This Leftover Turkey Salad (with Gnocchi) turns leftover meat into a whole new delicious dish! Beautifully sauteed and crispened gnocchi, parmesan cheese, sundried tomatoes. Drizzled with a sweet and savory balsamic dressing; so flavorful and so good! You'll want to devour it!
Just like our Sautéed Shrimp and Vegetable Gnocchi and our Parmesan Pasta with Roasted Vegetables, this dish is so satisfyingly filling!
Jump to:
Why you'll love this recipe
- It's crunchy: the gnocchi, sauteed on the stove, adds crispiness to the dish. They are nice and crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside.
- A quick and easy dish: simple ingredients, no complicated methods
- It's filling: carbs, protein, veggies, all in one plate. Plus, the gnocchi is super hearty.
- Great use for leftover turkey: if the turkey you are using turned out to be more dry than expected, adding it to the rest of the ingredients in the salad will definitely save it!
Ingredients
For this recipe, you will need simple ingredients that can easily be found in any local grocery store. Here are some key ingredients:
- Turkey: any turkey you have left over will work great. Meat from turkey breast, drumstick, etc.
- Gnocchi: So I did a little bit of an experiment. I purchased two kinds of gnocchi in order to see which type works best, frozen or shelf-stable (vacuum packed, not refrigerated). I had my 3 trusted taste testers vote on their favorite, based on texture and taste. Texture-wise everyone agreed that the frozen ones were better because they turned out more crispy. But taste-wise, the reviews were mixed. Because the shelf-stable gnocchi contains lactic acid, as a preservative for a longer shelf life, they tasted more salty/sour than the frozen ones. Those preferring more salt in their food voted for the shelf-stable gnocchi. The verdict? Personally, I would definitely recommend frozen gnocchi - they are more crispy when sauteed and do not have additional preservatives. Because we are cooking with bacon and balsamic dressing, your taste buds will be happy anyway.
- Sundried Tomatoes: choose sundried tomatoes in oil. I like purchasing the pre-cut kinds; saves a little bit of time.
- Balsamic Dressing Ingredients: this is a combination of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, honey, and some salt and pepper.
*** See recipe card below for full ingredients list and quantities
Variations and Substitutions
- Gnocchi: Substitute with cooked pasta. Shell pasta will look great in this salad and the pieces are large enough not to get lost in the mix.
- Red Onion: you may like to use sliced green onion, or sweet onion, or opt out of using onions altogether.
- Parsley: substitute with chopped dill or cilantro. Cilantro will give the salad a little bit of a different flavor, which some people love, but others hate 🙂 so, if you love cilantro, it would be a great variation.
- Parmesan Cheese: shredded mozzarella cheese will work as well. Alternatively, you can use feta cheese crumbles. Just make sure not to use them when the recipe calls for adding them when sauteeing gnocchi; only add them at the end, into the salad mix, once the fried gnocchi cooled down.
- Bacon: I use pork bacon, but, you may like to use turkey bacon or bacon bits.
Preparation
Sauté bacon for about 2 minutes and stir in minced garlic. Sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the gnocchi and distribute in an even layer. Sauté another 10 minutes, or until the gnocchi are browned and crispy. Add half of the fresh parsley, half of the parmesan cheese, and the chopped leftover turkey. Turn off the burner and set aside to cool (about 10 minutes).
Prepare the dressing: In a small mixing bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, honey, and some salt and pepper. Whisk well and set aside.
Add the chopped lettuce, sundried tomatoes, red onions, and the remainder of the parsley and parmesan cheese to a large mixing bowl.
Combine: add the hot ingredients to the mixing bowl with the other salad ingredients and stir in the dressing. Serve at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, not necessary. The gnocchi turns out beautifully crispened when fried with the bacon/garlic mixture. Taking the extra step of pre-boiling is unnecessary!
Nope! We don't really reheat it. We will simply be adding it to the heated gnocchi and bacon mixture, and because the turkey is chopped into small pieces, it will simply warm up.
Yes, you can, but because the bacon bits are already cooked, you would skip the step of frying bacon and simply heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in your skillet, then add the minced garlic, sautee for about 30 seconds, then add the bacon bits, stir for another 30 seconds, and then you can add the gnocchi and continue cooking per directions.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve the salad on its own as the main course, or serve it as a side dish with a fresh salad, such as our Spring Vegetable and Berry Salad, or try this Sweet Carrot Salad Recipe.
Using tongs to serve the salad is the most convenient.
Storing Suggestions:
Store leftovers in the refrigerator, in an airtight container. Do not reheat leftovers, simply take the salad out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving and serve at room temperature.
A few helpful tips:
- Use a non-stick skillet so the bacon and garlic do not stick to the pan
- If using pork bacon, there is no need to add oil; it releases plenty of its own. If you are using turkey bacon or bacon bits, add one tablespoon of cooking oil.
- If using bacon bits, they will not need any time to cook, but for the gnocchi to absorb that bacon/garlic flavor, sauté the bacon and garlic together for a minute or so, and then add the gnocchi to brown.
- Use frozen gnocchi - do not defrost and do not pre-boil
- When frying gnocchi do not overcrowd the pan so they brown and crispen equally
- Purchase sun-dried tomatoes in oil - so they are moist and more tender than the dry ones.
Other dinner-in-one bowl recipes:
The Recipe:
Recipe
Leftover Turkey Salad (with Gnocchi)
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups gnocchi dried or frozen - see notes
- 1 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated, divided
- 1 cup fresh parsley chopped, divided
- 2 cups turkey chopped
- 1 cup lettuce of your choice, chopped
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped - you can use 1 cups for extra sundried tomato flavor
For the salad dressing:
- 2 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the "hot" ingredients: Add the chopped bacon to a non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high heat (*** see notes in the Notes Section of the recipe card for frying different bacon types). Sauté for about 2 minutes and stir in the minced garlic. Sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the gnocchi and distribute in an even layer so they brown evenly. Sauté another 10 minutes, or until the gnocchi are browned and crispy. Stir in half of the fresh parsley, half of the parmesan cheese, and the chopped leftover turkey. Turn off the burner and set aside to cool (about 10 minutes).
- While the "hot ingredients" are cooling, prepare the dressing: In a small mixing bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard, honey, and some salt and pepper. Whisk well and set aside so all the flavors befriend one another.
- Add the chopped lettuce, sundried tomatoes, red onions, and the remainder of the parsley and parmesan cheese to a large mixing bowl.
- Combine: Once the "hot ingredients" mixture has cooled, add it to the mixing bowl with the other salad ingredients and stir in the dressing. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
-
-
- Use a non-stick skillet so the bacon and garlic do not stick to the pan
- If using pork bacon, there is no need to add oil; it releases plenty of its own. If you are using turkey bacon or bacon bits, add one tablespoon of cooking oil.
- If using bacon bits, they will not need any time to cook, but for the gnocchi to absorb that bacon/garlic flavor, sauté the bacon and garlic together for a minute or so, and then add the gnocchi to brown.
- Use frozen gnocchi - do not defrost and do not pre-boil
- When frying gnocchi do not overcrowd the pan so they brown and crispen equally
- Purchase sun-dried tomatoes in oil - so they are moist and more tender than the dry ones.
-
Comments
No Comments