Leftover Turkey Nachos Salad Bowls will put Thanksgiving leftovers to good use! A healthy leftover gluten-free turkey nachos salad recipe, loaded with roasted turkey, jalapeños, sweet potatoes, gluten-free tortilla chips, and a dairy-free-friendly salsa con queso topping. It’s wholesome, easy to make, and delicious!
Can Nachos Be Considered a Salad?
According to Merriam-Webster, the definitions of salads and nachos are as follows:
- Salad: a cold dish of raw greens (such as lettuce) often combined with other vegetables and toppings and served especially with dressing
- Nachos: a tortilla chip topped with melted cheese and often additional savory toppings (such as hot peppers or refried beans)
The primary difference is that salads are typically served cold while nachos are served warm – but they don’t have to be! We’re willing to bend the rules a little and call this recipe a nachos salad.
Whatever it is, it always tastes great!
What’s In a Turkey Nachos Salad?
There really aren’t any rules when it comes to assembling a nachos salad. However, to get you started, here’s what we include:
- Vegan Con Queso – Swap it out with pre-made queso, shredded cheese, or non-dairy cheese, if preferred.
- Vegetables – Leafy greens (spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, etc.), sweet potato, broccoli or cauliflower florets, carrots, zucchini, grape or cherry tomatoes, and jalapeños
- Leftover Sliced Turkey – Feel free to use any leftovers such as ground turkey, ham, shredded chicken, ground beef, tempeh, or chickpeas.
- Avocado
- Gluten-Free Tortilla Chips – We use blue corn tortilla chips, but any gluten-free tortilla chips or nacho chips will work.
- Flavor Enhancers – Fresh cilantro, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes, and a drizzle of lime juice
- Olive Oil – Technically optional, this serves as a sort of “dressing”.
Flavor Variation: Enjoy this recipe all year long, and give it a bit of Mexican-inspired flair! Season the turkey with taco seasoning. Then, add red onion, pico de gallo, black beans or kidney beans, Cheddar cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and cilantro or parsley for taco salad-inspired nachos!
How to Make a Turkey Nachos Salad
Thanks to the use of leftovers, this recipe comes together with minimal prep time, no cook time, and a total time of minutes!
- Heat the queso. Warm the queso in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second increments, stirring in between until your desired temperature is achieved.
- Assemble the bowls. Divide the ingredients evenly between two or three bowls. Start with the greens, layer the veggies on top, and add the turkey, avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, and chips.
- Season. Sprinkle each bowl with the seasonings, and add a squeeze of lime juice on top followed by the olive oil, if using.
Can I Make This Recipe Ahead of Time?
You can prepare the individual ingredients ahead of time. In fact, we recommend it as the recipe is meant to use leftovers! Just be sure to reheat the tortilla and chips before serving!
Stored in separate airtight containers, the ingredients will stay fresh in the fridge for up to three to four days. Then, all you have to do is assemble the bowls when you’re ready to eat.
That said, we don’t recommend storing the nachos salad bowls once they are assembled as they tend to wilt and become soggy.
More of Our Favorite
Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes
Turkey Nachos Salad (Gluten-Free)
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 bowls 1x
Description
Don’t let those Thanksgiving leftovers go to waste! Put them to use with this quick and easy leftover gluten-free turkey nachos salad recipe!
Ingredients
- ½ cup to ⅔ cup vegan con queso or premade queso of choice (see notes)
- 3 to 4 cups leafy greens (spinach, kale, etc)
- 1 cup diced cooked sweet potato (peeled or skin on)
- 1 cup broccoli floret or cauliflower florets (raw or cooked)
- ½ cup sliced carrots (ribbon or julienne cut)
- ½ cup sliced zucchini (ribbon or julienne cut)
- handful grape tomatoes, halved
- 6 to 8 ounces shredded or diced cooked turkey (see notes for substitutes)
- ½ avocado, sliced
- 1 jalapeño, sliced (deseed for less spicy)
- ½ to 1 cup fresh cilantro, torn or cut into smaller pieces
- 15 to 18 blue corn tortilla chips or sweet potato chips
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- Garlic powder, to taste
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Lime, sliced into wedges
- Drizzle olive oil, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the vegan con queso (using leftover ingredients like potato, carrot, cauliflower, and canned tomatoes) or use premade queso.
- Place the queso in a microwave-safe bowl and cover. Heat in 30 second increments, stirring between, until queso is warm. Set aside.
- To assemble individual bowls, divide the ingredients evenly into 2 or 3 bowls, starting with the leafy greens OR use one large serving bowl. Add the cooked sweet potato, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, and tomatoes, shredded turkey, avocado slices, jalapeno, cilantro and tortilla chips.
- Sprinkle each bowl with sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder and red pepper flakes to taste.
- Squeeze a lime wedge over each salad bowl. Pour the warm queso on top of each bowl and, if desired, drizzle with olive oil.
Notes
Substitute Tips – Use Thanksgiving leftovers like turkey and ham, rotisserie chicken or even chickpeas.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: main
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 440
- Sugar: 9 g
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 29 g
- Cholesterol: 73 mg
i love. ty for shared
Ok, now I officially know what my Thanksgiving leftovers meal will be next year…?
I’m all about anything that gets the destress foods to the brain faster, and I’m all about leftovers when they look as sexy as these. You are my food person. I get you.
You are my food person and idol. I get you and LOVE YOU!
Leftover turkey recipes are the best – and I love your nerdy nutrition facts!
We love the nerdy facts Lindsay and we are all about these bowls of deliciousness. Fresh and delicious way to revive those leftovers.
Oh thanks friend! I’m glad you like my nerdiness! Haha. You’re the best!
This looks absolutely scrumptious! And what I love is that you have snuck in some broccoli! Nice, I love the stuff and I don’t think I have ever added it to nachos before so I might just have to give it a try. Thanks
It’s like broccoli cheddar in nacho bowl form! Haha. Thanks Lizzie
You know we didn’t do that bird…. but I do love your bowls. I think this one would be great with chicken. Or lamb if I’d remembered to ask for some leftovers. Argh.
My boyfriend was talking last night about eating more tryptophan. I told him I’ve been secretly putting it in all his meals so he would sleep better. He had no idea what I meant. LOL Hope you had a happy holiday!
Haha I love that! classic
Wow this is a totally loaded bowl; we love turkey in our house, but your meal of lamb stew and salmon sounds so delicious too Lindsay; and by the way, I LOVED your caption about recapping the year on Instagram. <3 You are such a gem sister.
Thank you friend! So glad to have you in my life, virtually! hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving
Though I don’t have any leftover turkey, as I did not celebrate Thanksgiving in Toronto, I will definitely remember this for Christmas! I am easily won over with your yummy ideas.
Oh well for that, I am grateful! And I am SO grateful that you commented. GOOD to hear from you my friend.