Turkey & Cranberry Salad (Kneader’s Copycat)

A good-for-you mixed greens salad topped with leftover turkey (or chicken), red onions, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds.

PIN this salad to your Thanksgiving boards!

How are you doing on those Thanksgiving leftovers? Still have some?

I still have a bunch, but we had a small Thanksgiving get together so maybe that’s why. Whether you have leftovers or not though — you are going to want to make this turkey salad! And if you are out of turkey you can leave out the meat all together or substitute with some shredded chicken.

So let me tell you a little bit about my husband. At least a little bit about his food preferences.

His favorite food is a cheeseburger with a close second being french fries. He loves a big steak smothered in A1 sauce with a side of potatoes. Smoked ribs are also on his list of top favorites.

In all the time we’ve been together, I have known him to get a salad ONCE for his entree. I took pictures to document the occasion. But besides that one rare occasion, salads are usually a nice side dish and nothing more.

Anyways, I tell you this because HE LOVED THIS SALAD! It was gone in about thirty seconds and got at least 15 compliments. Seriously. He was all about this salad and the dressing. And I was too. But me being crazy about a salad isn’t as monumental for me as it is for him. Because eating salad is a regular thing for me. I eat plenty of salads and love them. 🙂

If you do happen to have leftover turkey, this salad is a cinch to make and SO delicious! Especially if you grab the two pre-made dressings and whip them together. So this alternate “cheater” dressing – it’s combining 2 store-bought dressings and whisking them together. So easy right?! But I’m going to get a little specific on the brands here, because I want you to know just how perfect this salad is with the right dressings! For the poppyseed dressing, I used Brianna’s Home Style Dressings: Rich Poppy Seed (<–the link is just to show you how it looks). For the other dressing, I used Ken’s Steak House Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette Dressing(<–another picture. I found both of the dressings at my local grocery store and have seen both at Wal-Mart). Mix those together and that dressing is pretty dang authentic to Kneader’s.

And, of course, if you’re feeling ambitious and have some extra time on your hands, the full homemade recipe for the dressing option #2 is OUT of this world good!

FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content.

Turkey, Cranberry, and Sunflower Seed Salad (Kneader's Copycat)

5 from 2 votes

- Review this recipe

A good-for-you mixed greens salad topped with leftover turkey (or chicken), red onions, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds.

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

Turkey, Cranberry, and Sunflower Seed Salad (Kneader's Copycat)

5 from 2 votes

- Review this recipe

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

A good-for-you mixed greens salad topped with leftover turkey (or chicken), red onions, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Healthy

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 6 -8, as a side

Calories 406kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Ingredients

For the salad:

• ▢ 1 bag (5 ounces) spring mix salad
• ▢ 1 bag (5 ounces) chopped romaine lettuce
• ▢ 1 cup cooked turkey, or sub chicken, shredded and chopped
• ▢ 1/2 cup sunflower seed kernels
• ▢ 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• ▢ Freshly shredded mozzarella cheese, to taste
• ▢ 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

For the dressing: **

• ▢ 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ▢ 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• ▢ 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed
• ▢ 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 teaspoons poppyseeds

Instructions

• In a large bowl, toss together the spring mix salad, romaine lettuce, turkey or chicken, sunflower seed kernels, dried cranberries, shredded mozzarella, and a thinly sliced red onion.
  
• Toss together.
  
• For the dressing (see ** note) either toss together the two prepared dressings OR in a blender/food processor, combine the red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, ground mustard, and raspberries. Blend until smooth.
  
• Add in the oil slowly while pulsing the mixture until well combined. Stir in the poppyseeds.
  
• Right before enjoying, toss the dressing with the salad.
  
• If you plan on having leftovers, only toss what you will eat with the dressing!
  

Recipe Notes

The toppings (cranberries, sunflower seeds, and cheese) is really to taste -- toss in as much (or as little) as you like! **If you don't want to make a homemade dressing for this salad, you can buy a raspberry vinaigrette and mix it in equal parts with a poppyseed dressing.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 406kcal | Carbohydrates: 26.6g | Protein: 4.8g | Fat: 32.3g | Cholesterol: 13.1mg | Sodium: 318.4mg | Fiber: 2.7g | Sugar: 22.1g

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.

More delicious salad recipes:

• Chicken Spinach Salad
• Citrus Quinoa Salad
• Cobb Salad with an Herb Vinaigrette
• Crispy Chicken Salad
• Greek Salad