Turkey & Stuffing Roll-Ups with Cranberries

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Everyone loves comfort food and these easy to make Turkey & Stuffing Roll-Ups with Cranberries has amazing flavors and is so easy to make.  Bake this casserole with your favorite veggies for a quick and tasty dinner. Why wait for Thanksgiving to make this classic meal?

This turkey casserole has all the flavors of the traditional turkey and dressing we love for Thanksgiving without the 12-pound turkey. This is the perfect dish to serve any time of the year, and it is so, so much easier to make.  Yes, you can have turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce in March if you like!

So is it called stuffing or dressing?????

One side of my family calls it stuffing even though they never stuff the turkey, and the other side of the family calls it dressing. But to clear the matter up, stuffing is put inside some type of meat or a vegetable, and dressing is baked separately.  It doesn’t matter because the recipe is the same no matter what you call it (and both taste amazing).

Easy Turkey Dinner How To’s

What’s included in this dinner

1. Turkey Rolls-Ups with cranberry sauce and stuffing
2. Roasted carrots
3.  Mashed potatoes
4. Gravy

The recipe for making this dinner has lots of options so you can pick and choose how you want to make this casserole.

• For this recipe, it is best to use thick slices of deli turkey since they are easier to roll up instead of left-over turkey. I used one pound of deli turkey which was nine slices.
• You can use store-bought stuffing like Stovetop stuffing or you can make your own. Below is the recipe for homemade stuffing. It’s quick to make.
• So many cranberry sauce options. First, you don’t have to use it if you don’t have any or don’t like it. If you do want to use it, you can buy store-bought, use leftover cranberry sauce or make your own.
• The gravy is a must for these turkey rolls, and you have three options here too. Use ready-made gravy such as McCormick Turkey Gravy, Knorr’s Gravy Mix, or make your own. Today I am making homemade gravy because I have a lot of chicken stock to use. Make sure you have plenty to top the stuffed turkey-rolls and the mashed potatoes.
• There is always enough room in the baking dish for some extras. Add your favorite veggies to roast. I put in fresh sliced carrots. You can also add a bag of frozen veggies.
•  Adding mashed potatoes for a side makes this a classic turkey and dressing dinner. Again you can buy premade mashed potatoes and Hormel Homestyle Mashed Pototes are as close to homemade as you can get, or make your own mashed potatoes while the casserole is baking.
• Here is another option. Instead of mashed potatoes, peel and slice or cube some sweet potatoes and add to the baking dish with the turkey roll-ups for your vegetable.
• If you have leftover stuffing make sure to add that to the baking dish if you have room.

Ingredients to make this dinner

• Thick sliced deli turkey
• Cranberry Sauce – I used store-bought since it was right there in the deli, but here is a delicious recipe for homemade cranberry sauce.

Stuffing/Dressing

• Bread – I use multigrain, but white bread or cornbread or a mixture is delicious too
• Egg – large
• Butter
• Onions
• Celery
• Sage
• Parsley
• Salt & pepper

Gravy

• Butter
• Flour
• Chicken or Turkey  Stock – the stock has more flavor than broth but you can use broth
• Half and Half, Cream or Milk
• Salt & Pepper

Side Dishes

• Carrots
• Mashed Potatoes

 

Let’s roll some turkey

There are several steps to this dish, but they are all simple.

Step 1. Add some olive oil or cooking spray to coat the bottom of a 13″ x 9″ baking pan and heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2. On one slice of turkey spread a small amount of cranberry sauce on the turkey, about 1 tsp, if you are using it.

Step 3. Add about 1/4  cup of the stuffing at the bottom of the turkey slice then roll up tightly. Place the roll seam side down in the baking pan.

Step 4.  Repeat with the remaining slices of turkey.

Step 5. If you have any stuffing left, place that at one end of the baking pan.

Step 6. Add your choice of veggies to the other end of the baking pan.  Try to cut your veggies the same size so they bake evenly. I used 1/4″ sliced carrots that I mixed with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Step 7. Cover the turkey rolls with gravy. I reserved some gravy for the mashed potatoes.

