Easy Turkey Breast Tenderloin Recipe
Turkey breast tenderloin is on sale at Kroger this week. Except for the winter holiday season, these are already a very affordable purchase, so why wouldn’t we take advantage of this opportunity?
We’re going to start off with a smattering of turkey tenderloin pictures, so go ahead and just scroll down if you just want to get to the recipe. The great thing about turkey, much like chicken, is that its flavor is so widely compatible that it almost doesn’t matter how you prepare it - your family will love it!
Man, does this ever look good! And complicated, oh boy. Who has the time for something like this? Well, as a matter of fact, you do! The vegetables are half the presentation, and what do we see? Zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, celery, grape tomatoes, corn. Chances are you’ve got most or all of these in your refrigerator. At the least you’ve got a can of corn, which is like 80% of the veggie layer.
We see here that the turkey tenderloin has been prepared as a roulade, with what appears to be some sort of savory/nutty fig stuffing…. but frankly we can skip all that and it’d still look/taste amazing.
Keeping it simple. It appears to have been marked on a grill, but that’s not really necessary. You could just sear it and bake it, or even just bake it. Searing/charring the outside is purely for flavor, contrary to popular belief. That whole “locking in moisture” myth is just that - a myth.
What is that vegetation? Watercress? I’m not sure, and I’m not looking it up. The point here is that with just two ingredients (three if you count salt), you have a simple, delicious, nutritious lunch that looks absolutely gourmet.
How good does this look, honestly? And again, it’s super simple.
What do we have here, sugar snap pea pods? Snow peas, maybe? I have no idea, and it’s not important. It could just as well be asparagus or brussels sprouts. (Fun fact - Brussels always has the ‘s’, but it’s silent). The turkey tenderloin looks like it was just thrown right into the oven - nothing wrong with that. And is that… is that KFC barbeque sauce?! I think it is, omg! Awesome!
Oh hell yeah, brussels sprouts. Looks like some mashed sweet potato, and some sort of creamy mushroom sauce. I want to say that the yellow stuff is cheese.
You’d never know this was a poor man’s dinner. Heck, a poor family could affordably eat this on a regular basis. A can of cream of mushroom soup is probably the sauce. You’ll have to spend the extra $0.50 cents on the good kind, though, with actual mushrooms in it. Or don’t, who cares? It’ll taste the same.
As far as the cheese goes, I’m thinking it’s like havarti or something along those lines. On a tighter budget, though, you could just use American slices, with some shaky cheese on top. (Grated parmesan browns really well, really fast. It can be the cheap stuff that’s mostly filler -in fact it works even better from a physics standpoint).
I feel like bacon-wrapped this and bacon-stuffed that isn’t as wildly popular as it once was. That said, let’s be honest - this is an easy win. You could even substitute turkey bacon. Or goose/duck bacon. You hunting families already know the joy of bacon made from a Canadian goose.
While you could wrap the raw turkey loin in bacon prior to cooking, things could go sideways depending on the thickness of both the bacon and the tenderloin. I personally would probably do it that way, but there is an easier way.
Cook the turkey first, either all the way or just a little less. Now you wrap it with bacon, and pop it back in the oven. Or, if the turkey loin is fully done, just finish it in a frying pan. Either way, you don’t have to try to balance cooking times!
I can’t tell for certain, but it looks like a portion of bacon-wrapped turkey tenderloin. Perhaps it’s prosciutto. The sauce could be just about anything, even some of that KFC BBQ sauce. Some green beans, a sweet potato… Easy, delicious, and affordable.
You know what this looks like? It looks like they took the marinated turkey breast tenderloin package from Kroger, sear it in a pan, and popped it in the oven. I’m skeptical as to whether or not they actually had oranges in the roasting pan.
Ingredients
Cooking oil spray - Or just whatever oil you have on hand. Cooking spray is just canola oil or canola/soy blend (usually). Olive oil would be our preference.
1 1/2 lbs turkey tenderloin (2 tenderloins) - This is on sale at Kroger right now.
1 tsp kosher salt - ANY SALT IS FINE. Coarseness and overall ‘saltiness’ varies, but it literally doesn’t matter if you use iodized table salt or coarse sea salt. Just adjust the amount to taste.
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- If using fresh herbs, you’ll need something like twice the amount. There’s different opinions on exactly how much, and there’s probably an actual mathematical formula that is “best” on a molecular level - It doesn’t really matter. Just know that you need “more”. Also, fresh herbs cost more.
The flavor differences dry and fresh are subtle and highly subjective; and far more difficult to quantify than the overall potency is.
1/4 tsp ground black pepper - The cheaper, older, and more finely ground it is, the more you’ll probably need (to a point). Freshly-cracked peppercorns are exponentially more potent, because chemistry.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spray a 9x13-inch glass baking dish with cooking oil spray. Arrange the turkey tenderloins in the pan. Spray with cooking oil spray. - If using oil, just use your fingers or a brush to coat the pan. Also, you can use metal pans, if you prefer. In that case I’d add a quarter inch of water, just so it’s easier to clean later on.
In a small bowl, stir together the salt, sage, thyme, rosemary and black pepper. Rub all over the tenderloins. - You don’t need to dirty another bowl for no reason, you can just use do this inside the baking dish. To each their own - Your house, Your rules.
Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, until it’s 160 degrees internally (use a meat thermometer to check). - Make sure your thermometer is calibrated properly. Or just cut into the thickets part of the meat and see if it’s done. Salmonella won’t kill you, but it’ll definitely ruin your weekend.
Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing. - It’s still cooking, plus it’s super hot. Plus, this gives you time to set the table and yell at your husband to turn off the TV.
Remember, cooking is just a matter of opinion.