Rich, moist and succulent and packed with the flavours of aromatic herbs, this Greek style roast turkey with a warm salad on the side makes the perfect family meal or supper party dish too. The Mediterranean diet doesn’t get much better than this quick and easy tasty dish!
When you think of turkey and Christmas it is always all about the whole bird, legs, breast, the whole works. You think of hours in the kitchen and endless preparations and cooking.
Well what if you don’t want to go the whole hog (or rather bird) but still want turkey but without all the trimmings, fuss and bother?
This Greek style turkey with a warm salad and served with couscous is the way to go.
You’ll get all the flavour of turkey and none of the hassle. While a whole turkey can be dry, this turkey breast fillet is seriously moist and succulent, giving you the true taste of turkey at its best.
Not Just For Christmas!
Remember the old slogan, ‘A dog is for life, not just for Christmas’?
Well I think that should be said about turkey. This bird shouldn’t just be served at Christmas, it is a high-quality protein, low in fat and super tasty and should feature on your dinner table for more often.
Why is this Greek style? Well, it’s all in the herbs for me. Using oregano, parsley and mint just cries Greece to me.
The addition of feta just underlines the whole Greek vibe completely and of course that classic triumvirate of tomatoes, peppers and courgettes screams Greek cooking all the way to the taverna!
Ingredients for your Greek style roast turkey
- 1 turkey breast fillet
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried mint
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the warm Salad
- 1 cup green beans
- 1 small courgette sliced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 10 baby tomatoes
- 1 small onion sliced
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- a few cubes of feta cheese
- a few torn mint leaves to serve
How to make this dish
- This is such a quick way to cook turkey, you are simply going to cover it with the dried herbs, lemon zest and seasonings and marinate it in the fridge for 1 hour to get all those gorgeous flavours into the meat.
- After this you simply sear the meat for about 3 minutes on each side in a hot pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then cover the pan and lower the heat and let it cook through for 10-12 minutes.
- Test with a thin knife in the centre to make sure the meat is completely done and remove from the pan and keep warm under a clean tea towel.
- For the warm salad simply blanch the green beans, courgettes and peppers for 2 minutes in boiling water and drain.
- Toss all the veggies in the olive oil, season well and pop in the oven at 190C/375F for 30 minutes.
Serve this hearty and super tasty dish with a few cubes of feta cheese and torn mint leaves over the salad and some couscous and lemon.
Quick and easy
This is such an easy meal to prepare. Eat it any time of year but if you do want to put a different spin on the festive table this year then why not try Greek style roast turkey!
Christmas doesn’t have to be totally traditional you know, you can always add and subtract as you fancy.
Looking for more Greek cooking inspiration? Then check out these super tasty recipes;
Traditional Stifado Greek beef stew
Greek roast chicken with coffee
Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.
Greek Style Roast Turkey With A Warm Salad
Ingredients
- 650 g turkey 1 turkey breast fillet
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 2 tbsp oregano dried oregano
- 1 tbsp parsley dried parsley
- 1 tsp mint dried mint
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Salad ingredients
- 1 cup green beans
- 1 small small courgette sliced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 1 small onion sliced
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste to taste
- 2 tbsp feta cheese
- 1 tbsp mint fresh mint leaves to serve
Instructions
- Marinate the turkey breast in the lemon juice with the zest and dried herbs and seasonings for one hour (in a non metalic dish and covered)
- Press down hard on either side of the fillet with a rolling pin to flatten it a little and make it easier to cook.
- Fry in the olive oil in a hot pan for 3 minutes on each side to sear and seal.
- Lower the heat and cover the pan either with a lid of tinfoil and cook for a further 10-12 minutes until the fillet is completely cooked all the way through.
- Place all ingredients into an oven proof dish and season well, add the oil, cover and bake in the over (190C/375F) for 30 minutes.
Make the salad
- Make the salad by quickly blanching the green beans, courgettes and peppers in boiling water for 2 minutes then drain.
- Serve the salad with the feta cheese tossed into it and with a scattering of torn mint leaves alongside the turkey, add some couscous and lemon to finish the dish.
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