At this point, you can refrigerate the casserole for a day or two and then bake.

Step 8. Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 30-45 minutes. The timing depends on the type of vegetables being baked and the veggies getting done.

Homemade Stuffing

Step 1. When making stuffing or dressing it is best to use bread that has been left out overnight to dry out so it absorbs the stock better. Cut the bread slices into small cubes. The easiest way to do this is to cut the bread slice into about 4 strips and rotate the strips and cut into small cubes. Place the bread cubes in a large bowl.

If I know I am making stuffing, I do this step the night before and leave the bowl with the bread cubes sitting on the kitchen counter to dry out.

Step 2. In a small skillet or saucepan melt the butter then add the chopped celery and onions and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Step 3. Combine the bread cubes with the stock, egg, onion and celery mixture, chopped sage and parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix completely to moisten the bread. You can use other types of herbs and seasoning in your stuffing if you like. Thyme and rosemary are always a good choice.

Gravy Ingredients

• Chicken or Turkey Stock/Broth
• Butter
• Flour
• Salt and Pepper
• Optional – add additional herbs and spices to your liking

Basic Homemade Gravy with Chicken or Turkey Stock

Step 1. In a medium-sized skillet, melt the butter.

Step 2. Have a wire whisk ready and add the flour to the melted butter. Whisk in the flour until the mixture is smooth.  This is a butter-roux.

Step 3.  Cook and whisk the butter-roux for about 10 minutes over medium-low heat until the mixture is a medium brown color. This step adds flavor.

Step 4. When the roux is cooked, turn the heat to low and slowly pour in the chicken/turkey stock and whisk this into the roux until the mixture is smooth. Continue cooking at a simmer and whisking for another 10 minutes until the gravy is browned and thickened.

If at this point the gravy is not thick enough, you can mix a slurry of cornstarch and water and whisk into the gravy to thicken. If the gravy is too thick add some additional broth or water.

Step 5. Add the half and half, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine and taste for the right amount of salt. You can also add cayenne pepper, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, or rosemary for added flavors.

Serving this casserole for Thanksgiving is perfect. Over the years we have downsized our Thanksgiving dinner because we don’t have as many families able to visit. So instead of having twelve family and friends for dinner, we now have maybe just me and my husband and my kids if they can get here they join us.

I admit I miss the big family dinners, but if it’s just going to be four of us I am still making the traditional holiday meal, but with a new twist; that’s why we love these turkey roll-ups.

Why make this recipe for turkey roll-ups

• This whole dinner is simple to make and tastes just like the great big turkey dinner
• Each component can be made the way you like, so change things up. Make homemade or use store-bought
• This meal is perfect for smaller families. Honestly, I have no reason to roast a great big turkey anymore, but we still want a turkey dinner
• You can premake the whole casserole a day or two in advance and just pop the baking dish in the oven the day of for the ultimate time savings
• You can scale down this recipe if you don’t need eight rolls
• Everything in this dinner can be reheated in the microwave and comes out just as tasty

Here are some One Hot Oven Favorite Desserts

Cinnamon Madeleine’s are the perfect bite-size dessert treat to go along with a turkey dinner.

Bake a batch of Butter Pecan Blondies for a sweet and nutty dessert treat.

This Pumpkin Sheet Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing is a family favorite and it’s so easy to make.

For a rustic dessert, this Apple Skillet Cake pairs perfectly with this dinner, serve this cake right out of the skillet.

Equipment and Tools for baking this casserole

Serve your casserole out of a colorful ceramic baking dish for a pretty presentation.

For making a smooth gravy a good wire gravy whisk is a must-have tool. I love the shape of this whisk to get into the sides of a pan or bowl and it makes whipping or whisking ingredients super easy.

Don’t forget to pin!

Easy dinners with family are always the best!

Thank you for stopping by the One Hot Oven blog.  Please leave a comment to say Hello or just let me know what you are baking these days, I always love hearing from fellow bakers.

About Jere’

From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California,  my passion for food is never-ending.  Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing both sweet and savory recipes with all my baking friends.

Have any questions or just want to chat about the recipe? Contact me here, and I’ll be happy to help!