My Rolled Stuffed Turkey Breast is the perfect alternative to serving a whole turkey for a smaller Thanksgiving. It is filled with an Italian-style breadcrumb mixture flavored with garlic, lemon, Pecorino Romano, and parsley, then tightly wrapped with prosciutto for a crisp, savory exterior.
If you love rolled meat, check out our Authentic Italian Porchetta, perfect as a roast or on a sandwich!
A Quick Look at the Recipe
- ✅Recipe Name: Rolled Stuffed Turkey Breast
- ⏲️Ready in: 1 hour
- 👪Makes: 4 servings
- 📋Main ingredients: Turkey breast, prosciutto, Italian breadcrumbs, Pecorino Romano.
- ⭐Why You'll Love This Recipe: You get everything you want from a holiday turkey in a smaller roast that's easier to prep, cooks faster, and slices into a beautiful spiral for serving.
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Perfect Turkey for a Small Thanksgiving
I developed this rolled stuffed turkey breast (Italian-Style) for the years when making a whole turkey feels like too much. When you're cooking for a smaller Thanksgiving dinner, a whole bird means more work, a longer cook time, and usually way more leftovers than you need.
Instead, I took some inspiration from my Authentic Italian Braciole and used the same basic technique with turkey breast: pound it thin, layer it with a flavorful filling, roll it tightly, and tie it with kitchen twine. Except this time, we'll roast it.
A rolled stuffed turkey breast is also known as a turkey roulade. This version is filled with an Italian-style breadcrumb mixture and wrapped in prosciutto before roasting. It gives you an impressive holiday centerpiece without having to roast an entire turkey, and besides being a great alternative for holidays, it works for a nice Sunday roast too.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Turkey Breast- Turkey breast is much larger than a chicken breast, so I'm able to serve 4-6 people with this one, whereas with a chicken breast, I can only serve 2. The turkey breast makes it feel more like a holiday too rather than just another stuffed poultry like Pesto Stuffed Chicken. Buy a boneless turkey breast that you can butterfly and pound thin.
- Prosciutto- I layer prosciutto inside the turkey and wrap more around the outside. It adds saltiness throughout the roulade while the exterior prosciutto becomes crisp and savory as it roasts. It also makes the spiral look really beautiful when you slice it for a holiday centerpiece.
- Pine Nuts- Pine nuts are perfect for stuffing in meats because they're soft and buttery. We use them in braciole! You can substitute raw pistachios if necessary.
- Pecorino Romano- A little Pecorino or Parmigiano can go a long way in a breadcrumb mixture; it's not just cheesy, it adds some saltiness to the breadcrumb mixture and accentuates the rest of the flavors.
- Lemon- The lemon and lemon zest balance out the rich savory flavors of the Pecorino and prosciutto.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients.
How to make a Rolled Stuffed Turkey Breast
Dry brine the turkey: Season the turkey breast on both sides with ¾ teaspoon salt. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the turkey breast on a cutting board. Starting at the thickest side, slice horizontally through the breast without cutting all the way through, keeping the opposite edge connected. Open the turkey breast like a book. Pound with a meat tenderizer until the turkey is an even ½-inch thickness.
Step 2: In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Pecorino Romano, lemon zest, lemon juice, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, black pepper, garlic, pine nuts, parsley, and olive oil. Mix well until the breadcrumb mixture resembles wet sand.
Step 3: Lay 3-4 pieces of prosciutto over the inside of the turkey breast. Spoon the breadcrumb filling over the prosciutto and press it down with your fingers so that it adheres to the prosciutto.
Step 4: Starting from the shorter edge, tightly roll the turkey breast and place it seam-side down on the cutting board.
Step 5: Wrap the outside of the stuffed turkey breast with the remaining prosciutto, slightly overlapping the slices. Tie the turkey roll securely with kitchen twine in 3-4 places to prevent it from unrolling while it cooks.
Step 6: Place the turkey roll on a baking sheet, using a roasting rack if desired. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the turkey reaches 160°F.
Step 7: Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Remove the kitchen twine, cut into slices, and serve.
Serve this rolled stuffed turkey breast with Mushroom Marsala gravy and side dishes like Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes and Steakhouse Style Creamed Spinach.
Pro-Tips
- Dry brine the turkey breast a day in advance. This isn't necessary to enjoy this recipe, but it makes a huge difference in how tender the meat is. I recommend patting the breast dry, seasoning with salt, and resting in the refrigerator, uncovered overnight.
