Stuffed Turkey Breast with Sausage & Herbs
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Looking for a smaller, more flavorful turkey option for the holidays? This stuffed turkey breast is juicy, packed with flavor, and cooks in just over an hour. It’s also make-ahead friendly and easy to carve—perfect for a stress-free holiday meal!
Whether you’re cooking for a smaller crowd for the holidays or looking for an alternative to traditional turkey, this stuffed turkey breast is the answer. Adapted from Patrick and Gina Neely, it is much more flavorful and juicy than your typical roast turkey and cooks in just 1¼ hours. What’s more, it can be made entirely ahead of time and is a cinch to carve. The hardest part of the recipe is pounding the turkey breast thin, so I suggest asking your butcher to do it for you. This recipe has become part of my family’s Thanksgiving tradition—everyone prefers it to traditional roast turkey, even the dark-meat lovers. Sometimes I even make it in addition to roasting a large bird to guarantee we have plenty of leftovers.
“I have been making turkey for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas for over 50 years…I have NEVER gotten rave reviews like I did this time.”
What You’ll Need To Make Stuffed Turkey Breast
- Butter: Adds richness and helps soften the vegetables for the stuffing base.
- Onion, Celery, and Garlic: Create a savory, aromatic foundation for the stuffing, adding layers of flavor and a slight crunch.
- Mild Italian Pork Sausage: Infuses the stuffing with savory, slightly spiced richness; chicken or turkey sausage can be used for a lighter option.
- White Wine: Deglazes the pan, adding acidity and depth to the stuffing.
- Fresh Rosemary and Thyme: Add earthy, aromatic flavors that complement the turkey and stuffing.
- Egg: Acts as a binder to hold the stuffing together.
- Stuffing Cubes: Serve as the foundation for the stuffing, absorbing the flavors from the sausage and vegetables. Store-bought is perfectly fine.
- Chicken Broth: Moistens the stuffing, ensuring it stays flavorful and tender during roasting.
- Parsley: Adds freshness and color to balance the richness of the stuffing.
- Turkey Breast: The recipe calls for a 5 to 6-pound whole bone-in turkey breast. Ask your butcher to bone and butterfly it for you, or, even better, see if they’ll pound it to 1/2-inch thickness to save you a step. If you prefer using a boneless breast, aim for one around 4 pounds to account for the missing bone weight.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Used to coat the turkey breast, helping it achieve a crispy, golden exterior.
- Homemade Gravy: The perfect finishing touch for serving, turkey gravy adds moisture and flavor to the dish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, make the stuffing. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the onions and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until soft.
Add the garlic and sausage.
Continue to cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is cooked and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, rosemary and thyme. Cook for two minutes more, using your wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, stuffing cubes, chicken broth, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and sausage mixture. Stir until all the bread is moistened.
Place the butterflied turkey breast skin-side down on a countertop or work surface.
Pound to an even 1/2-inch thickness.
Spoon about half of the stuffing in an even 1/2-inch layer over the breast, leaving a 1-inch border all around. (You’ll cook the remaining stuffing separately.)
Starting at the long end, roll the turkey into a long cylinder.
Tie the roll with kitchen string with about 2 inches between each knot, and then trim the strings.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place an oven-proof rack over top. Place the turkey seam-side down on the rack, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Roast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roll reads 155°F.
Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest, loosely tented with foil for 15 minutes. The turkey will rise in temperature as it rests to 165°F. Snip the kitchen twine. Transfer the roll to a cutting board and slice into 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange on a platter and serve with gravy.
You May Also Like
Stuffed Turkey Breast with Sausage & Herbs
Looking for a smaller, more flavorful turkey option for the holidays? This stuffed turkey breast is juicy, packed with flavor, and cooks in just over an hour. It’s also make-ahead friendly and easy to carve—perfect for a stress-free holiday meal!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 2 large stalks celery, finely diced
- 3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 8 ounces mild Italian pork sausage, casings removed (or substitute chicken or turkey sausage)
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 9 cups store-bought seasoned or unseasoned stuffing cubes
- 1¾ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 whole (2 halves) (5 to 6 pound) skin-on turkey breast, boned and butterflied (see note)
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Homemade gravy, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sausage and continue to cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is cooked and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, rosemary and thyme and cook for 2 minutes more, using your wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, stuffing cubes, chicken broth, parsley, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and sausage mixture. Stir until all the bread is moistened.
- Place the butterflied turkey breast skin-side down on a countertop or work surface and cover with plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound the turkey breast to an even ½-inch thickness — this takes some time and muscle so be patient. Rub the meat with 1 tablespoon of the oil, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Spoon about half of the stuffing in an even ½-inch layer over the breast, leaving a 1-inch border all around. (Place the extra stuffing in a buttered 8-inch baking dish, and bake during the last 40 minutes of the turkey's cooking time.)
- Starting at the long end, roll the turkey into a long cylinder (start at the end with less skin; this way the skin will end up mostly on the outside of the roll). Don't worry if the stuffing peeks out in some spots. Tie the roll with kitchen string with about 2 inches between each knot, and then trim the strings.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place an oven-proof rack over top. Spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray. Place the turkey seam-side down on the rack. Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon oil and season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Roast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roll reads 155°F. Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest, loosely tented with foil for 15 minutes. The turkey will rise in temperature as it rests to 165°F. Snip and discard the kitchen twine. Transfer the roll to a cutting board and slice into ½-inch thick slices and arrange on a platter. Serve with gravy.
