken breast fresh and chop it up to add to the salad.
Yes, this is a gluten free salad. Just be careful what salad dressing you use and make sure there is no cross contamination.
Extra tips
• Make this turkey salad even more indulgent by grilling some bacon and chopping it up to add to this salad.
• Grapes are also a nice addition to this salad, and we usually have lots leftover from the Christmas cheeseboard.
• If you don't want all the ingredients to go purple from mixing with beetroot, then add it at the last minute.
More salad recipes
If you’ve tried this leftover turkey salad, then let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Leftover Turkey Salad
Ingredients
- 120 g (4.25 oz) Salad leaves
- 150 g (5.25 oz) Cooked beetroot - diced
- 180 g (6.33 oz) Leftover turkey - shredded
- 1 Avocado - sliced
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
- 1 pinch Sea salt and black pepper
- 3 Clementines - peeled and sliced
- 25 g (2.5 tablespoon) Pine nuts
- 30 g (2 tablespoon) Pomegranate jewels
- 50 g (1.75 oz) Goat's cheese - crumbled
Instructions
- Toast 25 g Pine nuts in a dry frying pan until they start to brown.
- Add 120 g Salad leaves to a mixing bowl. Cover with 2 tablespoon Olive oil, 2 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar and 1 pinch Sea salt and black pepper and add 180 g Leftover turkey.
- Add 150 g Cooked beetroot, 1 Avocado, 30 g Pomegranate jewels and 3 Clementines.
- Mix well.
- Serve with the pine nuts and 50 g Goat's cheese.
Recipe tips
- Make this salad even more indulgent by grilling some bacon and chopping it up to add to this salad.
- Grapes are also a nice addition to this salad, and we usually have lots leftover from the Christmas cheeseboard.
- If you don't want all the ingredients to go purple from mixing with beetroot, then add it at the last minute.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Soniya
Oh wow! What a excellent way to use leftovers Turkey! This looks amazing.. Can't wait to make it.
Anna Banana
I'm actually making Turkey for Christmas and I'm going to make this salad afterwards. The dressing is to die for!
Toni
This is such an amazing salad!! Everyone at my house enjoyed it!
Sonal
I love the selection of all the ingredients in creating this beautiful salad. Sounds so delicious.
Jessica Formicola
Wow, this is such a gorgeous salad! Definitely book marking for the next time I have leftover turkey!
Beth
Delicious! This looks so tasty! My husband is going to love this recipe! So excited to give this a try!
Elizabeth
My kids love these wee jaffa oranges, they're so super easy to peel. Awesome leftover turkey recipe too - I'll be trying this one out soon!
Rachna Parmar
I love salad recipe and this one is light and nice. Great use for leftover turkey.
Jamie
I love how colorful and vibrant this salad looks! Definitely one I want to have as my lunch right now!
Cathleen
This salad is so beautiful! And so perfect for the season too! Pinned to make later, thank you so much for the recipe :)
Anjali
What a great idea for using up leftover turkey!! This salad looks absolutely delicious!
Jacqueline Debono
This leftover turkey salad looks beautiful. I love your idea of adding bacon and/or grapes. Roasted grapes would also be delicious!
Irina
I am in love with salad recipes with the virus note. I made this salad today: it was amazingly delicious. I think of using chicken instead of turkey next time. Will it work?
Luci
I love this salad recipe for leftover turkey! It is so colorful and easy to throw together. I'm saving this salad recipe because I know I'll love it after Christmas!
Ana F
I always get excited when citrus season comes around and buy a ton of clementines...now I know what to do with them! Thanks so much for this amazing recipe!
sherry brubaker
I am one of those weird people that does not like to eat Thanksgiving leftovers as is. This is the PERFECT solution! The clementines really give it a nice season, but fresh twist!!
Priya Lakshminarayan
Love how colorful and yum this salad looks using leftovers! Wow!
Jess
This is the best recipe for all my leftover Turkey! Love the clementines and the toasted pine nuts!