• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Spices in My DNA

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Sugar & Spice
  • Portfolio
  • Contact Me
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
You are here: Home / Salad / Thanksgiving Leftovers Kale Salad

Thanksgiving Leftovers Kale Salad

November 24, 2018 By Spices in My DNA Leave a Comment

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest121
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This Thanksgiving Leftovers Kale Salad is filled with all of your extras from Thanksgiving dinner! We’ve got turkey, roasted sweet potatoes, roasted brussels, corn, cornbread croutons, and a delicious cranberry balsamic vinaigrette! Such a delicious and hearty salad to enjoy after the holiday!

Overhead shot of a thanksgiving leftovers kale salad with roasted sweet potatoes, brussels, green beans, and cornbread croutons with a ramekin of cranberry balsamic vinaigrette above it

If you need to know what to do with all of the Thanksgiving food still staring at you in your fridge, I’ve got you covered! This salad is SO delicious and hearty, and it is different enough from Thanksgiving dinner, that it feels like something new and exciting. Hello cranberry balsamic vinaigrette and cornbread croutons!

And if you’re anything like me, after last week, having a salad is probably a good idea!

Overhead shot of a thanksgiving leftovers kale salad with roasted sweet potatoes, brussels, green beans, and cornbread croutons

I’ve always been a huge fan of texture filled salads, especially kale salads, because they stand up to anything, and you can add all the toppings, which let’s be real, are the best part!

This recipe is merely a suggestion of add-ins, but you can truly use whatever you want!

Overhead shot of a thanksgiving leftovers kale salad bring drizzled with cranberry balsamic vinaigrette

This dressing is so delish and I want to make it all the time through this holiday season! I just added some cranberry sauce to my classic maple balsamic vinaigrette, along with a little garlic, salt, and pepper. It’s the perfect amount of sweet and tart, and it’s such a great use for leftover cranberry sauce!

Overhead shot of a mixing bowl of kale with two wooden and gold salad tossers in the bowl, surrounded by a bowl of green beans, roasted sweet potatoes, a plate of turkey, and cranberry balsamic vinaigrette

I love using lacinato kale for this, which is the darker, smoother kale, but green curly kale would work here too! I’m just partial to the other stuff. It’s softer and tastes better in my opinion!

Also – I wouldn’t put it past you to put leftover stuffing or green bean casserole, or the more traditional sides into this salad. The kale really is so hearty, that adding those kind of sides would just make it more like a hash – and that would be totally delicious.

You really can’t mess this up!

Overhead shot of a thanksgiving leftovers kale salad being sprinkled with cornbread croutons

And for the cornbread croutons, you could make them with leftover dinner rolls or any other bread from Thanksgiving dinner – even biscuits! Literally just thought of that as I’m typing this and omg – I can’t get biscuit croutons out of my head.

That needs to happen!

But this cornbread version is amazing, and I’ve added them to other salads too. They don’t get as crispy as regular croutons, but they kind of crumble into the salad and I tend to like that better.

A little bit of cornbread goodness in every bite.

Overhead shot of a thanksgiving leftovers kale salad with roasted sweet potatoes, brussels, green beans, and cornbread croutons surrounded by a ramekin of vinaigrette, a plate of turkey, a ramekin of corn, and a bowl of brussels

And if you need more Thanksgiving leftover inspiration, I’ve got you covered!

Turkey and Dumplings
Thanksgiving Leftovers Everything Bagel Breakfast Sandwich
Turkey Panini with Cranberry White Cheddar and Crispy Sage

Overhead shot of a thanksgiving leftovers kale salad bring drizzled with cranberry balsamic vinaigrette

Overhead shot of a thanksgiving leftovers kale salad with roasted sweet potatoes, brussels, green beans, and cornbread croutons with a ramekin of cranberry balsamic vinaigrette above it
Print

Thanksgiving Leftovers Kale Salad

This Thanksgiving Leftovers Kale Salad is filled with all of your extras from Thanksgiving dinner! We've got turkey, roasted sweet potatoes, roasted brussels, corn, green beans, cornbread croutons, and a delicious cranberry balsamic vinaigrette! Such a delicious and hearty salad to enjoy after the holiday!

