STUFFED TURKEY BREAST WITH CHEESY HERB FILLING

I’ve always loved to cook, and when I was in university, my specialty was stuffed chicken breast. I thought I was so fancy – and maybe I was for a university student. I’d stuff chicken breast with all sorts of things, from prosciutto and mushroom to sundried tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella. For some reason, over the years I totally forgot about stuffed chicken breast. Recently, I was at the grocery store and found very thinly sliced turkey breast. I thought that was very interesting, and the whole idea of “stuffing” meats came back. You can create this recipe with either thinly sliced (or pounded out) chicken breast or with turkey breast. Also note that you can substitute your favorite herbs in place of the ones I have provided. Feel like an extra tang? Add some goat cheese or feta to the cheesy filling.

SERVINGS  [4]

INGREDIENTS:

4 4-6 ounce turkey breasts, thinly sliced (or pounded out)

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped

Extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Season the thinly sliced turkey (or chicken) breasts with salt and pepper on both sides.

In a bowl, combine the ricotta, parmesan, parsley, basil, and some additional salt and pepper (if desired).

Use a spoon to spread the ricotta mixture evenly over one side of each turkey breast. Roll up each turkey breast and secure with toothpicks.

In a large skillet, heat approximately 1 tablespoon of olive oil over high heat. Once hot, add the turkey breasts to the skillet and sear on all sides until brown (approximately 1 minute per side). Drizzle with olive oil.

Place the stuffed turkey breasts in the oven and cook for approximately 30 minutes or until the turkey breasts are cooked through.

Remove from the oven and drizzle with extra olive oil, if desired.

Note: I also served these stuffed turkey breasts with a store-bought organic tomato-basil sauce. If you would like to serve the stuffed turkey breast with tomato sauce, I recommend buying a high-quality organic sauce or making your own. I will need to share my recipe soon!

*Feature photo courtesy of http://www.ibreateimhungry.com