Rolled Turkey with Quinoa Cranberry Stuffing

This rolled turkey with quinoa cranberry stuffing recipe is a festive showstopper that’s as delicious as it is nutritious. Perfect for any holiday meal, it combines tender turkey with a lovely, gluten-free quinoa stuffing made with fresh herbs, pistachios, and dried cranberries. The stuffing adds a beautiful balance of savoury and sweet, and the turkey is cooked to perfection, ensuring a juicy and delicious meal for your family and friends.

Now before you click away thinking there is no way you can be bothered rolling meat…here’s the thing, you don’t have to. I’ve made a rolled turkey of sorts every Christmas, because I find it easier to cook than a whole bird.  So I just make the stuffing and I’ve always found the butcher I buy my turkey from, really accommodating in boning and rolling it for me.

This super simple Rolled Turkey with Quinoa Cranberry Stuffing will wow any crowd! I can’t wait to hear how you love it.

Health benefits

This dish offers a wonderful array of health benefits. Quinoa, a gluten-free grain, is packed with protein, fibre, and essential minerals like magnesium and iron. The addition of fresh herbs and vegetables, like parsley, sage, and celery, provides a boost of antioxidants and vitamins. Pistachios are a great source of healthy fats, fibre, and protein, making this stuffing not only tasty but also healthy. Plus, using organic or free-range turkey ensures you’re enjoying a lean protein option.

Ingredients

The ingredients for this recipe include butter, red onion, celery, garlic, chicken broth or stock, quinoa, fresh sage, parsley, pistachio nuts, dried cranberries, almond meal, free-range eggs, and a whole organic turkey. For the gravy, you’ll need red wine, chicken stock, cornflour, and water. You can customise the stuffing with variations like swapping nuts or omitting garlic or onions for dietary preferences.

How to make this Rolled Turkey Quinoa Stuffing

To make this healthy turkey roulade, start by preparing the stuffing: sauté the onion and celery in butter, then combine with cooked quinoa, herbs, pistachios, and cranberries. After cooling, mix in the egg and refrigerate until ready. For the turkey, season the bird, stuff it with the quinoa mixture, and roast with vegetables and water to keep it moist. After 1.5 hours, uncover and increase the heat to brown the skin. While the turkey rests, make a simple gravy from the pan juices. The turkey is done when juices run clear and the skin is crispy.

Serving suggestions and how to store

Serve this delicious rolled turkey with quinoa cranberry stuffing alongside roasted vegetables or a fresh salad for a balanced, festive meal. The gravy can be poured over the turkey or served on the side for added richness. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days and make for a tasty next-day lunch or dinner. If you want to store it longer, freeze the turkey and stuffing separately for up to 3 months.

Vary this Rolled Turkey Quinoa Stuffing to suit your dietary needs

You can easily modify this recipe to suit various dietary needs. For an egg-free version, simply omit the egg in the stuffing—while it may not bind as well, the dish will still be delicious. If you’re avoiding onions, try using fennel instead for a milder flavour. For a garlic-free option, just leave out the garlic. If you’re following a fructose-friendly diet, skip the cranberries, and for a nut-free version, swap pistachios for toasted pumpkin seeds or omit them altogether.

Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for suggestions to alter the recipe to suit many specific dietary requirements.

For more delicious, yet healthy festive recipes, click HERE.

Rolled Turkey with Quinoa Cranberry Stuffing

Prep 30 minutes minutes

Cook 2 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Total 3 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Serves: 12

This Rolled Turkey with Quinoa Cranberry Stuffing is the ultimate special occasion meal... truely fit for a crowd.

