Tomato Pesto Turkey Breast

In this main-dish recipe, a homemade pesto is mixed with walnuts, parsley, and rosemary to create a rub to slip between the skin and meat of a turkey breast.

Tomato Pesto Turkey
Servings:
6

Ingredients

  • Nonstick cooking spray

  • 1 3 pound bone-in turkey breast half

  • 1 portion Dried Tomato Pesto (recipe below) or 1/4 cup purchased dried tomato pesto

  • 3 tablespoons snipped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts or pecans

  • 2 teaspoons snipped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Dried Tomato Pesto

  • ½ 8-ounce jar oil-packed dried tomatoes

  • ¼ cup olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts or slivered almonds

  • 2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • 4 cloves garlic (halves)

Directions

  1. Coat a large shallow roasting pan and rack with cooking spray. Place turkey breast portion, bone side down, on rack in prepared pan.

  2. In a small bowl, mix pesto, parsley, walnuts, rosemary, salt and black pepper.

  3. Starting at breast bone, slip your fingers between skin and meat to loosen skin, leaving skin attached at top. Rub pesto mixture under the skin over breast meat. Insert an oven-going meat thermometer into thickest part of turkey breast, without touching bone.

  4. Roast, uncovered, in a 400 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Roast 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours more or until thermometer registers 170 degrees F, juices run clear and turkey is no longer pink. Cover with foil the last 30 to 45 minutes, if necessary, to prevent overbrowning. Let stand, covered with foil, 10 minutes before slicing. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Dried Tomato Pesto

  1. Drain 1/2 of an 8-ounce jar oil-packed dried tomatoes, reserving oil. Add enough olive oil to make 1/4 cup. Place tomatoes, pine nuts, basil, salt and garlic in a blender or food processor. Cover; blend or process until finely chopped, adding a little of the oil mixture if necessary. With machine running, gradually add the oil mixture, processing until almost smooth. Divide into 2 portions. Chill extra portion for up to 2 days, or freeze up to 3 months. Makes two 1/4-cup portions.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

338 Calories
14g Fat
3g Carbs
49g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 6
Calories 338
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 14g 18%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 140mg 47%
Sodium 316mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 3g 1%
Protein 49g
Vitamin C 12mg 62%
Calcium 40mg 3%
Iron 3mg 17%
Potassium 737mg 16%
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