This turkey salad recipe is a great way to use up your holiday leftovers! But far from stale, our creamy turkey salad gets its fresh taste from pomegranate seeds, celery and lemon zest.
Growing up, Black Friday had nothing to do with shopping. Instead, we dedicated the day to decorating for Christmas. We had a fake tree y’all, so I think that made the tradition easier. Friday morning we’d head up to our attic to pull out all the dusty decorations. But from those old boxes came magic.
We’d put on records (yes records! I’m that old!) and we’d sing Christmas tunes as we trimmed our eclectic tree. There were antique ornaments that belonged to my grandmother, ornaments my sister and I made in grade school and of course lots of Star Trek figures because The Next Generation was all the rage back then!
Oh and there were lights (which you’d have to test and retest to find the broken bulbs) and a mechanical angel that slowly opened and closed her wings. By the end of a very long day, the house would glow by the light of the tree. We weren’t rich, but what we had was priceless.
I feel like things are different now. We go straight from Halloween to gift season. That magic of turning thankfulness into Christmas spirit with cheer and scotch tape is almost gone. And that cherished family time is being chipped away one sale at a time.
So while everyone else is Black Friday shopping (I’ll wait to support mom and pop shop on Small Business Saturday), I’m going to be home eating leftovers, hopefully with family. And you bet those leftovers will include our Thanksgiving spatchcock turkey! But of course I’m going to freshen up those leftovers!
I’m so excited about this leftover turkey salad, which might sound kinda weird… but it’s that DELICIOUS! It kinda bridges the gap between standard turkey salad and a cream cheese spread. That’s because it’s made with a mixture of cream cheese and mayo, so it’s super creamy! But it also has fresh additions like lemon zest and pomegranate seeds. Doesn’t it look a little Christmasy with its green and red accents?
This turkey salad recipe is so stupid easy! I like to make it with white meat, but whatever you have left will do. Not many ingredients either. For me, these are the staples I have in the fridge in the fall: celery, pomegrantes, lemon zest, cream cheese, ground celery seed and mayo.
You could serve it in a sandwich but I prefer to make a tray with veggies, apples and crackers. It’s a great appetizer for snacking so you can spread the Christmas spirit at the same time you’re spreading this turkey salad!
And speaking of spreaders, I absolutely love this one from Earlywood. It’s made of hard maple which means its easy to clean. (If you’re like me and have ruined too many wood utensils to count, check out this guide from The Gingered Whisk on caring for wood utensils. Gone are the days of destroying my wooden spoons in the dishwasher).
When you’re ready to start your Christmas shopping (and there’s really no rush), I encourage you to check out Earlywood’s online store. They donate a portion of each sale to replanting trees which means it’s a purchase you can feel good about. They’ve got spoons and spatulas for every foodie on your list. Plus it’s a very vintage type of gift!
Hope your Holidays are magical! xoxo Kitty
Leftover Turkey Salad with Cream Cheese and Pomegranates
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese , softened
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon ground celery seed
- 1 cup celery , finely diced
- 3 cups cooked turkey , diced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese, mayo, lemon zest and celery seed until smooth.
- Add turkey and celery, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Finially, add pomegranates seeds and gently fold in to turkey salad.
Notes
- I prefer white meat turkey for this salad, but dark meat is okay too.
- These Crunchmaster multigrain crackers are so good with this recipe. They are gluten free and have a nutty flavor that goes really well with a cheesy spread!
Nutrition
Love this recipe? Check out all our appetizer recipes!
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Jasmine says
I never know how to repurpose my leftover turkey at Thanksgiving but this is such a great idea! Can’t wait to give it a try!
Vintage Kitty says
Glad to help! That turkey deserves an encore, right?
Arlette says
How long does this last in the fridge?
Vintage Kitty says
Hi Arlette. Great question! About 3-4 days per this food safety guide. Personally I’d try to eat it in 3 because the pomegranates arils can go bad quickly. Enjoy!