This stuffed turkey breast is loaded with a savory spinach, bacon and mushroom mixture that adds flavor while keeping the meat tender and juicy.
Turkey Breast Florentine Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Reinvent your holiday bird entree with this beautiful turkey breast transformation. A great alternative to traditional roast turkey, this stuffed turkey breast is the perfect dish to serve for holidays, special occasions and other large gatherings.

Easier and quicker to make than a roasted whole turkey, stuffed roast turkey breast makes for a lovely presentation, especially when sliced directly in front of hungry onlookers. Loaded with a savory mixture of spinach, bacon and mushrooms, each bite packs major flavor. And because the breasts are roasted with even more bacon layered on top, the result a juicy, tender meat that’s truly over the top. The stunning breasts are served with a velvety Swiss cheese sauce for another layer of deliciousness that will have everybody asking for seconds.

Stuffed Turkey Breast Ingredients

  • Turkey breast: Boneless skinless turkey breast is great option when serving a large group of people, and it’s super versatile with or without stuffing. From simple herb-roasted turkey breast to brined and grilled turkey breast, this mild meat is an easy-to-make crowd-pleaser. If you’re planning to feed a crowd, here’s approximately how much turkey you need per person.
  • Bacon: It’s true. Everything is better with bacon, and here it helps keep the lean turkey breast from drying out. When buying bacon, look for slices with plenty of lean pink meat and small amounts of fat. You don’t want super-thick bacon for wrapping, either. Thin-cut bacon will cook more evenly around the roast.
  • Tarragon: This tender herb boasts a subtle licorice flavor that adds a touch of elegance to any dish. A central herb in herbs de Provence, tarragon has palate-pleasing grass and citrus notes.
  • Frozen spinach: Make sure to drain and squeeze as much moisture from your thawed frozen spinach before using.
  • Mushrooms: This recipe calls for jarred mushrooms, but you can also use thinly sliced fresh mushrooms. You’ll want to cook them down first to release excess moisture.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the turkey breast

Preheat oven to 375°F. Using a sharp knife, make a lengthwise slit down the center of the turkey breast, stopping about 1/2 inch from the bottom. Open the breast so it lies flat. Cover it with plastic wrap, and flatten to 1/2-inch thick. Discard the plastic.

Editor’s Tip: You can flatten boneless skinless turkey breast in several ways. Simply cover with plastic wrap or put in a large resealable plastic bag, and flatten with the heel of your hand, a meat mallet, rolling pin or skillet.

Step 2: Make the sauce

In a large skillet, cook two bacon strips until crisp. With a slotted spoon, move them to a paper towel-lined plate to collect any excess grease. Crumble the bacon, and set aside. In the skillet with the leftover drippings, saute the chopped onion until tender. Stir in the flour, tarragon, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in the milk a bit at a time. Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, for two minutes, until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat.

Step 3: Add the filling, and roll up

Set aside 1/2 cup of the sauce in the refrigerator. To the remaining sauce, add the spinach, mushrooms and crumbled bacon. Spread this mixture evenly over the flattened turkey breast. Starting at a long end, roll the meat up tightly around the filling. Tie with kitchen string to secure. Place the stuffed turkey breast, seam side up, in a greased shallow roasting pan. Brush with melted butter. Cut the remaining bacon strips in half, and place them over the rolled turkey breast.

Editor’s Tip: When rolling the turkey, it might not close all the way around the filling. Use toothpicks to help keep stuffed turkey breast roll as tight as possible when tying.

Step 4: Bake

Bake the turkey until it is no longer pink and a thermometer inserted into the center of the meat and stuffing reaches at least 165°, 60 to 65 minutes, covering loosely with aluminum foil during final 15 minutes of cook time if need to prevent overbrowning.

Step 5: Allow turkey breast to rest

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Cut away the string, and discard. Let the turkey stand for 10 minutes before slicing into it. Meanwhile, heat the reserved sauce. Stir in the cheese until fully melted.

Editor’s Tip: Serve the creamy, dreamy cheese sauce alongside your turkey, or pour it onto a shallow serving platter, and nestle the turkey on top.

Recipe Variations

  • Try a different stuffing: Experiment with different stuffing mixtures like this fun and flavorful Latin-inspired stuffed turkey with mojo sauce. Think sausage, bread crumbs, cornbread, dried fruits, different cheeses, vegetables and more.
  • Use prosciutto: Instead of layering the top with bacon, try wrapping the whole thing in prosciutto. This thinly sliced cured meat gives the same porky, salty, savory flavor of bacon and will help protect the meat from drying out. It’s one of our favorite ways to use prosciutto.
  • Use different herbs: Don’t have dried tarragon? Try fresh herbs or dried basil, thyme or chervil instead.
  • Stuff a different meat: Use the Florentine-inspired stuffing from this recipe to stuff other meats besides turkey. Pork roast, chicken breast and beef tenderloin are all delicious options.

How to Store Stuffed Turkey Breast

Wrap any leftovers tightly in plastic wrap or foil, and store in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Stuffed Turkey Breast Tips

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Should turkey breast be covered or uncovered while cooking?

Boneless skinless turkey breast can dry out quickly, so it’s fine to cover it while cooking, but only for part of the cook time. Tenting your stuffed turkey breast with heavy-duty aluminum foil traps moisture and helps ensure a tender bird.

What to serve with stuffed turkey breast?

Round out your special meal with an elegant side dish like roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon or caramelized onion mashed potatoes. If you’re planning a holiday menu, whip up one of these Thanksgiving salads.

Stuffed Turkey Breast

"A lovely dish for guests, this spinach-stuffed turkey breast look s beautiful when you slice it for serving," Shirley Goehring writes from Lodi, California. "I've also spooned the filling into a pocket slit in a boneless center-cut pork roast with delicious results."
Turkey Breast Florentine Recipe photo by Taste of Home
Total Time

Prep: 30 min. Bake: 55 min. + standing

Makes

8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 boneless skinless turkey breast half (3 to 4 pounds)
  • 5 bacon strips, divided
  • 3/4 cup chopped onion
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1-1/2 cups 2% milk
  • 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°. Make a lengthwise slit down the center of the turkey breast to within 1/2 in. of bottom. Open meat so it lies flat; cover with plastic wrap. Flatten to 1/2-in. thickness. Remove plastic; set aside.
  2. In a large skillet, cook 2 bacon strips until crisp. Drain, reserving drippings. Crumble bacon; set aside. In the drippings, saute onion until tender. Stir in the flour, tarragon, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat.
  3. Refrigerate 1/2 cup sauce. Add the spinach, mushrooms and crumbled bacon to the remaining sauce; spread over turkey breast. Starting at a long end, roll turkey around filling (turkey might not close all the way around filling); tie with kitchen string. Place on a rack, seam side up, in a greased shallow roasting pan. Brush with butter. Cut remaining bacon strips in half; place over turkey.
  4. Bake until turkey is no longer pink, 55-60 minutes, covering loosely with foil if bacon gets too dark.
  5. Discard kitchen string. Let turkey stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, heat the reserved sauce; stir in cheese until melted. Serve with turkey.

Nutrition Facts

1 serving: 351 calories, 14g fat (5g saturated fat), 120mg cholesterol, 592mg sodium, 9g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 2g fiber), 47g protein.