This rolled stuffed turkey breast, or turkey roulade, is wrapped around a spinach frittata that keeps it so moist you could cut it with a fork. It is braised with brandy, and it is the recipe my mother made for weekday lunch in Rome.

Rollè di Tacchino turkey roulade served with rice pilaf

My mother started making this Rollè di Tacchino when she began her amateur cooking classes at the Cordon Bleu in Rome.

She cooked it for lunch on weekdays, because in Italy lunch was traditionally the important meal of the day and dinner was light.

We came home from school at noon to a full meal.

Such a nice memory but we have never been able to find the recipe written down anywhere.

Now my mother is 94, and she no longer remembers making it.

Although, I was able to reproduce the recipe and it tastes exactly the same.

It is a good alternative at Thanksgiving if you do not want to cook an entire turkey.

For other roasts for a festive table, you can find my porchetta Romana, stuffed pork tenderloin with chestnuts and cranberries, roast beef and crown roast of lamb.

This recipe is part of my Italian Christmas lunch menu. To see how it fits with the other courses and what you can prepare ahead, you can read Traditional Italian Christmas Dinner: Courses, Menus and Make-Ahead Planning.

Turkey roll is a good alternative at Thanksgiving

Ingredients

To make this rolled stuffed turkey breast you need the following ingredients:

Turkey breast: ask your butcher to cut one large, thin slice of boneless turkey breast. Smaller slices of chicken breast also work if you lay them down next to each other. Once the roll is sliced, you cannot see that it was made from different pieces.
Frittata: my mother filled it with spinach, although the frittata inside can be made with any herbs or vegetables. If you want a frittata to serve on its own, you can find my baked veggie frittata here.
- Eggs: I used 6 eggs and made a thick frittata, but you can use fewer eggs if you want a thinner one.
- Parmigiano
- Spinach
- Herbs: I use a mix of chives and parsley.
Brandy: the roll is deglazed with brandy, and that is what gives it its special flavor.
Chicken stock: it goes in the pot if the meat gets too dry, and it deglazes the pot for the gravy.
Potato starch (fecola di patate): my mother always used it for gravy instead of flour. It thickens it without a raw flour taste and keeps it smooth and clear.
Butter: you can use both butter and olive oil for browning, but I use butter because it combines well with the brandy.
Salt and pepper

You can find the measurements in the recipe card below.

ingredients for the turkey roulade with frittata

Equipment

Oven pot with a lid: the roll is browned on the stove and cooked in the oven in the same pot.
Crepe pan: it keeps the frittata in shape.
Meat tenderizer: it flattens the slice thin.
Kitchen twine: it ties the roll.

Step by step instructions

Frittata

Chop the spinach and the herbs

Mix them with the eggs and the Parmigiano.

Melt the butter in a crepe pan and pour in the mixture, as the crepe pan keeps the frittata in shape.

Turn the frittata over with the lid.

Let the frittata cool down, just so that it does not burn your hands when you roll it.

Rolling

Lay the turkey slice flat and flatten it thin with a meat tenderizer.

Season the meat with salt and pepper and lay the frittata on the meat.

If you are using smaller chicken slices, lay them down side by side.

Roll it up

and tie it with kitchen twine.

Baking

I cook this rolled turkey breast as a brasato. In a brasato the meat sits only partly in the liquid, so the part above it browns, and turning it puts the browned part back into the juice to flavor it. The liquid reduces, and the flavor of the sauce and the meat becomes more concentrated.

Brown the roll in the butter on the stove, in the same pot that goes in the oven.

Deglaze with the brandy.

Cover the pot with the lid and cook the roll in the oven as a brasato, with very little liquid, making sure there is some juice while it cooks.

Turn the roll halfway through cooking so it browns on all sides. If the meat gets too dry, add some of the chicken stock to the pot.

When it is ready, leave the roll to cool down. You can prepare it up to this point the day before.

Gravy

Make the gravy by deglazing the pot with the chicken stock and stirring in the potato starch.

Warm up the roll, remove the twines then slice it.

Warm up the gravy and serve it together with the sliced roll.

Serving suggestions

I serve the rollè sliced, with the warm gravy poured over it and the side dishes next to it, because in an Italian meal the secondo always comes with its contorno. It is a good main to plan for a dinner party, because it can be cooked the day before, and on the day you only need to warm it up and cook the sides.

Sautéed spinach is cooked quickly with only olive oil and garlic, so the spinach stays the main flavor.
Italian roasted potatoes are seasoned with garlic and rosemary, and they turn crispy outside and soft inside. They roast in the oven with little attention, so you can make the gravy in the meantime.
A squash mash made with roasted butternut squash, garlic and spinach is creamy and light. Butternut squash is in season in the autumn, so it suits a Thanksgiving table.

Questions I am often asked

Can I make this turkey roulade with chicken or turkey thighs? Yes. If you cannot get one large slice of turkey breast, lay smaller chicken breast slices down side by side and roll them. Once the roll is sliced, you cannot see that it was made of different slices. You can also use turkey thighs.

Do I need to butterfly the turkey breast? It is best to have your butcher cut a large and thin slice of turkey breast. I use a meat tenderizer to flatten the slice thin.

How do I keep the turkey breast from drying out? Cover the pan and make sure there is some juice while it cooks. As the breast is thin, every bite has half turkey and half frittata, and that keeps the bite moist.

What else can I put in the frittata? My mother filled it with spinach, although the frittata inside can be made with any herbs or vegetables. I use spinach with a mix of chives and parsley, and Parmigiano.

Can I use white wine instead of brandy? Yes.

How do I know when it is cooked? It cooks in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. The safe internal temperature for poultry is 165°F (74°C), measured with a food thermometer in the center of the roll, where the frittata is. When I warm it up the next day, it needs to reach 165°F (74°C) again.

Can I make it ahead? Yes. I bake it the day before and warm it up before serving.

How do I reheat it? I warm up the roll, then slice it, and serve it with the warm gravy.

How do I store leftovers, and can I freeze them? I keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days, and yes, it can be frozen.

Is it a good choice for Thanksgiving? Yes, if you do not want to cook an entire turkey.

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