Festive Stuffed Turkey Breast with Sausage & Marsala-Cranberries

Course : Mains | Cuisine: British | Servings : 6 persons | Cook Time : 3 hours+

When planning your Christmas menus, you want centrepieces that impress—but you also need efficiency, quality and menu-versatility. Our halal-certified turkey breast (or crown for larger covers) offers all that. By stuffing it with savoury Italian or chicken sausage and sweet-tart cranberries steeped in Marsala / hibiscus tea, you’ll bring festive flair, show-stopper presentation and ease of carving.

This dish suits catering in school halls, hotels, banquet events or care-home functions, offering both “wow” factor and practical roll-out. It keeps well for buffets, is easily portioned, and responds well to slicing in advance—ideal when service needs to be smooth and scalable. Using our premium turkey ensures consistency and halal-compliance across your operation.

Pair it with roasted root vegetables, a fresh winter salad or creamy mash, and you’ve covered flavour, texture and seasonality. This recipe also allows make-ahead preparation of the stuffing and turkey breast—giving catering teams more flexibility during the busy festive period.

Operational Tips for Foodservice

Prepare the stuffing in advance and refrigerate—saves time on service day.
Butterflying the turkey allows faster, more even cooking and easier slicing for buffet or plated service.
Use turkey breast size and cooking timings consistent across covers to streamline planning.
This dish works perfectly for seasonal corporate lunches, school Christmas dinner spreads, hotel banquet menus or care-home festive days.
Because it holds hot or chilled well, it gives flexibility for both plated meals and buffet roll-out.

Ingredients

For the stuffing:
- 100 g dried cranberries
- 100 ml Marsala wine or hibiscus tea
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground all-spice
- 2 tsp chopped fresh sage
- 1 kg Italian or chicken sausage meat (or vegetarian sausage alternative)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 50 g grated Parmesan
- 60 g fresh breadcrumbs
For the turkey breast:
- 1 x Riverside Foods halal turkey breast joint (approx. 2.5–3 kg, boned and butterflied, skin on)
- 4 tbsp goose fat or duck fat (or substitute melted butter/rapeseed oil)
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method

In a small saucepan, bring the dried cranberries and Marsala/tea to the boil; remove from heat and set aside to steep.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan and sauté the shallots for about 1 minute. Add the ground cloves, all-spice and chopped sage; stir.
Squeeze the sausage meat from its skins into the pan, breaking it up and cooking until no pink remains (approx. 5 minutes).
Remove pan from heat and transfer contents to a large bowl. Add the steeped cranberries (and any Marsala liquid) and allow to cool.
When cool, mix in the beaten eggs, Parmesan and breadcrumbs until well combined.
Preheat oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan)/Gas 6.
Lay the butterflied turkey breast flat. Spread the stuffing evenly over the centre and wings of the joint, leaving a small margin at the edges. Carefully fold the two “wings” over one another to encase the stuffing. Secure with skewers or butcher’s twine.
Place the turkey breast on a large roasting tray, skin side up. Season well with salt and pepper, smear over the goose fat (or substitute).
Roast for approximately 2 – 2½ hours (adjust for size). The internal temperature should reach 75 °C in the thickest part. Remove earlier at ~73 °C if resting will continue cooking.
Once fully cooked, transfer to a carving board and tent with foil; rest for at least 20 minutes.
Slice thickly (approx. 1.5–2 cm thick) to ensure the stuffing stays intact. Serve hot or cold—excellent for buffets or pre-carved service.