Best Thanksgiving Turkey Roll In Under 90-minutes, with turkey sage sausage stuffing, is dark and white meat, and stuffing in one bite.
The Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey Bite
Perfect for two! A smaller Thanksgiving gathering doesn’t have to mean less of all your favorite Thanksgiving flavors.
This year, I decided not to buy a whole turkey, but rather refine every aspect of my favorite Thanksgiving flavors in one bite.
I don’t think I will ever go back to making this special meal any different, ever again.
Turkey Breast Roll
I would say that all turkey lovers are split, as to who likes the white meat and who prefers the dark meat.
I for one, prefer the dark meat, simply because I find it maintains a juicier, moist texture than most white turkey breast meat I have eaten.
Could I accomplish the same moist texture with the turkey breast?
You bet, and I did!
By working only with a large, bone out, skin on, turkey breast, I was able to give it lots of refined attention.
As a result, I was able to elevate its flavor.
If you know how to butterfly turkey breast, you are one step ahead, otherwise ask your butcher to do it!
And, by not roasting the moisture out of it, the way a stand alone, entire turkey ends up, I found the turkey breast turned out so moist and full of flavor.
How To Prepare Thanksgiving Turkey Breast Roll For Stuffing
Once I laid out the turkey breast and seasoned it with salt, pepper and sage, I quick browned the inside of the flesh in a hot pan with butter just to seal in the spices and natural juices of the turkey.
Laid it back down on the work board, flesh side up, stuffed it, rolled it, tied it, seared the skin in the same hot pan with butter, and roasted it in the oven (same pan) to perfection.
Homemade Turkey Sausage Stuffing
My favorite turkey stuffing growing up was sage, celery, onions and bread crumbs. Not just any bread crumbs though.
My mom discovered that using an egg bagel from a real bagel bakery made for the best stuffing.
The bagel is dense and lends itself to more flavor and less soggy.
Ground turkey thigh meat is easy to find this time of year and you only need about one pound of ground meat.
Baked Turkey Sausage Stuffing
Also, if you want extra stuffing on the side, you can double the stuffing recipe and bake the extra stuffing in a covered baking dish.
An extra added treat to this already delicious turkey stuffing is to add chopped, roasted chestnuts to it.
Talk about a fabulous decadent turkey stuffing!
How To Seal In Flavors Of A Turkey Breast Roll
The best way to seal in flavor, is with fat and heat.
Once the turkey breast is stuffed, rolled and tied, the skin (fat), on the outside of the turkey breast is your secret to sealing in flavor and moisture.
Since I lightly brown the onions and celery in a hot pan with butter, I use that same pan to sear the outer skin of the rolled and stuffed turkey breast.
A little butter and olive oil, seasoning and sage on all sides of the breast, then simply sear the skin on all sides quickly and pop it in the oven to bake.
A Perfect Bite Of Thanksgiving Turkey
When this beautiful bundle of both turkey breast and turkey sausage festive meal is sliced and served, each bite will have everyone’s favorite turkey meat, and the flavorful stuffing, all in one bite!
No more fighting over who gets the dark or the light meat, or that coveted drumstick! Everyone, gets everything.
Best Thanksgiving Turkey
Since this Thanksgiving turkey breast roll, with turkey sausage stuffing, is easy to make, easy to calculate its cooking time, why not make several of these at the same time!
It is easy to slice and serve many at your table, or wrap and freeze a few extra Turkey bundles for a perfect weekend dinner in the dead of winter.
My Turkey Roll On PBS Cooking Show
Okay, okay… can I boast here for just a minute!
Who knew, when I created this recipe, that I would have the opportunity to prepare it on television!
Fast forward to Season 1 of the PBS series, The Great American Recipe, I prepared this recipe on national TV!
Recipe from the cookbook and cover shot are both taken from season 1 cookbook, and boy am I proud that so many of my recipes are in it!
Ingredients Needed
- Skin on Boneless Turkey Breast
- Ground turkey – dark meat
- Celery
- Onion
- Bagels
- Salt and Pepper
- Butter or Olive oil
- Fresh sage
- Roasted chestnuts
Equipment Needed
- Large mixing bowl
- Large Cast Iron Pan – it is easier to maneuver the meat in this pan than one with high sides, like a Dutch oven.
