This bacon wrapped rolled turkey breast with apricot and cranberry stuffing is a perfect, budget friendly solution for a small Christmas or Thanksgiving family feast.
When it comes to Christmas, I’m a traditional girl at heart – I’ve got to have a turkey with all the trimmings. I LOVE it.
As much as I’m a massive fan of a Brined turkey crown – I do make one almost every Christmas – sometimes I just want something even easier!
After all, we’ve got more than enough on our plates this time of year, wouldn’t you agree?
Or maybe you have a small family and would rather not live on turkey sandwiches and curry for days on end.
A rolled turkey breast is the solution!
This rolled turkey breast with apricot and cranberry stuffing looks stunning but it’s so simple to make!
Succulent, tender, juicy turkey breast meat filled with a delicious sausagemeat stuffing with a fruity twist.
You could use this recipe for sausagemeat, sage and cranberry stuffing instead if you like.
how to make this rolled and stuffed turkey breast
(Ingredient amounts and detailed instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post!)
- Lay streaky bacon out on a large sheet of cling film, slightly overlapping the bacon slices.
- Using a sharp knife, butterfly the turkey breast. You simply slit the turkey right through the middle, but stop before you get to the end so it opens up like a book. As you can see, I’m the world’s worst butcher but I still managed (just!) There are a couple of great tutorials on YouTube if you want to see it being done. You could also ask your local Butcher to do it for you.
- Place a piece of cling film over the butterflied turkey and using a meat mallet or rolling pin, bash the turkey until it’s slightly smaller and flatter.
- Make the stuffing by gently frying a finely chopped onion and one peeled, cored and chopped apple in butter until soft.
- In a large bowl, combine sausagemeat, 1 egg, dried sage, a little ground cinnamon, breadcrumbs, dried apricots and cranberries, the cooked onion and apple and plenty of seasoning. Get your hands in the bowl and give the ingredients a good mix together.
- Lay the stuffing over the turkey and start rolling! Try and keep the roll as tight as possible.
- Using kitchen string, tie the turkey roll up to keep it secure.
- Melt butter and maple syrup together in a small pan, pour over the turkey and season well with salt and pepper.
- Cook for 1 hour at 200C/180Fan/400F/Gas Mark 6 or until a meat thermometer reads 165F/75C.
- Leave to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving – it slices like a dream, by the way!
You can easily make it ahead of time!
You can make this recipe the day before you intend to serve it – stuff the turkey breast with the sausagemeat, cover well and place in the fridge. A great time saver!
You could also freeze the turkey breast at this stage if you wanted – just as long as none of the ingredients were prevously frozen.
Wrap the stuffed turkey in a double layer of cling film or a thick freezer bag, seal well and freeze for up to two months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before cooking.
what to serve with this rolled and stuffed turkey breast…
Roasted honey mustard parsnips and carrots
Stuffed pumpkin with mushroom rice and cranberries
Don’t forget the roast potatoes, cranberry sauce and gravy!
More Turkey Recipes
Turkey and Cranberry Filo Tarts
Leftover Turkey and Vegetable Soup
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Did you make this rolled turkey breast with apricot and cranberry stuffing? Let me know how you got on with the recipe by leaving a comment below and if you would rate the recipe out of 5 by clicking on the stars in the recipe card, I’d really appreciate it. Thank you!
Rolled Turkey Breast with Apricot and Cranberry Stuffing
Ingredients
- 700 G Boneless Turkey Breast Joint
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 250 G Streaky Bacon
For the Stuffing:
- 1 Onion, finely chopped
- 1 Small Apple, Peeled, Cored and Diced into small pieces
- 450 G Pork Sausagemeat
- 100 G Breadcrumbs
- 1 Large Egg
- 25 G Dried Cranberries
- 25 G Dried Apricots, chopped into small pieces
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Dried Sage
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
For the glaze:
- 25 G Butter
- 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180Fan/400F/Gas Mark 6.
- Place the bacon rashers, slightly overlapping, on a large sheet of cling film or foil.
- Butterfly the turkey breast by making a slit with a sharp knife through the middle, stopping just before you reach the end so you can open it out like a book. Place the turkey breast on top of the bacon slices. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, bash the meat out until it is slightly thinner and around the same size as the bacon square. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge while you make the stuffing.
- Heat the olive oill and butter in a pan and add the onion, frying gently on a low to medium heat until softened. Add the cored and chopped apple and continue to fry gently until the apple is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool down slightly.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sausagemeat, cooked and slightly cooled apple and onion, breadcrumbs, eggs dried cranberries, apricots, cinnamon, sage and salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands until all the ingredients are well combined.Place the stuffing on top of the turkey, leaving a small gap around the edges. Using the cling film or foil to help you, roll the turkey up to make a log shape. Try to keep the roll as tight as possible.
- Tie the turkey with kitchen string. Melt the butter and maple syrup together in a small pan. Pour over the turkey and season well with salt and fresly ground black pepper. Cook for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer reads 165F/75C.Rest the turkey for 20-30 minutes before serving.
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