This turkey salad recipe is an inventive way to diversify your Thanksgiving leftovers. This recipe uses two pounds of leftover Thanksgiving turkey, leftover celery for crunch, and relish for a sweet tang to enjoy for days after the festive feast is over.
Origins Of This Thanksgiving Leftover Turkey Salad
My mom has been making this turkey salad recipe after Thanksgiving since before I was born. She always goes all out to make the holidays special and usually makes 2 turkeys for our big family; one in the oven and one in the smoker. Every year she ends up with way too many leftovers, which is where this turkey salad was born. Leftovers are my favorite part of Thanksgiving, but especially this recipe. Every time I make it I am transported back to my childhood and filled with nostalgia. I make this turkey salad every year using Thanksgiving leftovers in the hopes of creating these same special memories with my son. I hope this recipe can become a tradition in your family that your children can cherish as well.
How to Make Thanksgiving Leftover Turkey Salad
To make this turkey salad, start by grinding 2 lbs of leftover turkey in a meat grinder. We got this Aaobosi Meat Grinder as a wedding gift and I am absolutely obsessed with it after using a hand crank meat grinder for years. If you don’t have a meat grinder, you can put your turkey through a food processor, shred it, or chop it into small, fine pieces.
Adding Celery to Your Turkey Salad
After grinding, shredding, or chopping your turkey, put your celery through the meat grinder. If you don’t have a meat grinder you can chop your celery and add it to your turkey.
If you are using a meat grinder, be careful how much celery you put through it at a time. Break your celery stalks into roughly 2 inch chunks and feed them through one at a time. If you try to put too much celery through at once it can jam your meat grinder.
I use celery in my slow cooker Thanksgiving dressing. While this recipe calls for 8 stalks of celery, I always just use all of the celery I have leftover from making my dressing. Sometimes it’s less than 8 stalks, sometimes it’s more. The amount of celery isn’t as important as using up the leftovers. Use however much celery you have on hand.
Putting It All Together
After grinding or chopping your turkey and celery, add in 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. I use my homemade mayonnaise and double the recipe. Add in 8 oz of sweet relish. Refrigerate and serve with crackers or on bread as sandwiches.
Little Cooks Corner
I have so many fond memories of helping my mom make turkey salad as a kid. While I do not let my son use the meat grinder, little sous chefs in training can help with this recipe by chopping the celery with a Montessori knife (if you aren’t grinding it) and by adding and mixing the additional ingredients after the turkey and celery is ground.
Feedback
Did you try this recipe with your Thanksgiving leftovers? Did you grind, process, or chop your turkey? How did it turn out!? Let me know in the comments!
Shop This Post
As an Amazon Associate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases.
Pin It For Later
Thanksgiving Leftovers Turkey Salad Recipe
Description
This turkey salad recipe is an inventive way to diversify your Thanksgiving leftovers. This recipe uses a pound of leftover Thanksgiving turkey, leftover celery for crunch, and relish for a sweet tang to enjoy for days after the festive feast is over.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Grind leftover turkey using a meat grinder. If you don’t have a meat grinder you can put your turkey through a food processor, shred it, or chop it into small, fine pieces.
- Grind your celery in the meat grinder. If you don’t have a meat grinder you can chop your celery.
- Add 1.5 cups mayonnaise to your bowl with your turkey and celery.
- Add 8 oz of sweet relish.
- Mix well and refrigerate. Serve with crackers or on bread as sandwiches.
Leave a Reply