Baked & Roasted Turkey Recipes

Find healthy, delicious baked and roasted turkey recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Honey-Sesame Turkey Meatloaves with Broccolini

Adding cooked veggies to these mini meatloaves helps the lean turkey stay juicy.
By Breana Killeen

Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash

Rating: Unrated
20
Cumin and chili powder season a filling of turkey sausage, tomatoes, black beans and Swiss cheese for creamy acorn squash. Serve this stuffed squash with warmed corn tortillas for wrapping up bites of all the tasty ingredients.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Herb-Roasted Turkey

Rating: Unrated
7
This easy method produces all the good looks and moist flavor you dream of in an oven-roasted 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 for a show-stopping Thanksgiving turkey.
By Jessie Price

St. Louis Slinger

This is a slimmed-down recipe makeover of the famous St. Louis breakfast hangover cure. The healthy turkey chili is sans beans, but feel free to add a can of rinsed beans during the last 20 minutes in Step 1 if you like.
By Robb Walsh

Herb-Roasted Turkey & Vegetables

Turkey is flavored with fragrant herbs and roasted alongside potatoes, carrots and onions. Leftovers--which can be refrigerated or frozen--are perfect for sandwiches or soups!
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast with Garlic

Bone-in, skin-on turkey breasts, also called split breasts, are inexpensive, flavorful, and nice for (just enough) leftovers. Try this any time of year!
By Hilary Meyer

Roasted Turkey Legs

Roasted turkey legs are a great alternative to a full turkey when your holiday gathering is small. Here, we stick with all the traditional Thanksgiving flavors using only dark meat that stays moist when it's cooked. A simple pan gravy pulled together while the turkey legs rest completes the dish. (This recipe serves 8 but is easily halved to serve 4—or 2 with plenty of leftovers.)

Turkey Tenderloin with Cranberry-Shallot Sauce

Rating: Unrated
4
Turkey and cranberry sauce is delicious any time of year. To help keep this recipe fast, sear the tenderloins and get them in the oven first, then prep the shallots, thyme and cranberries and make your sauce. If you like sweeter cranberry sauce, you may want to add another tablespoon of brown sugar. Serve with: Mashed sweet potatoes, sautéed Brussels sprouts and a glass of Riesling.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Honey-Mustard Turkey Cutlets & Potatoes

Rating: Unrated
2
Potatoes, leeks and turkey burst with intense flavor when roasted with honey, mustard and curry. Serve with: Steamed snow peas and carrots and a glass of white wine.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Turkey with Blueberry Pan Sauce

Rating: Unrated
2
Blueberries have just the right mix of acid and pectin so that they're terrific in both sweet and savory dishes. They work especially well with thyme--and so this easy turkey sauté can be a delight whenever the berries are in season. To make this dish into a meal, dress some quick-cooking barley with lemon and pepper and offer steamed green beans on the side.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Apple, Cranberry and Cheddar Stuffed Turkey Tenderloin

Turkey and stuffing sounds like a Thanksgiving meal, but it doesn't have to be! This main dish--roasted turkey tenderloin, stuffed with dried apples, cranberries and cheddar cheese--is something your family will enjoy any time of the year.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Pomegranate-Glazed Turkey with Roasted Fennel

Rating: Unrated
3
Pair turkey cutlets with roasted fennel and a rich pomegranate pan sauce for a simple yet elegant dish. Garnish with jewel-like fresh pomegranate seeds if available--they are in season from September through January. Turkey scallopini (thinner and smaller than cutlets) will also work in this recipe, but will need to be cooked in batches. Make it a meal: Nutty-tasting bulgur is delicious with this.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Inspiration and Ideas

How To Perfectly Truss & Roast a Turkey

How To Perfectly Truss & Roast a Turkey

Spatchcock Turkey with Sage & Thyme

Spatchcock Turkey with Sage & Thyme

Rating: Unrated
3
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.
Turkey Tenderloin with Whiskey-Cherry Sauce

Turkey Tenderloin with Whiskey-Cherry Sauce

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries & Turkey

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries & Turkey

Brine-Cured Roast Turkey

Brine-Cured Roast Turkey

Rating: Unrated
3
Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Turkey

Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Turkey

Roast Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing

During the autumn season in Italy, turkey is often deliciously paired with a stuffing of chestnuts and sausage. The wild turkey was brought to Europe from the New World, and once domesticated, returned there to breed as the classic festive bird. It also became one of the large courtyard fowl animals in Lombardy. With Italy being one of the largest producers of chestnuts, it was expedient to put the two together in another happy marriage of New and Old World.

All Baked & Roasted Turkey Recipes

Roast Herbed Turkey with 4-Ingredient Caribbean Stuffing

Why not add a little bit of island flair to your next holiday meal? This basic herb-rubbed turkey recipe is brushed with a sweet orange and sage sauce and served with a Jamaican jerk seasoned sweet potato stuffing. Your guests may just request a side of reggae music!
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Cranberry Glazed Turkey Breast with Wild Rice Pilaf

Rating: Unrated
1
This cranberry-glazed turkey breast recipe, which uses a split bone-in turkey breast, is the perfect thing to make if you're serving a smaller crowd or if everyone wants white meat. The wild rice pilaf recipe is delicious on its own so you can make it even if you don't prepare the turkey.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Bourbon-&-Mustard Glazed Turkey

Rating: Unrated
1
A glaze of bourbon and mustard is sweetened with brown sugar and is rubbed under and brushed over the turkey skin to infuse the roasting meat with a subtle richness.
By Charles Pierce

