Healthy Turkey Recipes

This method produces all the good looks and moist flavor you dream of in a Thanksgiving turkey. Make sure you show this beauty off at the table before you carve it. Garnish your serving platter with fresh herb sprigs and citrus wedges.

In this healthy turkey meatball recipe, a base of sautéed mushrooms, celery and garlic adds flavor and helps keep calories in check and portions hearty. Serve these meatballs with marinara as an appetizer, on top of spaghetti or on a roll for a healthy meatball sub.

We use portobello caps to make these dinner-sized stuffed mushrooms that are big on flavor without being overly rich. Rather than the traditional sausage filling, this recipe calls for lean ground turkey blended with fresh herbs and spices, topped with golden, melted fontina cheese. Add a tossed salad and a slice of crusty whole-grain bread to complete the meal.

This colorful picnic dinner idea features tasty munchies you don't need utensils for and mild flavors that kids prefer, like deli meat, cheese and crunchy raw veggies. It's easy to assemble this complete menu, and adults will enjoy it as much as the kids. The menu calls for store-bought hummus and cookies, but you can easily make them yourself (see Tips, below).

Here we ditch the taco shell and use a hollowed-out avocado to hold a spicy turkey and black bean taco filling. The flesh of the avocado gets mashed with lime juice and cilantro for a quick and easy guacamole topping.

Creamy tzatziki and crisp sliced cucumber add a refreshing twist to this easy Greek-inspired burger recipe loaded with feta, spinach and Mediterranean spices. No tzatziki? No problem! Make your own at home by combining plain Greek yogurt with a squeeze of lemon, dill and finely chopped cucumber.

When you're craving a sub but you don't want all the carbs, these turkey-and-cheese deli sandwiches on cucumber "rolls" are a healthy alternative. Hollow out a cucumber and fill it up with your favorite sandwich fillings for a crisp sub with less carbs and calories. Plus, you can easily pack these up for work, school or a picnic--no soggy bread!

This Ethiopian-spice-rubbed turkey recipe has just the right amount of curry-like seasoning to make it exciting but still at home on a Thanksgiving table. There's enough au jus left in the roasting pan for any traditionalists to drizzle over their turkey; use the citrus aioli for dipping or for turkey sandwiches the next day.

When it comes to cooking a whole turkey quickly and evenly, spatchcocking--removing the entire backbone from the bird and splaying it open--is a great technique. This skin on this spatchcocked turkey gets crispy and browned because nearly all of the skin is exposed. This recipe uses a simple blend of oil, fresh herbs and spices for classic roasted turkey flavor. Look for a small turkey, about 12 pounds, as it fits better in most roasting pans.

This slow-cooker gumbo recipe skips the fat when browning the flour and swaps in turkey sausage and brown rice, resulting in a healthier dish with the classic Creole taste.

Fall favorite acorn squash gets a Mexican twist with a spicy-as-you-like-it turkey and veggie stuffing.

Bacon (just a little), mushrooms, and tomatoes make this egg dish delicious for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Balsamic mushrooms add an extra layer of flavor to this healthy makeover of the classic melty sandwich.

Craving pizza but don't want to order takeout again? Add zesty pepperoni, olives, an herby tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese to chicken for a family-friendly dinner.

This satisfyingly melty low-carb snack is packed with protein--and flavor.

Make over classic BLT sandwiches into low-carb--and company-worthy--salad cups.

Travel to the Mediterranean over your lunch break with this healthy bento box idea that combines Greek salad, hummus, pita and more for a satisfying work lunch.

This kid-friendly twist on classic Cobb salad gives children the choice to eat all the healthy ingredients--veggies, turkey, eggs, bacon and avocado--together or separately. Packing it all in a bento box makes it easy to tote to school and keeps all the ingredients from touching, a plus for picky eaters.

Pack classic Cobb salad "upside down" in a mason jar for a healthy lunch that won't get soggy while sitting in the fridge all morning. Or pack it up the night before for an easy grab-and-go lunch in the morning.

This delicious kid-friendly twist on a classic BLT includes turkey. The extra protein makes a filling, healthy lunch to pack up for school or work.

It only takes 5 minutes to make this healthy sandwich with whole-wheat bread and the classic combination of Cheddar cheese and apples that your kids will love.

These healthy turkey burgers are flavored with the Southwestern triad of chiles verdes, cumin and cilantro. We serve them here on tortillas, but traditionalists can go for a bun.

Fennel has sweet flavor notes that pair vibrantly with tart lemon in this juicy Thanksgiving turkey recipe. A rub of herbs mixed with olive oil and lemon juice infuses the meat with flavor without all of the space needed to soak the turkey in a liquid brine. Making the giblet gravy in a large saucepan rather than in the unwieldy turkey roasting pan is way easier to manage on the stovetop--plus it frees up a burner.