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    Home » Entrees

    Published: Oct 8, 2021 · Modified: Oct 10, 2021 · By Susan

    Lazy Turkey Salad {Slow Cooker Leftovers}

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    This easy turkey salad recipe is s a delicious way to guarantee all leftover slow cooker turkey gets gobbled up. It has tons of amazing flavor and is simple to make. Toasted pine nuts and dried cranberries combined with flavorful turkey make this an irresistible dish!

    Jump to Recipe
    Turkey pine nut and grape salad with leftover crockpot turkey in a round white bowl

    It's the day after. You made too much food. It could be the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas or any day you have made a wonderful slow cooker turkey breast. You have so much (sooo much!) leftover turkey meat! Now what?

    Whatever day it is, it is the perfect time of year for Lazy Turkey Salad. This easy recipe will turn your turkey leftovers into the stuff of legends.

    📝Shopping list

    Leftover turkey salad ingredients with labels

    To make this delicious turkey salad you will need:*

    • Cooked Turkey breast- Leftover thigh meat will work as well, but breast meat makes for a cleaner salad
    • Pine nuts - toasted for extra flavor
    • Grapes - red grapes add a great depth of flavor to this recipe, but green would work as well.
    • Garlic salt - you can substitute with plain salt if you aren't a garlic fan
    • Pepper 
    • Mayonnaise  - reduced fat is great, but you can use whatever you prefer

    *exact quantities can be found in the recipe card below

    🥣Instructions

    1. Shred turkey. This can be done using two forks. Some people prefer to use a potato masher or even a handheld mixer for this task.

    2. Place pine nuts on a baking tray or foil sheet. Roast nuts in a 350º F oven (or toaster oven) for 5 minutes or so.

    It is important to keep an eye on these towards the end of the cooking time. Toasted pine nuts add a ton of flavor to this dish. However, burnt nuts can be bitter. These nuts can quickly go from toasted to burned.

    pine nuts on a foil sheet
    pine nuts before toasting
    Toasted pine nuts on foil
    Toasted pine nuts

    3. Set aside nuts and allow them to cool.

    4. Cut grapes into halves or quarters

    Cut grapes in a measuring cup

    5. Add turkey breast and all other ingredients into a large bowl and mix to fully combine. Be gentle when stirring, grapes can be easily damaged.

    🍽Serving suggestions

    This dish makes great turkey sandwiches. Turkey lettuce wraps are also a wonderful, lighter, and easy meal. If serving after a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, it is great with leftover mashed potatoes, green beans, or sweet potatoes. And of course, it is just right when followed by some leftover pumpkin pie;)

    Other delicious sides include zucchini and squash parmesan, leftover cranberry sauce, pasta salad, and/or a fresh garden salad. Any easy soup recipe would be great with a turkey salad sandwich. My favorite is tomato soup (and it gets bonus points for being one of my favorite slow cooker recipes!). All combos are delicious and make for a very different kind of turkey dinner.

    Close up of turkey salad on a lettuce leaf with pita chips on the side

    Hint:  Leftover dinner rolls are awesome for making smaller sandwiches. A perfect on-the-go lunch if Black Friday happens to be the next day!!

    Storing

    Store leftover turkey salad in an airtight container or bag. It will last 2-3 days in your refrigerator (depending on when the turkey was cooked). Technically, this dish can be frozen. However, I wouldn't recommend it. It will separate and become watery upon defrosting. If you do choose to freeze it, be sure to stir well upon defrosting.

    Alternatively, If you have so much turkey left that it would make way more turkey salad than you need, freeze it! Cooked, frozen turkey breast is easy to defrost and perfect for making tons of tasty leftover turkey recipes.

    Leftover slow cooker turkey salad on a lettuce leaf

    😉Hints and hacks

    1. Toasting pine nuts stovetop is also an option, if you prefer.
    2. Wondering what to do with leftover chicken breast? This simple recipe is the best way to make chicken salad too!
    3. I always suggest the use of a slow cooker liner for easy clean up. I like to buy mine in bulk for a cheaper per-piece price.
    4. In the market for a new crock pot? I love mine! The built in thermometer is especially helpful with this recipe!
    Close up of turkey salad on a lettuce leaf with pita chips on the side

    Lazy Turkey Salad {For Leftovers}

    Slow cooker turkey salad is an easy and delicious way to make sure all of your crockpot turkey gets gobbled up! Tender, slow cooker turkey pieces mixed with grapes and roasted pine nuts makes for a sweet and savory dish that will disappear quickly
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved!
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 4 Servings
    Calories: 437kcal
    Author: The Lazy slow cooker
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    Equipment

    • 6 qt slow cooker
    • slow cooker liner (optional)
    • mixing bowl and spoon
    • Knife and cutting board
    • oven or toaster oven

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups turkey breast cooked and shredded
    • ½ cup pine nuts toasted
    • ½ cup grapes red grapes are great in this dish
    • ½ teaspoon garlic salt
    • ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
    • ½ cup mayonnaise I use reduced fat, but any will do

    Instructions

    • cook turkey breast in slow cooker
    • allow turkey breast to cool and shred
    • spread pine nuts in a single layer on an oven safe tray or sheet of aluminum foil
    • place nuts in oven or toaster oven at 350° for 5 minutes until golden brown. Be sure to keep an eye on them as they can go from toasted to burnt very quickly.
    • Set nuts aside and allow to cool
    • cut grapes into halves
    • Add all ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir to fully combine
    • Additional salt and pepper can be added if necessary

    Nutrition

    Calories: 437kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 19g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 713mg | Potassium: 432mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 61IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 2mg

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    Have you tried this recipe? Please let me know your thoughts in the comment section below! 💕

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    Welcome to The Lazy Slow Cooker. I am so happy you are here! My name is Susan (yep - I am Lazy Susan!) and I am the recipe developer/blogger behind these posts. I am the mom of three amazing but super busy kids and the wife of one awesome and also super busy guy. All 5 of us have very different schedules and I would not survive mealtime without my crockpot. Read More…

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