Bacon Wrapped Roasted Turkey Breast

Roasted turkey breast recipe & content provided by Ryan Carter, Livevitae

No need to worry about cooking a whole turkey — this roasted turkey breast delivers all the succulent flavor of a whole bird without the all-day cooking time. Since white meat can get dry with roasting, wrapping it in bacon protects the moisture in the meat and gives it a perfectly crisp outer layer.

Related: Creamy Paleo Onion Gravy

For roasted turkey breast, opt for a boned and rolled breast to keep cooking efficient and convenient. The result produces a centerpiece-worthy meal and makes prep very easy, especially if you ask your butcher to bone and roll the breast for you ahead of time.

This roast turkey breast rests on a savory bed of sweet potatoes, parsnips, and leeks, which soak up all the roasting juices and flavor in the meat. While cook time for this recipe is around 90 minutes, you’ll want to use a meat thermometer to ensure that you have fully cooked your turkey, since turkey breast sizes and ovens can vary.

While your roast turkey breast cooks, you can spend time cooking the Brussels sprouts. However, this turkey is worthy of plenty other side dishes. Depending on your dietary needs, you can make easy side dishes like Bulletproof cranberry sauce, keto green beans, or a paleo sweet potato gratin. Wrap up your meal with a no-bake pumpkin pie for a meal that will impress every guest at the table. (And if you have leftovers, remix them into a delicious holiday plate!)

Bacon Wrapped Roasted Turkey Breast

Start to Finish: 90 minutes

Ingredients:

• About 3 pounds pasture-raised turkey breast, boned and rolled
• 23 strips pasture-raised bacon, divided
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 large parsnip, roughly chopped
• 2 leeks, sliced, divided
• 5 cups Brussel sprouts, halved with outer leaves removed
• 2 cups pastured chicken bone broth or filtered water
• 1 tablespoon raw almonds, chopped
• Fresh sage leaves

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large roasting tray, add sweet potatoes, parsnip, and half of the leeks, and mix.
2. Gather 15 strips of the bacon. Spread half of a work surface horizontally. Fold up every other end on the left-hand side about an inch. Add one piece of bacon vertically to the folded section and weave over and under. Repeat with the remaining bacon. This tutorial link is helpful.
3. Transfer the bacon lattice on top of the turkey. Place the turkey on top of the vegetables and place in the oven.
4. Roast for 1 hour. After 1 hour, check whether the internal temperature of the turkey has reached 165 degrees fahrenheit. If not, place the turkey back in the oven and continue to cook, checking the temperature every 10 minutes.
5. While the turkey breast roasts, prepare the Brussels sprouts. Begin by dicing remaining bacon slices. Using a wide saucepan on medium heat, add the bacon and cook for 3 minutes, or until fat renders.
6. Add leeks and Brussel sprouts, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until lightly caramelized.
7. Add bone broth or water and reduce until the sprouts are softened, around 5 minutes.
8. Finish with adding almonds and fresh sage over the top.
9. Remove the roasted turkey breast from the oven. Allow to rest for a few minutes before carving.
10. Plate turkey with vegetables from the roasting tray and Brussels sprouts. Spoon cooking juices from the roasting tray over the meal to finish.

Serves: 6-8

Nutritional Information (Per Serving):

• Calories: 493.1
• Protein: 47.4g
• Total Carbs: 18.7g
• Fiber: 4.2g
• Sugars: 4.2g
• Net Carbs: 14.4g
• Total Fat: 23.3g
• Saturated Fat: 8.3g
• Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.5g
• Monounsaturated Fat: 5.3g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Cholesterol: 104.2mg
• Sodium: 524mg
• Potassium: 502.1mg
• Vitamin A: 5398.3mg
• Calcium: 56.6mg
• Vitamin C: 52.3mg
• Iron: 1.8mg
• Vitamin E: 1.3mg
• Zinc: .7mg
• Vitamin K: 111.1ug

Note on ingredients: Turkey is a “suspect” protein on the Bulletproof Diet because meat (even organic varieties) can come from birds that fed on moldy corn and soy. As a result, turkey has lower-quality fat with more omega-6 fatty acids and potential toxins than other grass-fed animals. If you do eat poultry, look for pastured organic meat (ideally from a local farmer), and only enjoy it a few times per week. Brussels sprouts can be moderately high in oxalates — a type of antinutrient that can cause muscle pain, kidney stones, or thyroid imbalances. To reduce oxalates, steam sprouts separately and drain the cooking water before incorporating in this recipe.