Oven Roasted Turkey Breast with spices, herbs, garlic and lemon zest! Tender juicy breast meat with crispy flavorful skin, it’s a simple alternative to a full-sized turkey, perfect for smaller families!
Here’s a simple recipe for Oven Roasted Turkey Breast seasoned with herbs and spices and roasted over a pan of veggies. A delicious one-pan meal perfect for Sunday suppers or the holiday table.
There are times in life when we find ourselves on our own for Thanksgiving. Whether we choose this for our own personal sanity, because of travel logistics, because of illness, or loss, we still can still feel and participate in the spirit of the day.
As long as there is breath, there is always a path towards gratitude.
For me personally, this starts by holding my dear ones in my heart, those here, and those no longer. Brian and I over the years have lost both sets of parents and others too. We all experience loss, and our foundations get jostled. Our family dynamics change.
But the peaceful, quiet, loving place in our hearts remains. My hope is that we all can tap into this state of being within ourselves, no matter what our external environment brings this Thanksgiving. Cheers friends. Love and hugs.
How to make Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
Place a bed of chopped vegetables, tossed with olive oil and pepper, in a large roasting pan as the foundation for the Turkey breast. The drippings will help season the veggies!
Make the flavorful spice rub: Salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried herbs, fresh herbs, lemon zest and paprika.
Add olive oil or melted butter to create a thick paste.
Brush this flavorful paste on all sides of the turkey breast. 
Nestle the turkey into the veggies.
Bake at 375F for 20 minutes per pound of turkey or until the breast registers 160F at the thickest part.
When it comes out it will be beautifully golden and the veggies will be tender.
Let the Turkey Breast 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Save the bones and make a bone broth the next day. A beautiful base for your next soup!
We love this Oven Roasted Turkey with Mushroom Gravy , Mashed potatoes, maple-sweetened cranberry Sauce, and this Vegan Green Bean Casserole!
Hope you have a lovely week,
xoxo
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Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 80 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Main, Poultry
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: Paleo, Gluten-free
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Oven Roasted Turkey Breast with spices, herbs, garlic and lemon zest! Tender juicy meat with crispy flavorful skin, it’s a simple alternative to a full-sized turkey, perfect for smaller families!
Ingredients
4-8 cups Roasting Vegetables: carrots, parsnips, beets, cauliflower, potatoes, brussels sprouts
Bone-in Turkey breast (3-5 lbs) see notes for other options
Spice Paste
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme or rosemary, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, sage or rosemary
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375F
Cut veggies into bite-size pieces, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and place in a large roasting pan.
Prep the turkey breast, patting it dry. Feel free to cut out the backbone ( if it is still intact) and flatten the breast with the palm of your hand.
In a small bowl, stir together the spice paste ingredients, adding just enough olive oil to make a thick paste.
Rub all sides of the turkey breast with the paste and feel free to rub the flesh under the skin as well, if you like. nestle into the veggies.
Bake uncovered in the middle of the oven -for roughly 20 minutes per pound of turkey, or until turkey is cooked through or reaches 160 F in the thickest part of the breast. Check that veggies are done to your liking.
Let the turkey rest, covered in foil for 10 minutes before cutting.
Serve with Mushroom Gravy , and Mashed Potatoes.
Notes
Size of turkey breast will determine cooking time. Plan on 20 minutes per pound. Boneless breasts will cook fastest.
If your turkey breasts are over 5 pounds I would double the spice paste. Any leftover can be brushed over the veggies!
Consider cutting veggies smaller for smaller turkey breasts, and larger for larger turkey breasts. The veggies in the photos above were for a 5 lb turkey breast, so I knew it would need to bake, roughly 100 minutes – so I left the veggies a bit bigger here.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 327
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 47 mg
- Fat: 10.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 41.2 g
- Fiber: 5.1 g
- Protein: 16.9 g
- Cholesterol: 35.6 mg
All I can say is Thank You So Much! I made Christmas dinner for my brother and his wife. My brother recently had surgery for a hip infection. I used all your recipes for the dinner and there were plenty of leftovers so his wife could have a break. Menu:
Pear Salad with Vanilla Fig Dressing
Turkey Breast with Roasted Vegetables
Mashed potatoes with Roasted Garlic
Maple-Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Butternut Squash Risotto
Fresh Cranberry Sauce
Mushroom Gravy
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Everything was such a hit. His wife said the salad was better than what she eats in Vegas. My brother said that he actually has a favorite meal now. He has been eating all the leftovers. Thank you so, so much for all your recipes!!!!! They are so easy to follow and the results are fantastic!
So happy you enjoyed this Michelle- sounds like a lovely menu!
I made this for Sunday dinner – it was perfect! I was able to use up vegetables I had on hand. I cut them to the size you recommended and they were perfectly cooked and delicious.
So glad to hear this Kim!
Fabulous recipe that I plan to use again, maybe even when it isn’t Thanksgiving. We cooked two turkey breasts in a countertop roaster to serve 16. I was worried about the veggies, but they were perfect. The recipe was easy but delicious. Thank you!
Glad to hear this Maureen!
Hi there! I will be making this recipe for Thanksgiving dinner. Just a quick question – sometimes turkey breast can be dry. I was thinking of brining ahead of time. Do you recommend brining? If so, I guess I would just delete the salt from the spice paste.
Yes you can absolutely brine! I still might add a little salt, not all though…
My first attempt at cooking turkey turned out fantastic! This was delicious with your mushroom gravy and baked apples for dessert. Thanks for all these wonderful recipes.
Awesome Paula- sounds like a nice menu!
My family and I enjoyed this recipe for Thanksgiving dinner! However, in my case the veggies were not quite done when the turkey was done. I should have checked them with a fork when I removed the turkey, and put them back in the hot oven to continue cooking. In my case, I had a heavy roasting pan, double-layer-thick bed of veggies cut into “mouthful-sized” pieces, and two 3-lb breasts side-by-side on top and I used a wired oven thermometer to tell me when it reached 160. Next time I will definitely cut the veggies smaller, into bite-sized pieces, and halve the brussel sprouts. I did not make mashed potatoes since this already had potatoes in it. I made the mushroom gravy with Shitake’s and it was a good match. Thank you! 🙂
Thanks for the feedback Jeff. Yes I guess it depends on the size of the veggies and the weight of the turkey. 🙂
Hi! I’m looking to cook a small Turkey breast for my boyfriend this year. You mentioned turning heat down to 350F after 30mi. And cook until 165F at thickest point – what is estimated time for that? Don’t want to be checking it every 15min.
Appreciate the help and really looking forward to making this recipe this year! I don’t eat Turkey but it still sounds amazing.
Hi Heather- sorry, this is terrible, but I can’t remember now….it has been so long. I can’t imagine it taking more than another 30 minutes or so, especially if it is small.
I made this last night–with thinly sliced potatoes instead of cauliflower rice. It was great. A keeper!
Hi Sylvia: This was really good for me, but my husband needed a little more flavor. I wonder if there’s something I could add? Thank you!
Hi Ewa, I see the issue and adjusted the recipe. Sorry about that. Gremolata would be good here, or mushroom gravy?
There will only be 3-4 family members for Thanksgiving this year at our table due to the pandemic. Could I simply double this recipe? About how many pounds of turkey breast would you recommend I get?
Thank you!
I would get two bone-in breasts – not sure of the weight. You’ll still have leftovers most likely.
Delicious and easy. My wife loved this.
We made this for a simple Christmas dinner for two. Delicious! Felt special but still very easy.