- Pound the turkey to an even thickness. Aim for about ½ inch throughout. If one section is significantly thicker than another, the roulade won't cook as evenly and can be more difficult to roll.
- Tie the roulade tightly. The tighter and more evenly you tie the turkey, the better it will hold its round shape while roasting and the cleaner your slices will be.
- Do your prep ahead, but assemble before roasting. You can butterfly and pound the turkey and make your breadcrumb mixture ahead of time. Assemble and stuff the turkey just before it goes into the oven.
- Rest the stuffed turkey breast before cutting. Let the stuffed turkey breast rest for 10 minutes before cutting into it. This will keep the moisture in the breadcrumb mixture and meat from turning to steam and dissipating.
Serving Suggestions
I picture this main dish as the perfect protein to serve on Thanksgiving or Christmas if you are only serving a small family. It can easily be prepared with other side dishes that can be cut into smaller servings.
- Appetizers- Keep the apps simple with something like Homemade Shrimp Cocktail, Bourbon Candied Pecans, or Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms.
- Vegetable Sides- I'd also serve it with easy hot vegetable sides that don't create a lot of extra work, like Creamed Spinach or the BEST Garlic Parmesan Green Beans.
- Starches- It's hard for me to imagine Thanksgiving without Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes or Thanksgiving Italian Sausage Stuffing. For something even easier, try Parmesan Roasted Sweet Potato Halves, which only take 30-35 minutes!
FAQs about Stuffed Turkey Breast
You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 325 F or reheat in a pan with gravy until the temperature of the turkey breast reaches 165 F.
Yes, as long as the stuffing also reaches the required interior temperature of 165F which is a lot easier to keep track of in something this small versus a big Thanksgiving turkey.
On the outside of the turkey breast, yes, but not on the inside. The bacon won't cook well on the inside, and the texture will be soggy.
A turkey roulade is a boneless turkey breast that is butterflied, pounded thin, filled, rolled into a log, and tied before roasting. This recipe is my Italian-style version with breadcrumbs, Pecorino Romano, lemon, pine nuts, and prosciutto.
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Rolled Stuffed Turkey Breast
Equipment
- cooking twine
- meat tenderizer
- 1 baking tray with rack
Ingredients
- 1 boneless split turkey breast skin removed
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoon pine nuts chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon Pecorino Romano grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 4 oz prosciutto
Instructions
- Season the turkey breast on both sides with ¾ teaspoon salt. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the turkey breast on a cutting board. Starting at the thickest side, slice horizontally through the breast without cutting all the way through, keeping the opposite edge connected. Open the turkey breast like a book. Pound with a meat tenderizer until the turkey is an even ½-inch thickness.
- In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Pecorino Romano, lemon zest, lemon juice, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, black pepper, garlic, pine nuts, parsley, and olive oil. Mix well until the breadcrumb mixture resembles wet sand.
- Lay 3-4 pieces of prosciutto over the inside of the turkey breast. Spoon the breadcrumb filling over the prosciutto and press it down with your fingers so that it adheres to the prosciutto.
- Starting from the shorter edge, tightly roll the turkey breast and place it seam-side down on the cutting board. Wrap the outside of the stuffed turkey breast with the remaining prosciutto, slightly overlapping the slices.
- Tie the turkey roll securely with kitchen twine in 3-4 places to prevent it from unrolling while it cooks.
- Place the turkey roll on a baking sheet, using a roasting rack if desired. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the turkey reaches 160°F.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Remove the kitchen twine, cut into slices, and serve.
Video
Notes
- Dry brine the turkey breast a day in advance. This isn't necessary to enjoy this recipe, but it makes a huge difference in how tender the meat is. I recommend patting the breast dry, seasoning with salt, and resting in the refrigerator, uncovered overnight.
- Pound the turkey to an even thickness. Aim for about ½ inch throughout. If one section is significantly thicker than another, the roulade won't cook as evenly and can be more difficult to roll.
- Tie the roulade tightly. The tighter and more evenly you tie the turkey, the better it will hold its round shape while roasting and the cleaner your slices will be.
- Do your prep ahead, but assemble before roasting. You can butterfly and pound the turkey and make your breadcrumb mixture ahead of time. Assemble and stuff the turkey just before it goes into the oven.
- Rest the stuffed turkey breast before cutting. Let the stuffed turkey breast rest for 10 minutes before cutting into it. This will keep the moisture in the breadcrumb mixture and meat from turning to steam and dissipating.
Vinny DelGiudice says
We made this last year for our small Thanksgiving, and I'm so excited to make it again this year because it's perfect for when it's just us!