Easy, No Fuss Thanksgiving Turkey

Easy, No Fuss Thanksgiving Turkey

Foolproof Thanksgiving Turkey recipe that packs all of the flavor and juiciness you expect from the perfect roasted turkey, with none of the stress! Step by step for how to cook the perfect turkey.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time3 hrs 30 mins

Total Time3 hrs 50 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

 

Servings: 16

 

Calories: 576kcal

 

Author: Lauren Allen

Ingredients

• 1 12-20 pound turkey
• 1 onion , peeled and quartered
• 1 lemon , quartered
• 1 apple (your favorite kind), quartered
• .75 ounce container fresh rosemary *
• .75 ounce container fresh thyme *
• .75 ounce container fresh sage *

For the herb butter:

• 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6-8 cloves garlic , minced
• fresh chopped herbs

Instructions

• If the turkey is frozen: Thaw in the fridge, 24 hours for every 5 pounds of Turkey. I like to give myself 1 extra day, just to be safe.
• Remove the thawed turkey from the fridge 1 hour before roasting, to let it come to room temperature.
• Adjust your oven rack so the turkey will sit in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Make the herb butter by combining room temperature butter, minced garlic, salt, pepper, one tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary, one tablespoon fresh chopped thyme, and half a tablespoon of fresh chopped sage. (You’ll use the remaining fresh herbs for stuffing inside the cavity of the turkey)
• Remove turkey from packaging and remove the neck and giblets from the inside the cavities of the bird. (Reserve them for gravy, if you want, or discard them). Pat the turkey very dry with paper towels.
• Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper. Stuff it with the quartered lemon, onion and apple and leftover herbs.
• Use your fingers to loosen and lift the skin above the breasts (on the top of the turkey) and smooth a few tablespoons of the herb butter underneath.
• Tuck the wings of the turkey underneath the turkey and set the turkey on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan*.
• Microwave the remaining herb butter mixture for 30 seconds (it doesn’t need to be completely melted--just really softened). Use a basting brush to brush the remaining herb butter all over the outside of the turkey, legs and wings.
• Roast at 325 degrees F for about 13-15 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature (inserted on middle of thigh and breast) reaches about 165 degrees. 
• (I remove the turkey from the oven once it reaches 160 degrees. Then, I tent it with foil, and let it rest on the counter. It will continue cooking under the foil, to reach 165 degrees F.)
• ***Check the turkey about halfway through cooking, and once the skin gets golden brown, cover the top of the turkey with tinfoil, to protect the breast meat from overcooking. Alternately, you could start cooking the turkey with it tented in foil, then during the last hour or so of cooking you can take the foil off to let the turkey brown.
• Allow turkey to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving. https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/how-to-carve-a-turkey/
• Reserve any drippings and juice remaining in your roasting pan to make turkey gravy.

Notes

Herbs: to substitute dried herbs, use 1 teaspoon dried herbs per 1 tablespoon fresh chopped herbs.

Tips for covering with tinfoil:  Start with the bird uncovered.  Once the skin gets golden brown, tent the bird with a large piece of tinfoil.  If you have a roasting pan, you can use the lid to the roasting pan instead.

For Disposable Roasting Pan: Place fresh chopped vegetables on the bottom of the pan to act as a rack to elevate the turkey.  Use 4-5 ribs of celery and 4 large carrots, roughly chopped. The veggies will add great flavor for your dripping to use for gravy however I don't recommend eating them or using them in gravy.

For An Electric Roasting Oven: directions stay the same!

Convection Oven: You can use the same method to cook the turkey in a convection oven, just check the temperature sooner (start checking after 2 hours) as it will cook faster.

How to Carve a Turkey photos and Video.

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

THE BEST LEFTOVER TURKEY SOUP

PREP TIME 20 MINUTES

 

COOK TIME 40 MINUTES

 

TOTAL TIME 1 HOUR

INGREDIENTS

•  1 tablespoon butter
•  1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
•  1/2 cup chopped carrots
•  1/2 cup chopped celery
•  1/2 cup finely chopped onion
•  1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh, chopped)
•  1/4 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary (or 1 teaspoon fresh, chopped)
•  6 cups chicken or turkey broth/stock (I use low-sodium)
•  1/2 to 3/4 cup brown rice or brown rice blend (see note)
•  2 teaspoons salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
•  Pinch of black pepper
•  1 cup half and half (see note)
•  1/3 cup all-purpose flour
•  3 to 4 cups cooked, chopped leftover turkey

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a 6-quart saucepan or pot, heat the butter and oil until hot over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, thyme and rosemary and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are slightly tender, 3-4 minutes. 
2. Add the broth, rice, salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the rice is tender. The exact time will depend on variety of rice and package directions. For a brown and wild rice blend, the time will be about 30 minutes. 
3. Whisk together or blend the half and half and flour until smooth and there are no lumps. Stir the flour mixture into the soup, whisking quickly, and simmer gently until slightly thickened, 5-6 minutes. 
4. Stir in the cooked turkey and heat through. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve. 

