Turkey Cobb Salad

by Lisa Bryan — November 23, 2020 14 Comments

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Turkey cobb salad is a tasty seasonal spin on the classic cobb salad, featuring roasted turkey, butternut squash, and dried cranberries. It’s a hearty, dinner-worthy salad and makes the most of your Thanksgiving leftovers!

A cobb salad is the ultimate chopped salad (and one of my personal favorites) with all of the ingredients diced into bite-sized pieces. They’re typically protein-heavy salads as they’re filled with meat, eggs, and cheese, along with a variety of vegetables, nuts, and fresh or dried fruit. In other words, they’re filling, flavorful, and have a lot of texture.

So what better way to make a cobb salad than with your turkey recipe leftovers! With the meat already cooked it makes this recipe a breeze. All you have to do is dice it up, prep a few other things, and pile them all on a bed of fresh leafy greens.

But if you don’t have these exact ingredients – no problem. The beauty of a cobb salad is how versatile it is. Just layer on more roasted veggies or other sources of protein to keep it balanced. Keep reading for more variations!

What’s In This Turkey Cobb Salad?

Spinach: This is my go-to for leafy greens, but you can use your favorite salad greens.
Bacon: Because everything tastes better with bacon right?
Turkey: Shred or dice your leftover turkey – however you like it!
Butternut Squash: Leftover roasted squash adds a hint of creamy savoriness.
Boiled Eggs: A must have ingredient for a every Cobb salad.
Dried Cranberries: For a touch of fall sweetness and texture.
Goat Cheese: I love the flavor of goat cheese, but see below for more options.
Pecans: Adds that delicious nutty crunch.
Apple Cider Vinaigrette: It’s light, tangy flavor complements this salad perfectly.

Build The Best Leftover Turkey Cobb Salad

Since this recipe utilizes Thanksgiving leftovers like turkey and roasted butternut squash, the only items you’ll need to cook are a few hard boiled eggs and strips of bacon.

After that, layer up the salad! You don’t have to line everything up in pretty little rows on top of your baby spinach as I did. Feel free to add everything to a large mixing bowl and toss it all together. And of course, don’t forget the very fall appropriate apple cider vinaigrette. It’s so easy to make at home!

Customize Your Cobb Salad

Swap the fruits: You can use raisins instead of cranberries. Or chop up apples into small cubes to add a refreshing crunch. Have leftover cranberry sauce? You can use that as well!
Use roasted sweet potatoes instead: If you didn’t roast butternut squash for Thanksgiving, roasted sweet potatoes will work as well.
Try a different cheese: Crumbled cheese is best for cobb salads, so you can also use crumbled feta or bleu cheese.
Use a different vinaigrette: A Dijon vinaigrette or champagne vinaigrette are also tasty.
Change the green base: If you don’t have spinach on hand, use any leafy greens in your fridge! From lettuce to arugula to mixed greens, they all work.

Meal Prep and Store Leftovers

Cobb salads are the ultimate in individual ingredient meal prep, and quick assembly. And while baby spinach isn’t a very durable green after it’s been mixed in a salad with dressing, this salad will still last 1-2 days in the fridge after it’s been tossed.

If you keep all of the ingredients separate, you can enjoy this recipe for almost a week! Just keep all the ingredients in their own containers for up to 4 days in the fridge, then assemble individual portions as desired.

Yes To More Hearty Dinner Salads

Looking to amp up your salad game? Find new inspiration through these recipes!

Still have more turkey leftovers? Make my turkey casserole – it’s light and won’t weigh you down!