Watkins Roast Turkey Recipes

Following is a classic recipe for roast turkey and stuffing. If you have a smaller crowd to feed or prefer only the white meat you also find a moist, delicious recipe for roast turkey breast.

Roast Turkey with Sausage and Apple Stuffing

Stuffing:
12 ounces/340 g bulk mild pork sausage
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 cup/250 mL chopped onion
1 cup/250 mL chopped celery
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped (about 1 cup/250 ml)
6 cups/1.5 liters dried bread cubes
1 cup/250 mL water
1-1/2 tbsp/22.5 mL Chicken Soup Base
1 tbsp/15 mL Poultry Seasoning

Turkey:
10 to 12 pound/4.5 to 5.5 kg turkey
1/4 cup/60 mL Watkins Meat Magic
1 tbsp/15 mL Watkins Poultry Seasoning

Cooking Directions

Stuffing:
Cook sausage and bacon in skillet, stirring until sausage crumbles; drain (reserve 2 tbsp/30 mL of the drippings) and place in a large bowl. Cook onion, celery, and apple in drippings over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until tender (about 5 minutes); remove from heat. Add to meat mixture along with bread cubes, water, soup base and Poultry Seasoning; mix well. Set aside while preparing turkey.

Turkey:
Remove giblets and neck from turkey; discard or reserve for another use. Rinse turkey thoroughly with cold water; pat dry. Place turkey breast side up in roasting pan; rub inside and out with Meat Magic and Poultry Seasoning. Stuff loosely with Sausage-Apple Stuffing (place any remaining stuffing in a casserole to bake later). Bake turkey, uncovered, at 325¡F/165¼C for 4 to 4-1/2 hours, basting occasionally with pan juices. Meat thermometer should read 185 deg. F/85 deg. C. Cover loosely with foil if turkey begins to get too brown. Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes before carving. Place casserole with remaining stuffing in the oven the last hour before serving. Remove stuffing from the turkey and toss with that in the casserole. Makes 12 servings.

Notes from the kitchen: To make stuffing entirely in a casserole dish, add a little more water if a moist stuffing is desired. To make stuffing with fresh or day old bread, reduce the water to 1/4 cup. We prefer using a hearty whole wheat bread over white which increases the dietary fiber. If you are cooking for a big crowd, buy and roast a bigger turkey and double the stuffing recipe. Don't forget a bigger turkey will take longer to cook!

Nutrition Facts - makes 12 servings. Nutritional information per serving: Calories 670, Protein 84 g, Carbohydrates 15 g, Sodium 1020 mg, Fat 27 g, Saturated Fat 9 g, Cholesterol 220 mg, and Dietary Fiber 1 g.

Roast Turkey Breast

1 five-pound turkey breast, skin removed
1 medium onion, quartered
2 ribs celery, halved
1-1/2 Tbs Watkins Lemon Pepper
2 tsp Watkins Garlic Granules
2 tsp Watkins Onion Granules
1 tsp Watkins Poultry Seasoning
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp Watkins Paprika
Watkins Cooking Spray
Oven Cooking Bag

Rinse turkey breast, pat dry with paper towel. Place onion and celery in breast cavity. Spray turkey breast with cooking spray. Combine remaining ingredients and rub into turkey breast. Place in oven cooking bag prepared per package directions; place in shallow baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Cut a small slit in top of bag and insert a meat thermometer. Bake an additional hour or until the thermometer registers 185 deg. F/85 deg. C. Transfer to large platter. If desired, thicken drippings in bag to make a gravy to accompany sliced turkey. Makes 8 servings. Ê

Note from the kitchen: if you don't have an oven cooking bag you can cook the turkey breast in a tightly covered casserole.

More About Roast Turkey

What To Serve With Roast Turkey? Mashed potatoes and gravy! Try our new, quick and easy gourmet turkey gravy mix! Wondering what to make with leftover turkey? You'll find some great leftover turkey recipes here!

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