There are two types of Thanksgiving leftover lovers: those who just want to eat Thanksgiving dinner all over again, and those who love to reinvent them into something fresh and new. Whichever camp you fall into, this Cobb salad is for you. Thanksgiving superstars turkey, sweet potatoes, pecans, and cranberries meet Cobb salad stalwarts bacon, blue cheese, and hard-boiled eggs for a fresh take on leftovers that still hits those holiday dinner notes.
How To Make A Thanksgiving Cobb Salad
INGREDIENTS
- Turkey: Assuming it hasn’t all been gobbled up already, your leftover turkey is the perfect protein for this Cobb. However, you can easily sub with leftover or rotisserie chicken from the supermarket, or go without!
- Sweet Potatoes: Any type of leftover roasted squash would work just fine here, including butternut, delicata, or acorn. Cut up any larger pieces so they meld better with the rest of the salad.
- Cranberries: Dried cherries would be a great swap, or if you’re looking for a burst of fruitiness, you could also just add chopped apple.
- Pecans: Almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts are great subs. Just make sure to well-toast any nut you use!
- Blue Cheese: Any soft cheese leftover from your holiday cheese board would work well here. Feta or goat’s cheese would be my top recs.
- Buttermilk: Feel free to swap regular milk for the buttermilk in this recipe. The sour cream brings enough tang that you’ll be just fine.
- Dressing: A traditional Cobb salad dressing is a vinaigrette made from red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil, but for this Thanksgiving version, we opted for something creamier. This tangy chive dressing pairs perfectly with the rich sweet potatoes, the salty bacon, and the sharp, earthy blue cheese. It’s thick enough that you can drizzle it over your salad or—if you’re like me—use it as a dipping sauce on the side.
Step-By-Step Instructions
To make the creamy chive dressing, grab a small bowl and combine garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Let that sit for five minutes to allow the garlic to infuse the lemon juice.
Then add mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk; season with pepper. Whisk that together until incorporated and creamy. Fold in chives. Give it a taste and season with salt if needed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use!
Moving on to the salad toppings: Add bacon to a large cold skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crispy, 7-9 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to help soak up excess fat.
Fill a medium pot with 1/2″ water and bring to a simmer over high heat. Using a spoon or tongs, gently lower your eggs, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover. Steam eggs, adjusting heat as needed to maintain a simmer, for 12 minutes. If you prefer a softer boiled egg, you can take ’em out sooner!
While the eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath for your eggs. Simply fill a large bowl halfway with ice and add cold water. This will halt any more cooking after you take the eggs out of the boiling water.
Transfer eggs to an ice bath. Let them cool, then carefully peel. If your egg peeling skills are iffy, refer to our step-by-step instructions on how to peel a hard-boiled egg. Once peeled (hooray!), slice into wedges.
Grab your romaine heads and chop off the bottom; discard, and then chop the rest of the leaves into thin pieces (or however you prefer). Arrange romaine on a platter. Now for the fun part: Top with your desired fixings—turkey, potatoes, bacon, eggs, pecans, cranberries, and blue cheese. Season with freshly cracked pepper. Serve with dressing alongside.
How To Serve
A Cobb salad is traditionally served as a beautifully composed salad with neat rows of ingredients and the dressing on the side, ready to be drizzled over. It’s a food stylist’s dream. But don’t feel pressured to do the pretty presentation if you don’t want to. Just put out a big bowl of greens and smaller bowls of the toppings, and let everyone assemble their own.
Make-Ahead & Storage
If you have leftovers (…of the leftovers?), they can be stored separately in airtight containers. The dressing will stay good for up to 3 days.
Looking for more ways to repurpose your Thanksgiving leftovers? Check out these 53 creative Thanksgiving leftover ideas.
Find the full list of ingredients below!