Course Main, Salad
Cuisine Thanksgiving
Keyword thanksgiving leftovers salad
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings 4
Author Molly | Spices in My DNA

Ingredients

For the salad

  • 1 bunch lacinato/Tuscan kale, de-stemmed and shredded
  • leftover turkey, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • leftover roasted sweet potatoes or sweet potato casserole
  • leftover roasted brussels sprouts
  • leftover green beans or green bean casserole
  • corn
  • whatever other leftovers you want to add!

For the cornbread croutons

  • 3 cups cornbread (cut into cubes/bite sized pieces)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper

For the cranberry balsamic vinaigrette

  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons cranberry sauce (I used the whole berry canned stuff)
  • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

salad

  1. Add kale to a mixing bowl. Drizzle with a couple tablespoons of dressing and massage the kale for a minute or so in your hands to help soften it. Add the turkey, roasted sweet potatoes, roasted brussels, green beans, corn, and whatever other leftovers you want to add! Toss in some of the cornbread croutons, saving a few for the top. Portion into bowls, top with more croutons, and drizzle with desired amount of dressing. Serve!

cornbread croutons

  1. Preheat oven to 375℉. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Place the cornbread on the sheet and toss with olive oil, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden and crunchy.

cranberry balsamic vinaigrette

  1. In a food processor or blender, combine the balsamic vinegar, cranberry sauce, maple syrup, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth and emulsified. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

Recipe Notes

*The cornbread croutons won't get as crunchy as your typical bread croutons, you're looking for more of a toasted, golden exterior!

Related Posts:

  • Overhead shot of a bowl of mashed potatoes with sliced grilled chicken, roasted tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, and balsamic glaze
    Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Basil Mashed Potatoes
  • Overhead shot of a bowl of kale salad with roasted sweet potatoes, chickpeas, caramelized onions, and feta
    Sweet Potato Kale Salad with Crispy Chickpeas,…
  • Overhead shot of a bowl of kale salad with a bowl of dressing in the top left and green apples in the top right
    Favorite Kale Salad

Filed Under: Salad Tagged With: balsamic vinaigrette, cornbread croutons, easy, easy meal, kale salad, leftovers, salad, thanksgiving, thanksgiving leftovers

Previous Post: « Chocolate and Bourbon Cheeseboard
Next Post: Healthy Nutella Sea Salt Truffles »

Reader Interactions

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Welcome! I'm so happy you're here. This is the space where I share healthy recipes with a sprinkle of indulgence mixed in! I’m wildly passionate about food, and I grew up in a family of foodies. I was surrounded by it from an early age and immediately fell in love. I love to share super flavorful, unique, and healthy recipes, as well as indulgent, comforting meals we all need from time to time!

Order my cookbook!

Shot of eat more plants cookbook cover with colorful vegetable dishes

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Indiebound
Books-a-Million
Book Depository

Subscribe to receive new posts by email!

Get the latest Spices in My DNA posts in your inbox!

Most Popular Recipes

Overhead shot of a bowl of curry on a turquoise plate
Overhead shot of a bowl with quinoa, chickpeas, roasted broccoli, sliced avocado, a lemon wedge, and tahini sauce with a black and silver fork next to the bowl
Forward facing shot of an iced latte with two other lattes behind it, all topped with bright pink rose petals and lavender sprigs, with more lavender and rosebuds scattered around
Quinoa Bowls with Sesame Tofu, Avocado, and Pistachios
Overhead shot of a pan of enchiladas topped with sliced avocado, cherry tomatoes, lime wedges, cilantro, and sour cream
Shot of a stack of 5 slices of chocolate chip banana bread

Categories

Recent Posts

  • Chicken Caesar Wrap
  • Lemon Pistachio Cheesecake Bars
  • Salmon Sushi Bowls
  • Strawberries and Cream Blondies
  • Crunchy Quinoa Salad with Peanut Lime Dressing

Footer

 

 

Spices in My DNA © 2020 · Privacy Policy
 

Loading Comments...