Roast Turkey with Madeira Gravy

Rating: Unrated
1
This gorgeous herb-rubbed turkey--complete with luscious gravy--is the quintessential holiday centerpiece. It is particularly fitting for Thanksgiving because Madeira, a fortified wine from the Portuguese island of the same name, flowed like water through the Colonies, having arrived here as ballast in ships. Sweet and mellow, reminiscent of sherry, Madeira beautifully enhances a turkey gravy.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Sage-Rubbed Roast Turkey with Lemon-Bay Gravy

Rating: Unrated
1
This roast turkey recipe is flavored with sage and served with gravy made extra-tasty with the lemony pan drippings from the turkey and bay leaves in the giblet stock. The salt rub in this recipe acts as a “dry brine,” plumping and seasoning the meat for moist, juicy, flavorful turkey.
By Lia Huber

Rolled Stuffed Turkey Breast & Creamy Basil Sauce

Rating: Unrated
1
Here we fill a boned turkey breast with roasted plum tomatoes, fresh breadcrumbs and prosciutto then bake it for a pretty dish for entertaining. A creamy basil sauce is the perfect counterpoint. Boning a whole turkey breast is not difficult, but if you are daunted by the prospect, ask the butcher to bone it for you.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Cider-Brined Turkey

In this delicious brined turkey recipe, the turkey marinates in a cider brine before roasting to ensure moist, flavorful meat. Plan on about 1 pound of turkey per person when buying your bird.
By Mary Cleaver

José Andrés' Brined Roast Turkey & Gravy

When José Andrés commandeered an army of chefs and other kitchen pros to make Thanksgiving dinner for 40,000 in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, they served roasted brined turkey breasts. We've adapted the recipe used in Puerto Rico for this roast turkey and gravy.
By José Andrés

Herb-Roasted Turkey with Calvados Gravy

Bay leaves in the dry rub and fresh sage guarantee that this easy turkey recipe has tons of flavor. Leaving the turkey uncovered in the fridge creates the crispiest skin. Look for a heritage, organic or natural turkey, which won't contain the sodium solution that's pumped into most conventional turkeys.
By Lia Huber

Slow-Roasted Rosemary Turkey with Peppercorn Gravy

Rating: Unrated
1
A rub made of herbs, lemon zest, and garlic infuses every bite of this juicy bird. It's accompanied by a rich homemade gravy made from pan drippings and a touch of cream.
By Andrea Kirkland M.S., RD

Cider-Brined Spatchcock Turkey

Brining is a classic way to prep roast turkey for the oven. It infuses the meat with so much flavor from apple cider, celery, onion, oranges and fresh herbs. Spatchcocking is the technique of removing the backbone of a turkey or chicken and pressing the bird flat. It's a convenient way to speed up the roasting time and it results in evenly browned, moist turkey.
By Carolyn Casner

Berbere-Rubbed Roast Turkey with Orange Aioli

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.
By David Bonom

Roasted Garlic & Meyer Lemon-Rubbed Turkey

Rating: Unrated
2
Mellow white miso paste is the secret ingredient in this amazing roast turkey rubbed with Meyer lemon and roasted garlic. The miso gives the turkey a mildly salted taste without the hassle of brining.
By Jessie Price

Michel Nischan's Roast Turkey with Potato Pan Gravy

Rating: Unrated
1
Plan ahead to make this succulent turkey recipe--brining the turkey for 12 to 18 hours before roasting makes the meat super-juicy and flavorful. The gravy, made silky-smooth in a blender (no lumps!), is thickened with potatoes instead of cornstarch or flour.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Bay-Spiced Roast Turkey

In this healthy roast turkey recipe, brining keeps the turkey moist and a homemade bay-spice mix gives the turkey amazing flavor. Diced celery root or parsnip adds flavor and texture to the gravy. A heritage, natural or organic turkey, without added sodium solution (found in most conventional turkeys), tastes best in this recipe. If you have a conventional bird, just skip the brining (Step 1). The recipe that's included for Bay Spice Blend makes 1 cup; if you want to skip the step of making the spice blend, you can substitute Old Bay Seasoning.
By Bill Scepansky

Lemon-&-Fennel-Rubbed Turkey with Homemade Giblet Gravy

Rating: Unrated
1
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.
By Summer Miller

Apple-Shallot Roasted Turkey with Cider Gravy

Rating: Unrated
2
In this herb-roasted turkey recipe, apples and shallots cook inside the bird to keep the meat moist and add rich flavor. The extra shallots in the roasting pan also give the gravy recipe a rich, caramelized-onion depth and, with apple cider, the gravy is out-of-this-world delicious. The easy turkey stock adds extra flavor to the gravy, but you can use chicken broth instead with good results.
By Kathy Farrell-Kingsley

Red Chile-Citrus Glazed Roast Turkey & Pan Gravy

The New Mexico state question is “Red or Green?”—that is, which color chile do you like? Chef Jonathan Perno, considered a key interpreter of New Mexican cuisine, tempers the red chile sauce with orange juice to glaze the bird. He calls for a spatchcocked or butterflied turkey, which cooks more quickly and evenly. Ask your butcher to do it for you to save time.
By Jonathan Perno

Turkey Cutlets with Spicy Eggplant Relish

This elegant entrée is a refreshing change of pace from heavier holiday foods. Serve it on a cool bed of fresh salad greens.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen
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