I love a hearty salad with a variety of delicious toppings and a homemade dressing…and these Thanksgiving Bowls are just that! They’re one of my favorite salads to make after the holidays and are the best way to use up leftovers and odds and ends of ingredients. Throw some harvest veggies and sides on top of fresh greens and wild rice, and give your body a break from the heavy foods (until Christmas!). This Thanksgiving salad is the perfect base to add anything your heart desires and is great for meal prepping, too!
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What is a Thanksgiving Bowl?
This recipe is one of the easiest salads you’ll ever make. It’s also one of my favorite tips for making something fresh, healthy, and delicious after Thanksgiving using ingredients you already have on hand! Thanksgiving salad bowls are simple to throw together and a great vessel for all your holiday leftovers. And you really can add anything you like to these salads—the more toppings, the better!
For my bowls, I roast sliced sweet potato and turnip, then pile them onto a bed of leafy greens and wild rice with diced apples, shaved Brussels sprouts, dried cranberries, candied pecans, and whatever else I have in the fridge. Then, I top it all off with a tangy homemade maple cinnamon dressing. It’s fresh and flavorful, and as written, this recipe is also totally gluten-free and vegan!
Ingredients
Here’s what I use to make my easy Thanksgiving salad bowls:
- Wild Rice: These little grains are packed with protein, fiber, and essential nutrients. They also add a nutty flavor and slightly chewy texture. However, did you know that “wild rice” isn’t actually rice!? It’s a type of grass seed, but it gets its name from its rice-like appearance! You cook it the same way, though, and I’ve shared some tips below for perfectly cooked wild rice.
- Sweet Potato & Turnip: Slice them into thin medallions, coat them in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast until tender. I love the creamy sweet potato and slightly earthy turnip combination, but any roasted veggies will work here.
- Celery: Adds a nice crunch and refreshing flavor.
- Brussels Sprouts: A classic Thanksgiving side dish, but they also work great in this salad. I like to finely shave them for a more delicate texture.
- Dried Cranberries: These are the perfect festive touch and add a sweet-tart flavor.
- Frozen Peas: What do you do with the leftovers from a bag of frozen peas? You add them to this salad! See the recipe card notes for preparation tips.
- Gala Apple: Adds a crisp, juicy sweetness. You can use any apple variety you like!
- Red Onion: I julienne (finely slice) half a red onion and toss it in this salad for extra zing.
- Candied Pecans: You can buy pre-made ones, but I used our candied pecan recipe and skipped the egg whites/oven step to save time.
- Baby Greens Salad Mix: Buy a package of mixed baby greens (or your favorite salad mix) for a quick and easy base.
- Maple Cinnamon Vinaigrette: Mix Dijon mustard, cinnamon, salt, black pepper, minced garlic, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil to make THE most delicious dressing. I’ll be drizzling this on all my salads this season!
What Else Can I Add?
You really can’t go wrong with this salad. Any leftovers or random ingredients you have in your fridge can be added to this already delicious mix. Just keep in mind some leftovers may need reheating first for safety and taste, e.g., sausage stuffing. But that said, here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Roasted butternut squash or acorn squash
- Crumbled blue cheese, goat cheese, or sliced cheese from your cheese board
- Leftover turkey breast
- Sliced avocado
- Leftover shaved Brussels sprouts salad
- Any nuts, seeds, or dried fruit you like
- Pomegranate seeds or cranberries
- Homemade croutons made from leftover dinner rolls
Tips for Cooking Wild Rice
- You don’t need to soak wild rice, but I do recommend rinsing it before cooking.
- Wild rice will either triple or quadruple in volume once cooked. The ratio of wild rice to water is typically 1:4. I use ½ cup of wild rice in this recipe to yield around 1 ½ cups cooked.
- You’ll know your wild rice is done when it appears to be split down the center. I usually taste a few grains here and there towards the end of the cooking time, so I can take it off the heat once it’s done to my liking.
Meal Prep It!
I love meal prepping a big, hearty salad with lots of toppings like this. They’re already a complete meal in themselves (my Niçoise salad is another example of this!), and, depending on what you add, they don’t need reheating. As written, these Thanksgiving bowls will last up to 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. However, this time frame is totally dependent on how fresh your ingredients/leftovers are when you make them.
I like to keep my toppings and dressing separate until just before serving. The dressing will separate as it sits, so give it a good shake or whisk before drizzling it over your salad. I also recommend tossing your diced apples in lemon juice to slow down the browning process!
