Topped with blistered tomatoes, roasted red onions, jalapeños and lime vinaigrette, this warm chopped salad with leftover turkey is a healthy and flavorful way to utilize your Thanksgiving leftover turkey.
Thanksgiving Chopped Salad
After my traditional leftover “holiday sandwich“ I’ve usually had my fill of rich, indulgent food for a while. Next on my leftover menu is usually a turkey soup like this mushroom turkey soup. Now it’s time for a salad.
In the winter months, I love to add warm roasted vegetables to my salad. It makes eating healthy a little cozier and more flavorful. For more of my favorite warm salads, check out these recipes, Za’atar Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas Salad with Tahini Sauce and Fried Feta and Rotisserie Chicken Salad for Dinner.
What do you need for this warm chopped salad:
- Crisp Greens: The crispiness of Iceberg or Romaine lettuce lends itself to the bright flavors of the lime vinaigrette and the caramelized flavors of the roasted vegetables.
- Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey: This recipe was designed for leftover turkey, but you could also do it with leftover chicken, or rotisserie chicken. I particularly love this recipe with leftover smoked turkey.
- Red Onion: Slice the red onion into half inch rounds, drizzled with olive oil, and allow the onions to caramelize a little bit in the oven.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and drizzle with olive oil. In the oven they soften, caramelize, and create a really delicious sweetness that works well with the acidity of the dressing and mild spice of the roasted jalapeño.
- Jalapeños: Slice the jalapeno in half and scoop out the seeds so that the pepper isn’t overly spicy. This way the jalapeño gives a nice little warm flavor that works great with the sweetness of the caramelized onions and tomatoes.
- Avocado: Creamy richness of a ripe avocado works really well with the lean turkey meat.
- Toasted Pepitas: These hulled pumpkin seeds are a little nutty and give the salad a nice crunch.
- Chopped Cilantro: After all of the winter herbs and spices of Thanksgiving such as sage and rosemary, I love brightening up the salad with chopped cilantro.
What you need to make the lime vinaigrette:
- Lime: is a major flavor of this dressing and uses both the juice and the zest.
- Dijon mustard: is not a dominant flavor but it helps the salad dressing emulsify, preventing it from separating out, and giving it a nice smooth texture.
- Honey: the little bit of sweet helps balance out the acidity of the lime.
- Olive oil: olive oil is my go to oil for dressings, but you could use another neutral flavored oil.
How to make The salad:
Start by preheating the oven to 400° and lining a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Slice the onions into half inch rounds and slice the tomatoes in half. Place the vegetables (A whole jalapeño, sliced onions and sliced cherry tomatoes) on the parchment paper in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until the vegetables are slightly browned and caramelized.
While the vegetables roast, chop the lettuce and cilantro.
Chop the leftover turkey meat into bite-size chunks. I like using a mixture of white and dark meat, but it’ll be delicious with whatever you have left in the refrigerator.
How to make the lime vinaigrette:
In a large jar or cup use an immersion blender to emulsify the lime juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, lime zest, salt and pepper.
Assemble the salad:
I like to wait until the vegetables have come out of the oven before I start preparing the avocado to avoid browning. Slice the avocado in half and remove the pit. Use your knife to slice the flesh into strips and then use a large spoon to scoop out the slices.
Place the sliced avocado and roasted vegetables on the lettuce. Top with the toasted pepitas and homemade lime vinaigrette.
Recipe
Warm Chopped Salad with leftover Turkey, Jalapenos, and Blistered Tomatoes
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 cups of chopped romaine or iceberg lettuce
- 1 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 red onion sliced into. ½ inch rounds
- 1 whole fresh jalapeno
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup toasted pepitas
Lime Vinaigrette
- 1 t lime zest
- 3 T lime juice
- ¼ t salt
- ⅛ t fresh ground pepper
- ½ T dijon mustard
- ½ t honey
- ½ T olive oil
Instructions
How to make The salad:
- Start by preheating the oven to 400° and lining a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Slice the onions into half inch rounds and slice the tomatoes in half. Place the vegetables (A whole jalapeño, sliced onions and sliced cherry tomatoes) on the parchment paper in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until the vegetables are slightly browned and caramelized.
- While the vegetables roast, chop the lettuce and cilantro.
- Chop the leftover turkey meat into bite-size chunks. I like using a mixture of white and dark meat, but it’ll be delicious with whatever you have left in the refrigerator.
How to make the lime vinaigrette:
- In a large jar or cup use an immersion blender to emulsify the lime juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, lime zest, salt and pepper.
Assemble the salad:
- I like to wait until the vegetables have come out of the oven before I start preparing the avocado to avoid browning. Slice the avocado in half and remove the pit. Use your knife to slice the flesh into strips and then use a large spoon to scoop out the slices.
- Place the sliced avocado and roasted vegetables on the lettuce. Top with the toasted pepitas and homemade lime vinaigrette.
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