Turkey Club Salad with the Best Homemade Creamy Dressing
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Yield: 6 servings
This salad is a fun take on the classic turkey club sandwich, but in salad form. Crispy bacon, rolled turkey lunchmeat, lettuce, tomato, Monterey Jack cheese, the best Homemade Creamy Dressing + more make this such a delicious lunch. It's also easy for meal prep.
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Equipment
- grill pan or
Ingredients
For the Turkey Club Salad:
- 3 heads of romaine lettuce thinly sliced
- 6 small avocados, drizzled with lime juice sliced, I buy the kind that comes bagged together (1 avocado per serving)
- 1 cucumber sliced
- 1 container cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 to 1 ½ lb turkey lunch meat rolled, then sliced
- 12 to 16 oz bacon chopped
- 8 oz block of Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- one recipe homemade gluten-free croutons, or regular/store-bought croutons
- fresh cracked black pepper
For the Creamy Homemade Dressing:
- ½ cup mayo
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 to 2 teaspoon minced garlic or two cloves
- ¼ cup fresh or freeze dried chives chopped, I use the Litehouse brand freeze-dried chives
- ¼ cup fresh green onions sliced, use mostly the dark green parts
- ½ teaspoon fresh or dried dill weed optional
- 4 to 6 tablespoon milk, to desired consistency or buttermilk
- 1 to 3 teaspoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
Instructions
For the Homemade Creamy Dressing:
- Rinse & chop the green onion, chives & dill (if using fresh). Set aside.
- Add the sour cream, mayo, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper, & 4 tablespoon milk to a medium-sized glass mason jar. Add in the herbs, and give it a stir.
- Add in more milk, a tablespoon at a time, until the dressing has reached your desired consistency. I prefer mine on the thicker side, but still drizzle-able.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
For the Turkey Club Salad:
- (Optional): Prepare gluten-free croutons or regular homemade croutons. Set aside to cool.
- Cook the bacon according to the package instructions, or your preferred method. I like to bake my bacon in the oven at 375 F for 18-20 minutes. It makes less mess/clean-up.
- Once cooked, drain the grease and place on paper towels. Then, set aside until ready to use. You may need to refrigerate in the meantime. (Optional): You can chop your bacon up if you don't want full strips in the salad. It's easier to eat this way.
- Prep the salad: Rinse/dry romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado. Tip: I always use a salad spinner for my lettuce. Chop the lettuce into thin strips. Slice the cucumber and avocado (drizzle with lime juice to keep it from browning). Shred the block of Monterey Jack cheese. Roll the turkey lunch-meat up and slice into bite-sized rolls.
- To assemble the salad: Lay a bed of lettuce on a dinner plate or in a salad bowl. Pile on top the cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, rolled turkey, bacon, cheese, and croutons. Drizzle the Homemade Creamy Dressing over top. Top with fresh-cracked black pepper.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You can meal prep this salad for work lunches. Simply keep the dressing and croutons separate from the salad until ready to eat. For meal prep: You will need three containers. (1) for the salad, (1) for the dressing, and (1) for the croutons. Keep the croutons out on the counter at room temperature to prevent them from becoming a stale, chewy texture in the fridge.
- For easier prep, you can prepare the bacon, the dressing, and/or the croutons one day ahead of time. Then, simply just assemble.
- Click here for my Homemade Gluten Free Croutons recipe. Note that for this Turkey Club Salad, I omitted the seasonings from my normal croutons recipe and used only salt & pepper to not distract from this salad.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @wondersofcooking or tag #wondersofcooking!