Turkey and Cranberry Salad
Dried cranberries enhance this turkey salad with lettuce and a few other easy toppings to make a healthy meal that’s high in protein and fiber.
This simple deli turkey salad is a regular in our lunch time meal rotation.
We like how using lean meat makes an easy and protein packed salad. Throughout the year we typically buy thick sliced deli meat, but leftover Turkey from Thanksgiving can be chopped and mixed in very easily too.
We start with a strong base of chopped greens, primarily Romaine lettuce, and try to add as many beans as is reasonable before blending in with the other toppings.
Sweet cranberries pair so well with garbanzo beans or chick peas to add more fiber and protein
This turkey salad is one of several salads we enjoy at lunch.
Simple Salads We Eat Regularly
The ingredients are easy to prep ahead or add to a jar layered with dressing on the bottom, chick peas, turkey and keep the lettuce on top. Flip upside down in a bowl, toss together and enjoy a simple lunch.
Ingredients Needed to Make A Salad With Turkey
- Romaine Lettuce – fairly finely chopped
- Turkey – thick sliced deli meat tastes more substantial
- Balsamic Dressing – I like the Panera dressing bottles
- Dried Cranberries
- Red Onion – finely sliced is easiest to get on a fork
- Walnuts
- Chickpeas – drained and rinsed
Step By Step Instructions
Chop lettuce and rinse well – we always use a salad spinner.
Drizzle a small amount of dressing – about one tablespoon of dressing per two cups of chopped Romaine lettuce.
Use tongs to toss well and coat evenly. This step is a simple way to make this taste like a restaurant quality salad!
Divide the lettuce into two serving bowls. There should be about two cups of lettuce in each bowl.
You can build the salad by making sections of toppings or even layers of toppings across the whole bowl.
I like to make sections and start by putting turkey and the chickpeas across from each other in triangle shaped areas.
Then fill in the open areas with smaller sections of the remaining ingredients.
Serve and enjoy!
Salad Making Tips:
- Toss the greens with dressing first and then add other toppings – this has a huge impact on making the salad taste higher quality.
- Rinse canned beans to help decrease sodium in the dish.
- The higher calorie items to use sparingly are cranberries, dressing and blue cheese.
Lighter Meals That We Enjoy
- Italian Macaroni Salad
- Baked Tacos with Chicken
- White Bean Chicken Chili
- Cabbage and Hamburger Casserole
Turkey and Cranberry Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups romaine lettuce
- 2/3 cup turkey cubed
- 2 tablespoons Balsamic dressing
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons red onion thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons walnuts
- 1/2 cup chickpeas drained
- 2 tablespoons blue cheese
Instructions
- Place chopped lettuce in a mixing bowl and drizzle dressing over the top. Use tongs to toss together. Divide into 2 serving bowls.4 cups romaine lettuce, 2 tablespoons Balsamic dressing
- Add chickpeas and 2/3 cup turkeyurkey as generously as you please to each bowl.2/3 cup turkey, 1/2 cup chickpeas
- Accent with dried cranberries, red onion slices, walnuts and blue cheese.2 tablespoons dried cranberries, 2 tablespoons red onion, 2 tablespoons walnuts, 2 tablespoons blue cheese
- Serve and store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
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