NOTES

Brown Rice: long grain brown rice, jasmine or basmati brown rice, or a brown rice blend work great in this soup. You can also sub white rice or a wild and brown rice blend. The key is to adjust the simmering time based on the variety of rice you are using. 

Half and half: you can sub in milk for the half and half (although the soup won't be quite as silky and creamy). I suggest using 1% or 2% (not skim). 

Turkey: yes, you can use leftover cooked chicken if you don't have turkey.

HTTPS://WWW.MELSKITCHENCAFE.COM/THE-BEST-LEFTOVER-TURKEY-SOUP/

Crockpot Bone In Turkey Breast

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Crockpot Bone In Turkey Breast

 Servings 8 people

Ingredients

• 1 whole turkey breast bone-in
• 2 t garlic salt
• 1 t paprika
• 1 t onion powder
• 1/2 t dried thyme
• 1 t italian seasoning
• 1/2 t cayenne 
• 1/2 t black pepper

Instructions

1. Combined all spices and place turkey in a crockpot and then rub all over the turkey breast. Cook on low for 8 hours. Preheat oven to broil at 500 degrees F. Remove turkey and place in a roasting pan or in a oven safe baking dish. Place under the broiler for 10 minutes or until the skin of the turkey turns golden brown. Let meat rest for at least 10 minutes and then slice or shred!

Paleo Pumpkin Taco Filling Recipe

Serves 15

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Prep Time

10 min 

Cook Time

20 min 

Total Time

30 min 

Ingredients

1. 2 lbs ground turkey
2. 2 cups chopped carrots
3. 15 oz  can of diced tomatoes
4. 1 cup pumpkin puree
5. 1 small diced onion
6. 2 tablespoons cumin
7. 1 teaspoon garlic powder
8. 1 teaspoon chili powder
9. 1 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

1. Directions-
2. Saute' onions and carrots in a little olive oil over medium heat. Remove from pan once softened. Brown ground turkey over medium heat. Once the turkey is cooked thru add in the carrots and onions along with the rest of the ingredients. Let it all cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens up (about 20 minutes).

Notes

1. *You can also add chopped spinach and any peppers are good in it too.
2. *We like to eat this taco filling in our favorite Paleo Tortillas below. I also like to eat mine in a bowl topped with salsa and avocado and smashed plantains or plantain chips.

BETA

calories

169

fat

10g

protein

16g

carbs

4g

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SHEPHERD’S PIE BAKED POTATOES

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 medium russet or sweet potatoes
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 large carrots chopped small (about 1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (I use coarsely ground black pepper)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 1/2 cups low sodium beef or chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1-2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lay out six pieces of aluminum foil (large enough to wrap around the potatoes). Grab a cold stick of butter from the fridge, open one end, and rub butter all over the center of the foil, leaving about a 2-inch border on all sides of the foil. Sprinkle salt and pepper lightly over the butter (garlic powder would be yummy, too).
2. Place a potato in the center of the butter section and roll up the foil, covering the potato completely. Pierce the potato (through the foil) about 5-6 times with the tines of a fork. Place all the potatoes in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake for an hour (more or less, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife).
3. WHILE THE POTATOES BAKE, MAKE THE TOPPING. In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the ground meat, onion, carrots, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are starting to soften, 5-7 minutes or so. Drain any excess grease from the mixture.
4. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and cook over medium to medium-high heat for a minute or so, stirring constantly. Stir in the tomato paste, broth, Worcestershire sauce, oregano and thyme. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer gently for 10 minutes until the mixture is thickened and the carrots are tender. If you’d like the mixture more saucy/less thick, add additional broth, as needed and simmer to warm through.
5. Stir in the corn and peas and simmer until heated through. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
6. To serve, gently unwrap the hot baked potatoes. Slice down the middle of each one to open it up (squeezing the ends in toward each other can help create somewhat of a “bowl” shape in the potato or you can dice the potato into large chunks, too). Sprinkle a little shredded cheese on the potato, top with the Shepherd’s Pie filling and then more cheese, if desired. Serve immediately.

NOTES:

I have to say, this flavorful meat mixture over a tender sweet potato (topped with a healthy amount of sharp cheddar cheese) is a heavenly, heavenly combo. If you are on the fence about what kind of potatoes to use, trust me on this one, and go for the sweet potatoes. 

Like I mention in my post, I’ve made the Shepherd’s Pie filling and transferred it to a slow cooker to keep warm for several hours for a helpful make-ahead option. You may need to add a bit of extra broth, so just keep an eye on that if it starts looking a little dry.