Thanksgiving Salad Bowl
Servings 5 salads (2 cups per serving)Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- ½ cup wild rice (yield is a little over 1 ½ cups cooked) ($1.24)
- 1 turnip ($0.82)
- 1 sweet potato ($1.06)
- 4 stalks celery ($0.32)
- ½ cup dried cranberries ($1.09)
- 1 cup frozen peas, cooked and chilled** ($0.49)
- ½ cup Brussels sprouts, shaved or finely chopped* (about ¼ lb whole) ($0.74)
- ¼ cup candied pecans*** ($1.60)
- 1 gala apple ($0.69)
- ½ red onion (about ½ cup when finely sliced) ($0.53)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.19)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.01)
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 6 oz bag of baby greens salad mix ($2.73)
Maple Cinnamon Vinaigrette Ingredients
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard ($0.02)
- 1 tsp cinnamon ($0.08)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.01)
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.01)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced ($0.09)
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup ($0.24)
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar ($0.14)
- ½ cup olive oil ($1.55)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook wild rice according to package directions. Fluff and let cool.****
- Prepare vegetables: peel and slice turnip into medallions, slice sweet potato into thin medallions, dice celery, gather dried cranberries, candied pecans, and shaved Brussels sprouts, cook and cool peas, small dice apple*****, and julienne (finely slice) red onion.
- Toss potatoes and turnips with olive oil, salt and black pepper.
- Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets and roast in the oven for 20 min or until tender (but not mushy!)
- Remove turnips and sweet potato medallions from oven and let them cool while you make your dressing.
- Whisk together Dijon mustard, cinnamon, salt, black pepper, minced garlic, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar, streaming the olive oil last to create a temporary emulsion.
- Once sweet potatoes and turnips have cooled, toss all salad ingredients together with the lettuce mix. Either portion it out for meal prep with the dressing on the side, or scoop equally into bowls and dress to serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Pyrex Glass Meal Prep , optional
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!how to make Thanksgiving Bowls – step by step photos
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook ½ cup wild rice according to package directions. Fluff and let cool.
Prepare vegetables: peel and slice 1 turnip into medallions, slice 1 sweet potato into thin medallions, dice 4 stalks celery, gather ½ cup dried cranberries, ¼ cup candied pecans, and ½ cup shaved brussels sprouts, cook and cool 1 cup frozen peas, small dice 1 gala apple, and julienne (finely slice) ½ a red onion.
Toss potatoes and turnips with 1 Tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper.
Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets and roast in the oven for 20 min or until tender (but not mushy!)
Remove turnips and sweet potato medallions from oven and let them cool while you make your dressing.
Whisk together 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, 3 cloves minced garlic, 1 Tbsp maple syrup, and ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, streaming ½ cup olive oil last to create a temporary emulsion.
Once sweet potatoes and turnips have cooled, toss all salad ingredients together with 6 oz bag lettuce mix. Either portion it out for meal prep with the dressing on the side, or scoop equally into bowls and dress to serve.
This easy Thanksgiving salad is a fresh and delicious way to reduce food waste and nourish your body at the same time!
Is there anyway to make this dressing oil free?
You could try omitting the oil and vinegar as is and just whisk in a few tbsp of water and a tbsp on vinegar. You might have to taste and adjust as you see fit as we haven’t tried it ourselves. You may even be able to add a spoonful of greek yogurt to make it creamy if you like.
Hey, Carrie! If it’s in your budget–and if you’re allowed to eat a fat in whole food form–I highly recommend trying this with raw, ripe avocado in place of the oil! I would start with 1/4 avocado and then add more if needed. Taste as you go.
This is a REALLY delicious dressing! Even though we enjoy salads, a bag of baby greens often goes bad within several days of opening. So the supermarket salad bar is a great way to get exactly what I need exactly when I plan to use it. My local store prices the SB at about $10 a lb, but bagged baby greens are closer to $14-16 a pound, so the SB is a bargain. Dried cranberries–they are down in price from only a few years ago, often on sale (I buy several bags), and include reduced sugar brands. The reduced sugar variety is still deliciously sweet. By all means, make your own candied pecans–so easy, and they make great little gifts if your family leaves them alone long enough for you to package any up for later.
And that salad dressing recipe is a keeper! I used avocado oil to help the other flavors sparkle.