Take your turkey up a notch! Juicy and tender roasted turkey breast stuffed with a cream cheese, spinach, herb, and bacon filling that will knock your socks off. Perfect for Sunday dinners, special occasions, and holiday menus!
Want more turkey dishes? Try my popular posts for Best Ever Turkey Breast (Instant Pot), Turkey Enchiladas, Leftover Turkey Corn Chowder, and Cranberry Pecan Turkey Salad.
Just when I thought it was impossible for turkey to be any better – it’s happened! A friend mentioned to me this stuffed turkey breast she had on Thanksgiving at a restaurant once in Colorado and, well, the rest they say is history! I just had to try to recreate it myself.
Let me tell you, the combination of turkey breast with cheese, herbs, spinach, and bacon – you just may never go back to a boring old roasted whole turkey again!
Why This Recipe Works
Something different – Are you tired of the same old, same old turkey preparation? Well, this roasted turkey will surely turn heads at Thanksgiving!Cheesy, bacony, herby, juicy, moist, delicious – what’s not to love?
Easy – Don’t be fooled by the name of this recipe. “Stuffing” a turkey is as easy as rolling up some yummy ingredients inside and baking. It’s really not complicated at all.
Quick – It only takes 40 minutes to make and bake this Thanksgiving turkey breast, instead of all day in the oven like most turkeys.
Great for a small crowd or Friendsgiving – Not everyone’s holidays are gigantic. Sometimes you have (or want) a small crowd, but you don’t want to have to fix up a giant turkey for just a couple people. Enter this delicious stuffed turkey breast!
Here’s How You Make It
- First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Then, prep a small sheet pan or roasting dish with butter, oil, or cooking spray. (not picture)
- Place the turkey breast in a Ziplock bag or between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to an even 1/4-inch thickness. (photo 1)
- Now, take out a medium-size bowl and combine the cream cheese, spinach, garlic, bacon, salt, pepper, parsley, rosemary, and thyme all together. (photo 2-3)
- Spread this mixture all over the top of the pounded turkey breast, except for about ½-in around the edges. (photo 4)
- Now, take one of the long sides of the turkey and roll it toward the other side in a pinwheel fashion. Secure it with toothpicks or baker’s twine to keep it rolled up. (photo 5)
- Stir the spices together, then rub all over the rolled turkey bundles. (photo 5)
- Place this whole stuffed turkey breast in the oven for 15-25 minutes to bake. *Depending on the size of the turkey breast you may need more or less time. Internal temperature (when thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the turkey) should read about 160 degrees before moving onto the next step. (not pictured)
- Then, switch the oven to Broil and allow it to cook another 5 minutes or so till it’s nice and browned on the outside. (An internal thermometer should read about 160 degrees before you take it out as the temperature will rise another 5 degrees as the turkey is resting.) (photo 6)
- Transfer the stuffed turkey to a cutting board and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Ideas for Customizing this Recipe
- No turkey? No problem. You could also use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You’d pound out about 4-5 of them, fill, and bake as directed.
- Other cheeses that would be yummy in this roasted turkey include white cheddar, gruyere, swiss, Monterey jack, or a combination of any of these with cream cheese (just be careful not to overfill).
- Diced pancetta would also be a yummy substitution for bacon if you prefer. Or skip the meat all together and just add the cheese and herbs.
- If you don’t have fresh herbs parsley, rosemary, and thyme, you can use dried, or substitute the same amount of Italian seasoning.
Serving Suggestions
My ideal meal to serve with this stuffed turkey on Thanksgiving would also include:
What Flavors Go Best with Turkey?
If the thought of Thanksgiving conjures up a certain aromatic smell in your mind, that’s for good reason. A lot of the preparations tend to have lots of similar herbs in common like thyme, oregano, rosemary, parsley, salt, and pepper. Onions, carrots, celery, lemons, and olive oil also frequent a lot of recipe ingredients lists. There are many ways to flavor a turkey though, including dry rubs, brines, and marinades. Whatever way you choose, I’m sure it’ll be delicious!
Expert Tips
- Note that a 5-pound turkey breast should feed about 6-8 adults, while a 7-pound turkey breast should feed about 8-10.
- This stuffed turkey breast will keep in the fridge for about 3 days.
- This is best served fresh but can be reheated carefully in the microwave – be careful as the cheese will probably run out the middle if you cook too long. Microwave in individual portions in a microwave safe dish at 50 percent power in 1 minute intervals. Or you could reheat by searing a slice or two on the stove or you can even reheat it in a foil-covered baking dish in a 350 degree oven.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Perfect, Easy Thanksgiving Turkey
- Best Ever Turkey Breast Recipe (Instant Pot)
- Candied Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole
- Green Bean Casserole
Did you make this stuffed turkey recipe? YAY! Please rate the recipe below!
Stuffed Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 2.75 -3 pounds turkey breast - or turkey breast tenderloins (see note
- 4 ounces cream cheese - softened
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh spinach
- ⅓ cup chopped bacon pieces - see notes for my time-saving tip!
- ½ teapsoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme
- 2 tablespoons butter - melted
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs - I used more parsley, rosemary, and thyme
Spice Rub
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a small sheet pan or roasting dish.
- Place turkey in a ziploc bag or between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound out to about 1/4-inch thickness.
- In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, spinach garlic, bacon, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and parsley.
- Spread mixture over the turkey, leaving about 1/2 inch around the edge uncovered.
- Gently, but firmly roll the turkey from one long side toward the other. Secure with toothpicks to keep it rolled OR tie with bakers twine and place in prepared baking dish.
- Stir the spices together, then rub all over the rolled turkey bundles.
- Place this whole stuffed turkey breast in the oven for 15-25 minutes to bake. *Depending on the size of the turkey breast you may need more or less time. Internal temperature (when thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the turkey) should read about 160 degrees before moving onto the next step.
- Switch to BROIL and cook another 5 minutes or so until browned on the outside. (Internal temperature should read about 160 degrees – it will continue to rise a bit to read 165 while resting in the next step.)
- Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Stir together melted butter and fresh herbs and brush over the top. Serve immediately – enjoy!
Do you cover before putting in the oven?
Nope!
Do you think I could make this ahead and freeze for two weeks before baking?
I wouldn’t recommend stuffing the turkey breast until you are about to bake it. I’ve never frozen the filling but cream cheese gets gritty once frozen. You can however pound the turkey breast and then refreeze it which will save you time. But I would make the filling and put it on the turkey right before cooking.
This looks amazing! Can you prepare this the night before and bake the next day?
I would not recommend stuffing the turkey until you are about to cook it due to a risk of salmonella. You can however prepare the stuffing the day before.
Simply delicious! Will definitely make again.
Delish! I tweaked it a tad by adding a few things but pretty much followed your recipe. Easy, fast and again, DELICIOUS!