MetricUS Customary

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Ingredients

Stuffing

• 60 g butter
• 1 red onion/s - finely chopped
• 4 stick/s celery - finely chopped
• 3 clove/s garlic - minced
• 250 ml chicken broth or stock (1 cup)
• 170 g quinoa (1 cup)
• ¼ cup/s fresh sage leaves - finely chopped
• 3 tbsp flat leaf parsley - finely chopped
• 80 g pistachio nuts - toasted (⅔ cup)
• 60 g dried cranberries (½ cup)
• 4 tbsp almond meal (or more to thicken the stuffing)
• 1 tsp sea salt - or to taste
• 1 egg/s
• ground black pepper - to taste

Turkey

• 7 kg free-range or organic turkey - whole (approx.)**
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil - extra virgin
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
• 500 ml water
• 2 stick/s celery - diced
• 2 carrot/s - diced
• 1 red onion/s - diced
• 4 clove/s garlic - diced

Gravy

• 60 ml red wine (¼ cup)
• 60 ml chicken broth or stock - optional, only if needed (¼ cup)
• 2 tsp cornflour (optional, only if you feel you'd like a thicker gravy)
• 1 tbsp water - to form a slurry with the cornflour

Method

Stuffing

• In a medium sized pot, melt the butter and sweat the onion and celery (with the lid on) until its softened (but not browned). Set aside in a mixing bowl.
• Rinse the quinoa in a fine sieve really well for at least 1 minute (this removes the bitter saponins from the quinoa). Cook the quinoa by placing it into a pot with 2 cups of water.
• Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat a bit to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Remove the pot from heat, cover, and let the quinoa steam for 5 minutes. This step gives the quinoa time to pop open and the little white spiral to appear. After 5 minutes, remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Allow to cool.
• Now mix all the stuffing ingredients together. Taste and adjust the seasoning before adding the egg and mixing through. Keep airtight in the fridge until ready to add to the turkey (I make this a day ahead).
• I personally take the stuffing to my butcher to de-bone the turkey and roll it for me. If you want to tackle this yourself, there are heaps of YouTube tutorials on boning and rolling a whole turkey.
• Once the turkey is boned, it will weigh approx. 4 kg. Work off around 30 mins per kg.
• Pre-heat oven to 200°C / 400°F (fan-forced).

Turkey

• Place the turkey on a large baking tray. Pat the skin dry and drizzle with olive oil and then season well.
• Pour the water into the base of the roasting dish and add the celery, carrots, onion and garlic.
• Cover the turkey with baking paper and then tightly wrap the baking dish in foil (so it retains the moisture).
• Cook for 1.5 hours then remove the foil and baking  paper and increase the heat to 220°C / 425°F. Cook for another 20 minutes to brown the skin. ***
• The turkey is cooked when the juices run clear when pierced. I also use a meat thermometer to ensure it is cooked.

Gravy

• Set the turkey aside on the chopping board (loosley cover with foil) while you make a gravy using the pan juices. Pour all of the juices and vegetables into a small pan. Bring to the boil and add the red wine.
• Let it simmer rapidly to reduce and thicken. You may like to add more stock to the pan to increase the amount of gravy you make.
• You can strain it or puree it with the vegges in it (or just enjoy it chunky). Taste and season to taste.
• If you feel you'd like a thicker gravy, mix the optional cornflour with the tablespoon of water to form a slurry, and mix in with the gravy, stirring until it thickens.

Turkey Size & Cooking Times

• ** When deciding on the size of the turkey you buy, work off about 250 g per person (remembering the boned turkey will weigh a lot less than the whole - my 7kg turkey became just over 4kg). I must say I like to over-cater and like having leftovers for Boxing Day. This recipe would definiately stretch to 16 people.
• ***The cook time will vary a little depending on how thick it is rolled so check the meat frequently ( in 2-3 different parts of the roll). If it's not cooked, add 10 minutes at a time. If you think it's cooked, but the skins not brown, pop under a grill watching it carefully for a few minutes to brown it.
• I always ask the butcher for the bones and carcass which makes the most delicious bone broth.

Variations

Egg-free

Omit the egg. It won't bind quite as well, but it will still be delicious.

Onion-free

Replace the onion with a small bulb of fennel.

Garlic-free

Simply omit the garlic.

Fructose friendly

Just omit the cranberries.

Nut-free

Replace the pistachios with toasted pumpkin seeds or just leave them out.

 

I'd love to hear how you love this recipe. Post a comment below if you make it or if you have any questions!

Course: Main Course

Author: Georgia Harding

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