Fresh Turkey Bake

Right out of the oven, ready to cut

Recently, I've been thinking about how we drive ourselves nuts with Thanksgiving preparations that have six different dishes demanding things

COME TOGETHER
at the
PRECISE MOMENT
so everything is hot
AND COOKED
and perfectly seasoned

...and a pie on the sideboard that probably won't be eaten because everyone is in a near coma state from all the dinner carbs.

Cauliflower mashed looks a lot like mashed potatoes

I wondered about a lasagna style make ahead dish made from Thanksgiving foods. Surely someone had thought of this already, right? So I went on the hunt.

I found Nothing! There were tons of the old tired cream-of soup casseroles from the 1960s that are gross, a rolled turkey breast (like you make sandwiches out of) stuffed with stuffing and potatoes, and a few more casseroles with quinoa and noodles and curry and broccoli and lots of cheese and other fatty add-ins. Pass.

So today I made my version of a Turkey Bake that is convenient, freezes well, and is made with wholesome fresh ingredients. I used cauliflower mash instead of potatoes because - well, we like them -- and honestly, in this recipe you can hardly tell the difference, so it would be an ideal time to try cauli-mash if you haven't already.

The recipe was great!  It had great texture, good flavor combinations, all the comfort foods of Thanksgiving in one little square, with plenty of room for a big green salad. I can't wait to finally use up all those sides we usually have left in the fridge - but what I most like about this dish is the balance and honesty of  it.

(Layering is for one 9x13 casserole)

A ladle or two of gravy on the bottom
A layer of fresh cooked and sliced Turkey Breast - side by side
A layer of cauliflower mashed/or potato mashed
A layer of broccoli florets - steamed al dente
A layer of your favorite stuffing
Another layer of turkey breast
Top with your favorite gravy (just a few ladles, don't drench it)

Cover in foil - bake at 350 for 1 hour to heat through. Let rest 5 minutes and serve.

---------------
These were our layers.

Fresh turkey slices with 2 small casseroles being prepped

Turkey: We thawed and baked a 3lb frozen turkey breast at 350 for 90 minutes, and let it cool before slicing 1/4" thick along the largest part of the breast. It gave us 10 good slices, enough for one full casserole dish top and bottom.

Mash:  Trimmed and cut a head of cauliflower and steam in the microwave - we recommend you use the stalks too. Drain well and use a food processor to pulse until smooth. It doesn't work with a masher.  {Do not add water or milk or the cauliflower will be runny}. Turn out into a bowl, season, cool in the fridge and let rest at least 2 hours - preferably more. If you still need to thicken, whip in a little dry Parmesan or dry potato flakes, resting between adds to let it gain body. The trick with cauliflower is not to undercook it. {Or you can just make your usual mashed potatoes}

Cuts and holds its shape like a good lasagna

Broccoli:  Cut into small pieces, cover with saran wrap and microwave it 3 minutes or so until al dente.

Stuffing:  I used Mrs. Cubbison's traditional stuffing bread - and followed the directions on the box - onion, celery, butter, and organic turkey broth and a little sage.

Gravy:  I cooked down gizzards in 2 c water and seasoned it up with herbs (sage, tarragon, marjoram, basil, rosemary, poultry, a little pepper). I added some Better Than Bouillon for depth and some pan drippings and thickened it with a flour roux until it was smooth and not too thick.