- Cooking twine – easy to work with and cut off before slicing.
- Cutting board
- Chopping knife
- Meat thermometer
- Baking pan
- Measuring spoons
- Stovetop or burner
- Oven
What To Serve With Turkey Sausage Stuffing Turkey Breast
Here in America, there are probably about as many different versions of turkey stuffing as there are favorite toppings on a burger.
That being said, I will simply share mine with you, in case you are looking to try a few new recipes for your Thanksgiving meal.
Now that you’ve made this decadent turkey roll, sides and dessert will need to be considered.
While there is small nibbles of bread in the stuffing, we still like a good roll to indulge in with our turkey, if only to mop up the gravy!
I call these addictive rolls, Stress Relief Sage Rolls, because number one, they are so easy to make, there is no stress involved, and two, well… sage!
Of course you are waiting on my potatoes, aren’t you!
Certainly, you can serve mashed potatoes, but why would you when your turkey looks extra special.
Two favorite styles of cooking potatoes for such a special occasion are:
- Cheesy Dauphinoise Potatoes – also known as Potatoes au Gratin, are a classic French dish of thinly sliced potatoes, baked in a creamy, cheesy sauce.
- Fondant Potatoes – a buttery, herb crusted, elegant French technique of roasting a russet potato, and cooked in a pan just like the one you will be using for this stuffed turkey.
Desserts For Thanksgiving
Since there’s usually a toss up between Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie, I will give you both of my favorite recipes for these.
Both of these recipes have a unique twist in the ingredients, so they are not your typical grandma pies!
However, in recent years I’ve found I prefer something a bit more refreshing for dessert after a Thanksgiving meal.
For this new indulgence, my preference is a Cranberry Orange Sorbet, with warm spices and homemade almond milk, making it not too sweet or heavy and yet oh so Autumn in flavor!
Best Thanksgiving Turkey Roll In Under 90-minutes
Equipment
- Large cast iron pan or Dutch oven
- Cooking twine about 36 inches
Ingredients
- 4-6 lb Skin on Boneless Turkey breast
- 1-2 lb Ground turkey dark meat
- 4 Celery stalks chopped fine
- 1 Onion, medium chopped fine
- 1-2 Hard bagels chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Fresh Sage bundle
- 1/4 cup Roasted chestnuts (optional) finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat 400ºF
- In a large bowl, mix the celery, onions, several sage leaves finely chopped, and the ground turkey meat with salt and pepper to taste. This mixture becomes the sausage. In a large cast iron pan or Dutch oven, the pan you will do all the cooking and roasting in, place 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the pan.Quickly sauté the ground meat mixture just until the meat begins to brown, toss in the cubed bagel pieces (chestnuts, if using), mix so all is blended together.Turn off the heat, transfer this mixture to a bowl and set this mixture aside.
- Lay the turkey breast flat, skin side down. Make a horizontal slice across the breast meat (as you would to butterfly meat), to open the breast as large as possible, leaving it in tack with the breast and skin. The desire is to make the breast open larger and reduce the thickness without removing it from the skin.
- Salt and pepper the flesh side of the turkey breast. Place 1 tablespoon butter in the same hot frying pan. Place the flesh side of the turkey in the hot pan for just a minute, then return the breast back to the flat surface, skin side down. This seals in juices to the internal side of the breast.
- Spread the ground turkey sausage mixture across the flesh side of the turkey, about 3/4 inch thick, leaving an inch free around the edges. Carefully, starting at the end that may not have skin on it, roll the breast as tightly as possible enfolding the sausage mixture inside. With twine, wrap several times around the turkey breast bundle and tie securely.
- Rub the last tablespoon of butter onto the turkey breast skin, salt and pepper.Drizzle the remaining olive oil into the hot pan and carefully place the stuffed turkey breast into the pan. Turn gently to get a little color on the all sides of the skin.
- Transfer this hot pan with turkey breast roll, into the preheated oven.Roast for 45 – 55 minutes or until internal temperature registers 155 degrees. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes (internal temperature should rise to 165). Slice and serve.
Notes
- If there is extra turkey sausage stuffing remaining, place in a covered baking dish and bake along side of the turkey in the oven.
- Another yummy tip is to use any leftover stuffing in a big pot of soup. All the delicious flavors are already there!
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.