Simple Apple and Turkey Salad with Maple Vinaigrette: A Fresh and Flavor-Packed Meal
Light, refreshing, and packed with protein is what makes a perfect lunch or dinner. This apple and turkey salad checks all those boxes and is a must try any time of year. The combination of sweet and tart apples with the savory turkey and the crunchy nuts paired with the tangy yet sweet maple vinaigrette creates the perfect flavor and texture combination.
If you are meal prepping, this Apple and Turkey salad is a definite recipe you should try. It is a new and exciting way to liven up your salad options throughout the week or month. You can use leftover turkey if you have it or slice up some deli turkey for a quick and easy to assemble meal so you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen meal prepping!
Why You’ll Love This Craveworthy Salad
Apple and turkey salads are so fresh and so satisfying when you meal prep them. Literally you are going to crave this salad and dressing combo after you make it the first time.
This salad can utilize leftover turkey or deli meats, either way the protein is already prepared so all you have to do is whip up the dressing, chop a few vegetables and fruits and you have a meal prep ready in 15 minutes or under.
With protein, fiber, and healthy fats from the dressing this salad provides you with everything you need to keep yourself feeling great all day long!
This apple and turkey salad is ideal for meal preppers. When you put the fruit, vegetables, and lettuce into your individual air tight containers it will stay fresh for several days. If you are worried about the apples turning brown, sprinkle a little lemon juice on them. Also, keep the dressing separate from the leaves in the recipe to keep them from getting soggy.
Tips for the Best Salad Ever
When looking for the right fruits and vegetables for this Apple and Turkey salad check the apples and pick ones that have a good color, feel heavy, and not wrinkly. This means the water has started to leave the apples.
Good choices for apples for this salad would be Granny Smith, Gala, or Jonathans.
If you want to up the protein for your apple and turkey salad you can easily add a hard cooked egg or some chickpeas.
Another great tip if you really want to take this salad to the next level would be to toast your pecans. Just make sure to keep an eye on them when you do this because they go from not done to done very quickly.
Last tip for now, if you make the vinaigrette ahead of time the flavors have time to mix and meld. The herbs and spice release their flavors a little more in the oil and it makes for a much more even dressing flavor than just the individual flavors that might come through otherwise.
Meal Prep and Storage Tips
You can prepare the vegetables and fruits early during the week to make salad assembly quick and easy later on. Wash them and chop them so they can quickly go into the individual salad containers. Make sure to keep the dressing away as long as possible though to have the optimal crunchiness in the plant foods.
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Store the dressing in a container, it is good for up to a week. A mason jar, small dressing bottle (like these) or any other cute container you can find will work just fine.
Make sure to store the ingredients for your apple and turkey salad in the fridge.
Other Salad Ideas to Try
Ingredients
Method
- Get a salad bowl or meal prep container and put the salad greens, sliced apples, cucumbers, and red onion.
- Sprinkle the turkey, cranberries, and the almonds on top of the veggies.
- In a separate bowl, mix the dressing ingredients together.
- Drizzle over the salad when you are ready to eat.