Turkey Salad Crostini

Chopped turkey breast meat is combined with bacon, cheese, and cranberries and piled onto lightly toasted or grilled bread. These crostini are savoury and sweet and have the makings of a great Christmas dinner in appetizer form. Alternatively, serve the turkey salad with crackers as a dip!

I’ve made similar versions of this Turkey Salad Crostini over the years, but I think this just might be my favourite. The combination of the roasted turkey combined with salty bacon and those sweet and tart dried cranberries really works! And, then, of course, it’s hard to go wrong with anything that comes with or is served on a slice of grilled bread! Bread is one of my weaknesses.

The idea of preparing a salad based on chopped, diced, or shredded meat is not new. It’s been around for many years. In fact, I can remember my mom preparing sandwiches with canned meat for school lunches. Once, when I was probably around 8 or 9 years old, my mom was working during the winter months on the new fire hall being built in our little town. My dad was a seasonal worker, so while mom was away, he was in charge of the house and the kids.

I remember he had made a large roast beef dinner and there was quite a bit of beef left over. The next day, he roughly chopped the leftover beef and tossed it in the food processor to shred it. He combined it with mayo and cheese and seasonings to make cold beef sandwiches. Thirty years later, I still remember how good that was and I am always happy to have leftover beef so that I can recreate those sandwiches.

Since starting a food blog back in 2013, I’ve shared a few of my favourite meat-based salad sandwiches with you. This Deviled Ham Salad Croissant Sandwich, for example, is absolutely divine! There is also a chicken version that you can try. For this Turkey Salad Crostini recipe, I would highly recommend that you use real turkey breast meat and not canned meat. It will make a huge difference! I know that in some grocery stores you can by cooked, diced turkey meat in the deli section. That would work well too.

I’m going to tell you all about this appetizer and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re just kicking off the month of November, but I have a lot of Christmas-themed recipes to share with you this year, so I’ve got to get started early. So, before we get to a list of ingredients and instructions for this recipe, let me tell you about this series and more!

LORD BYRON’S 12 CHRISTMAS APPETIZERS SERIES

Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to the second of my annual holiday recipe series for this season! I’m calling this one Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Appetizers. This series will focus on easy-to-make appetizers that are both delicious and festive.

I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy too. Most of them will require some baking, but they won’t be too complex that you can’t whip the up just before your guests arrive. Some are just assembly-type recipes, while others can be prepared in advance.

Just like every other holiday series that I’ve shared over the years, this series will see a new recipe shared every day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday appetizers year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Appetizers series! Even though this is the second series for this holiday season, you can always take a look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Some of my favourites from previous years are my 12 Edible Wreaths of Christmas, my 12 Bars and Squares of Christmas series, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Turkey – The best turkey to use is leftover roasted turkey. In a bind, you could 100% use chicken breast meat. A cooled roasted or rotisserie chicken would be great.
• Bacon – Whichever bacon you like can be used. Turkey bacon would be great. I used just regular maple smoked Canadian bacon that I cooked in the oven.
• Cheese – I shredded cheddar cheese. Any shredded cheese will do. Use your personal favourite.
• Dried Cranberries
• Chives/Green Onions – Either of these will do just fine. The bright, fresh, onion-y flavour is great in this salad.
• Toasted Pecans – Use chopped or whole pecans. Toast them until fragrant in a dry skillet.
• Mayonnaise – Regular, light, fat-free, olive oil based, etc. It will all work.
• Lemon Juice – Use freshly squeezed lemon juice.
• Worcestershire Sauce – I love the tanginess of this sauce. It’s completely underused, in my opinion. It really adds a nice flavour profile.
• Ground Black Pepper – You can taste the salad to see if any salt is needed. To me, the salt in the mayonnaise, bacon, and cheese was enough to season the entire dish.
• Baguette – Sliced 1/2 inch thick and lightly grilled or toasted.

HOW TO MAKE TURKEY SALAD CROSTINI

Place the turkey, crumbled bacon, shredded cheese, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and chives into a mixing bowl and set aside. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper to make the dressing.

Pour this dressing mixture into the bowl with the turkey, bacon, and cheese. Use a rubber spatula to mix everything together until well coated. Spread on warm, grilled bread and garnish. Serve and enjoy!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!