Turkey Day Bake Recipes

A SIMPLY PERFECT ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place rack in the lowest position of the oven.
• Remove the turkey neck and giblets, rinse the turkey, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in the roasting pan. Loosely fill the body cavity with stuffing. Rub the skin with the softened butter, and season with salt and pepper. Position an aluminum foil tent over the turkey.
• Place turkey in the oven, and pour 2 cups turkey stock into the bottom of the roasting pan. Baste all over every 30 minutes with the juices on the bottom of the pan. Whenever the drippings evaporate, add stock to moisten them, about 1 to 2 cups at a time. Remove aluminum foil after 2 1/2 hours. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F (75 degrees C), about 4 hours.
• Transfer the turkey to a large serving platter, and let it stand for at least 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

HOW TO COOK A TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Place onion, celery, and carrot in a large, shallow roasting pan.
• Place turkey, breast side up, on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan. Pat the outside and inside of the turkey dry with paper towels.
• Combine salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Season the inside of the turkey with about 1/3 of the salt mixture. Fold wing tips under the bird.
• Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat until the edges begin to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Cook and stir rosemary and sage for 1 minute.
• Place rosemary and sage inside the cavity of the turkey; reserve melted butter. Tie the legs together with twine.
• Brush outside of the turkey completely with the melted butter. Season with remaining 2/3 of the salt mixture.
• Bake turkey, uncovered, in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 3 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove the turkey from the oven and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

LEFTOVER TURKEY BAKE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring the onion, celery and 1/2 cup broth to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat. Stir in the eggs, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper and remaining broth until blended. Add the bread cubes, turkey and cranberries; mix well., Spoon into a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-25 minutes longer or until a thermometer reaches 160°.

OVEN-ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Mix the smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried thyme, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper in a bowl. Sprinkle some of the spice rub inside the cavity of the turkey. Separate the skin from the breast meat with your fingers, starting at the top of the breast and sliding to the right and left, then working down. Massage some of the rub onto the meat under the skin. Sprinkle the remaining rub on the turkey's skin. Place the turkey on a sheet tray and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours so the flavors can marry.
• Set a rack at the lowest position in the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Remove the turkey from the refrigerator to bring to room temperature. Tie the legs together and tuck the wing tips under. Place the turkey in a roasting pan. Drizzle the outside of the turkey with a few tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the turkey about 3 hours, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F. Transfer the turkey to a platter, cover loosely with foil and let rest 30 minutes before carving.

MAKE-AHEAD ROASTED TURKEY BREAST

Steps:

• Bring 1 quart water, 3/4 cup salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, bay leaves and lemon zest to a boil in an extra-large pot (large enough to hold the turkey breast). Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, and add 4 quarts water. Let cool to room temperature.
• Add the turkey breast to the pot (use a plate to help submerge it if needed), cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 1 day.
• Remove the turkey breast from the pot, and discard the brine. Blot the breast dry all over with paper towels.
• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees F. Pulse the butter, parsley, sage, thyme, paprika and cayenne in a food processor to combine. Rub half the herbed butter under and over the skin of the turkey breast; roll the rest into a log, and freeze. Place the breast on a rack set in a roasting pan, and roast, rotating as needed to ensure even browning, until the deepest part of the breast registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours.
• Let the turkey breast cool completely. Wrap it well with plastic wrap and foil, label and date, and freeze, deep in the freezer, for up to 2 weeks.
• Two days before you plan to serve it, put the turkey breast in a baking dish and transfer it to the refrigerator to thaw.
• To serve, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the breast from the bone, and slice. Shingle the slices onto a large baking dish, pour in the stock and dot the turkey with slices of the frozen herbed butter. Wrap the dish tightly with foil, and reheat in the oven until the turkey is hot and the butter is melted, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer the turkey to a platter, and drizzle with some of the pan liquid.

JUICY THANKSGIVING TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a turkey roaster with long sheets of aluminum foil that will be long enough to wrap over the turkey.
• Stir together the parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, lemon pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture into the cavity of the turkey, then stuff with the celery, orange, onion, and carrot. Truss if desired, and place the turkey into the roasting pan. Pour the chicken broth and champagne over the turkey, making sure to get some champagne in the cavity. Bring the aluminum foil over the top of the turkey, and seal. Try to keep the foil from touching the skin of the turkey breast or legs.
• Bake the turkey in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear. Uncover the turkey, and continue baking until the skin turns golden brown, 30 minutes to 1 hour longer. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

TURKEY NOODLE BAKE

Steps:

• Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the turkey, soup, garlic salt, rosemary and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the spinach, cottage cheese and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese., Drain noodles. Place half of the noodles in a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray; layer with half of the turkey and cottage cheese mixtures. Repeat layers., Cover and bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until edges are lightly browned. Sprinkle with paprika. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY AND GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan, breast side up. Sprinkle with poultry seasoning and pepper. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together., Roast, uncovered, 30 minutes. In a 4-cup measuring cup, mix broth, herbs, lemon peel and juice, and garlic; pour over turkey. Roast, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, 3 to 3-1/2 hours, basting occasionally with broth mixture. Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly., Remove turkey from pan; let stand at least 20 minutes before carving. Skim fat from cooking juices., To freeze: Carve turkey and place in shallow freezer containers. Pour cooking juices over turkey; cool slightly, about 1 hour. Cover and freeze up to 3 months., To serve: Partially thaw turkey in refrigerator overnight. Preheat oven to 350°. Transfer turkey and cooking juices to a large baking dish. Pour 1-1/2 cups broth over top. Bake, covered, until a thermometer inserted in turkey reads 165°, 50-60 minutes., To prepare gravy: Remove turkey to a platter, reserving broth mixture; keep warm. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in broth mixture; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve with turkey.

TURKEY AND STUFFING BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add turkey and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add sage and flour and stir to coat. Add 1 1/2 cups broth and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until liquid is thickened, 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer mixture to an 8-inch square baking dish.
• Rinse out skillet; wipe dry. Return to heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Add onion and celery and cook until softened, 8 minutes. Remove from heat and add bread, cranberries, and 2 cups broth; toss until combined. Stir in eggs. Spoon bread mixture over turkey mixture; dot with butter. Bake until juices are bubbling and bread is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

SOUTHWESTERN TURKEY BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a Dutch oven, saute onions and jalapenos in butter until tender. Stir in turkey, soup, sour cream and spinach. In a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, layer half the turkey mixture, cheese and tortilla chips. Repeat layers., Bake, uncovered, until bubbly, 25-30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with green onions.

TURKEY AND BROCCOLI BAKE

Steps:

• Cook broccoli according to package. Drain and set aside.
• In a greased casserole dish arrange turkey slices and place broccoli on top.
• Pour 1 cup of the gravy over the broccoli. Reserve the remaining 1/4 cup.
• Saute onion and celery in the butter until tender. Stir in croutons and reserved gravy.
• Spoon this crouton mixture over the center of the casserole.
• Microwave: Bake in microwave on full power about 8 minutes or until heated through.
• OVEN: Bake in 350 degree oven until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Faster if you heat the gravy in the microwave before assembling.
• Note: This is also great with leftover broccoli and cheese or even broccoli, rice and cheese casserole. No need to adjust cooking time, just use that instead of the plain broccoli.