Quick and easy turkey salad recipe, homemade with simple ingredients in one pot in 10 minutes. Loaded with creamy dressing made up of mayonnaise and sour cream along with leftover turkey, onions and celery.
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The perfect way to use all that extra holiday turkey is through today's recipe. This salad is creamy, delicious, and a quick meal. It's just as delicious as this Cranberry Chicken Salad (One Pot), which also makes a quick sandwich for those relaxing days, following the holidays.
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Key ingredients
- Mayonnaise- Use full fat for best results.
- Sour cream- Adds creaminess to the overall dish.
- Garlic powder- Not to be confused with garlic salt.
- Salt and pepper- Adjust to your personal preference.
- Sugar- Brigs in a little overall sweetness.
- Dijon mustard- Be sure it isn't just regular mustard.
- Onions- You can use chopped red, yellow, or white.
- Green onions- Make sure they are thinly sliced.
- Celery- Finely chop for added color and texture.
- Dill- Fresh is best and gives the most flavor.
- Parsley- Use freshly chopped.
- Turkey- Make sure it is shredded and you can use leftovers for easy prep.
Variations
- Use ground turkey- Use ground turkey in place of shredded turkey.
- Turkey taco salad- Add chili powder or Mexican seasoning to make a taco salad.
- Smoky flavor- Simply use shredded smoked turkey or you can just add some liquid smoke.
- Pasta salad- Add your favorite small pasta such as rotini, macaroni, elbow, or whatever you prefer. It makes it very filling and hearty just like this Ham Pasta Salad (One Bowl).
- Add grapes- The sweet crunch adds a great flavor and texture to the salad. If you really enjoy grape salads, you will love this Creamy Grape Salad (One Bowl).
- Bring in cranberries- Dried cranberries are best. They add a tart and sweet flavor.
- Use some apples- Make sure they are diced small enough to get a taste of all the ingredients in one bite.
- Add nuts- Such as pecans, walnuts, cashews, or peanuts. They will add a great crunch like in my Waldorf Salad Recipe (One Bowl).
- Ranch flavor- Add ranch dressing for additional flavor.
- Mix in eggs- Mix in roughly chopped hard boiled eggs.
- Use cream cheese- This makes an even creamier salad.
- Make it cheesy- Such as mozzarella or parmesan.
- Toss in some toppings- Such as slices of tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, slices of white cheddar cheese, mozzarella, pickles, olives, or even blue cheese crumbles.
- Try other seasonings- Such as Cajun, Greek, or Italian seasonings.
- Make it healthy– Use low fat mayo and sour cream or you can even replace some of that with Greek yogurt.
- Use bacon- Add crumbles or even add slices atop the salad.
- Make it spicy- Add red chili flakes or a dash of cayenne.
How To Make Turkey Salad From Scratch?
- Make creamy dressing- Mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic powder, salt, pepper, sugar, mustard, celery, onions, green onions, dill, parsley.
- Add shredded turkey- And mix until combined.
- Enjoy! Fill it in a sandwich or croissant and dig in!
What To Serve With Leftover Turkey Salad Sandwich Recipe?
- Like any sandwich, potatoes in the form of chips, fries, Baked Sweet Potato Fries (One Pan), Baked Sweet Potato Wedges (One Pan), Oven Roasted Potatoes (One Pan), or Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes (One Pan) would taste delicious with this sandwich.
- Serve it alongside simple soups such as Easy Lentil Soup (One Pot) or Carrot Ginger Soup (One Pot), or Curried Butternut Squash Soup (One Pot) and even this Split Pea Soup (One Pot).
- This salad makes a great filling for croissants, sandwiches, tortilla wraps and even tacos.
Tips And Techniques
- Use full- fat mayo and sour cream- Because this provides the best and richest flavor.
- Adjust the quantity of ingredients– Use more or less of whatever ingredient you like or dislike.
- Make a bigger batch- Double all the ingredients and serve a crowd!
- Can you use meat from the turkey legs, thighs and wings? Yes, use whatever type of meat you prefer. However, it must be cooked through.
- Sugar substitute- Replace granulated sugar with brown sugar or honey or maple syrup.
- Adjust quantity of ingredients– This is a very versatile recipe. Use more or less of whatever ingredient you like or dislike.
- Turkey must be cool- It cannot be hot or warm because the warmth will cause the veggies in this recipe to wilt and lose their crisp/crunch texture.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! In fact I recommend it, because then the meat is already chilled and it speeds up the process overall.
No, because of the mayonnaise in it, this does not freeze well. When thawing it out, the ingredients will separate into a yucky mess.
Yes, as long as you use gluten free mayonnaise.
Storage
- Make ahead- This can be made in advance up to 3 days if kept in the fridge in a sealed container.
- Refrigerate- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze- I do not recommend it because the mayonnaise will separate and create an undesirable texture.
- Reheat- Best served chilled.
More One Pot Turkey Recipes
- Shredded Turkey Tacos (With Thanksgiving Leftovers)
- Turkey Noodle Soup (One Pot)
- Roast Turkey Breast (One Pan)
- Harvest Fall Salad (One Bowl) - Uses leftover Thanksgiving turkey
Recipe
One Pot Turkey Salad
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Ingredients
- ½ cup Mayonnaise Full fat
- ¼ cup Sour cream Full fat
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- Salt To taste
- Pepper To taste
- 2 teaspoon Granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup Celery Finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon Onions Finely chopped, Can use red onions, yellow onions or white onions
- 2 tablespoon Green onions Thinly sliced
- 1-2 teaspoon Dill Fresh,Finely chopped
- 1-2 teaspoon Parsley Fresh, Finely chopped
- 4 cups Leftover turkey Shredded
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic powder, salt, pepper, sugar, mustard, celery, onions, green onions, dill, parsley and mix until combined.
- Add shredded turkey and mix until fully coated.
- Fill it in sandwich or croissant and enjoy!
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
Gale says
Really good, I was able to use up every bit of our Thanksgiving turkey.