- Note: Ask your butcher to bone and butterfly the turkey breast for you (you can also ask if they will pound it to a ½-inch thickness to save you a step later). If you're buying a boneless turkey breast, look for one that is about 4 pounds.
- Make Ahead: The recipe can be prepared and cooked 1 to 2 days ahead of time, covered, and stored in the refrigerator. Slice the turkey roll cold and reheat, covered, in a 300°F oven until warm, 40 to 45 minutes.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 1063
- Fat: 56 g
- Saturated fat: 15 g
- Carbohydrates: 53 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 82 g
- Sodium: 2100 mg
- Cholesterol: 253 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I’m excited to make this for Christmas this year, but curious how many packages of Pepperidge farm stuffing cubes I should purchase?
Hi Tamara, It looks like a bag contains about 7 cups, so you’ll need to use one full bag and a little of a second bag. Hope that helps!
No mention of how many pounds of turkey breast!
I had to go to the Neelys’ recipe to find “4lbs”, but no adaptation for larger double breast!
Maybe I should make TWO ?
Hi Jen, Sorry you missed it — the recipe specifies to use 1 whole (2 halves) (5-6 pound) turkey breast. This serves 8, so if you’re serving significantly more people, you may want to make two of them. Hope that helps!
Hi, Jenn. Since there are only two of us, I plan to butterfly one breast half, butterfly/pound it, and make a half-recipe of stuffing. Think this will work out ok??
Yep – enjoy!
I made the rolled turkey breast today, November 23, 2022.
I hadn’t made it before. It was a great success.. Cooked to perfection and very tender and juicy. The stuffing was exceptional. My son gave me a 10 for this meal. The highest I received from him was 8-9 previously. My family said they would be happy with this turkey rather than the traditional turkey dinner.
Turned out great. I smoked mine and it was a hit. Good thing too. I misjudged the cook time of my turkey. The family decided then and there no more whole turkeys at Thanksgiving, only this recipe. By the way. I’m not a cook. I’m a 56-year-old construction worker.
Good morning and happy Thanksgiving. I just realized that I missed the note about the pre/post size of the turkey breast and I have a boneless 6 1/2 pound breast. How should I adjust the cooking time? I made this last year(correctly) and it’s our new family favorite.
Hi Abbie, As long as you pound it to a 1/2-inch thickness, the cook time will be about the same — maybe add an extra 10 min.
This rolled turkey breast with dressing turned out terrific. My family really enjoyed and this dressing is a new favorite. I used a spicy chicken sausage that worked really well and left off the garlic. Another recipe that has been a success!
Just to clarify, I can assemble the roll the night before, refrigerate and cook the next morning?
Sure, just make sure everything is cold when you assemble and refrigerate right away.
I wanted a smaller roast, so I butterfly a turkey tenderloin instead of the entire breast. Problem? No skin and I didn’t want it to dry out. I wrap it with either bacon or prosciutto and it comes out perfectly in about an hour. Thanks!
Would anyone be able to tell me the best way to reheat this if I make it tonight? I am afraid I will mess it up.
Hi Denine, See the bottom of the recipe for reheating instructions. Hope you enjoy!
My one fear is that your website will disappear and I will return to the mediocre cook I was before your recipe site. I love that you have done the modifications for us, leaving us with top notch recipes to impress our friends and family with. They all love me more because of it!
lol 😊
My sentiments exactly, thanks Jenn! Wishing you and your family a peaceful Thanksgiving.
Me too…please make a booklet of all these wonderful recipes and photos of steps and I know I will gladly buy it!
Can’t wait to make the rolled stuffed turkey breast! I need to make it a day in advance and will reheat, but my oven has to be at 350° for other dishes. I know the instructions say 300° for 40 to 45 minutes. Can I modify that for 350° oven? Thanks so much!
Sure, Kathy, that should be okay, it will just need less time in the oven. Hope you enjoy!
My husband just picked up my pre-ordered butterflied turkey breast from Sprouts. The entire weight is 2.33 lbs! I told them I wanted a 5- 7 lb as the recipe calls for. My question: Will I just have a lot of stuffing and cook the roll with less time? I am so bummed!
That’s so frustrating! I would just bake a third of the stuffing in a dish outside the roll, so the proportions of turkey and stuffing are the same. And yes it should cook a bit faster.
Absolutely delicious!!! Thank you for responding, and this is our new Thanksgiving turkey recipe – I will never make a whole turkey ever again. I will cut the stuffing recipe next time just to use to roll the turkey, as we prefer your herb sausage stuffing recipe. In addition, we made your cranberry sauce, buttermilk biscuits and turkey gravy to accompany the meal and all of it was delicious, as always!!
Hi, j Jen,
To be clear: I can make the stuffing, roll and tie the breast a day ahead of time, and cook it the following day, correct? I have always heard you should never stuff a bird ahead of time. If that is true, the raw turkey roll will be cold. Can you estimate how much longer the cooking time will be? I’m excited to make this!
Hi Bonnie, I would actually cook the rolled stuffed breast a day ahead (you can even slice it a day in advance) — it reheats beautifully.
Do you recommend smoking this? How long and at what temp? Thank You
Hi Justin, smoking the turkey will add kind of a non-traditional flavor for Thanksgiving. That said, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I’d cook it at 225°F. I’m not sure how long it will take; I’d just monitor the temperature as it goes. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!