Turkey Scaloppini
I spent a summer in Italy, studying, traveling and eating.
The program I traveled with set up a deal with one of the local restaurants, and every night at 5:30, my classmates and I trouped down the big hill on which we lived to the famous eatery, trekked down a few flights of stairs after dropping five euros on a bottle of wine to split, and then sat down at family-style tables, anxiously awaiting whatever the chef had whipped up for us that evening.
The good thing was I tried several local and different dishes I wouldn’t have if I was selecting my meal nightly.
The bad thing was we were never told what we were eating, so this led to some confusion and to some disappointment, especially when we headed home because I had no clue how to find or make some of the dishes I absolutely loved while there. And while I asked several waiters what we were eating on nights that I adored the food on my plate, I can safely say that my Italian speaking skills made it challenging. (However, I did learn about risotto this way, so hooray for that!)
For the longest time since my adventures abroad, I’d been trying to find a dish similar to this one… and when I was participating in Lindsey’s 10-day challenge, I discovered that one of these long-lost dishes was a scaloppini. And that this version? It’s pretty darn scrumptious and fulfilling, almost as much as the dish I remember during my Cortonese summer.
Typically with scaloppinis, you’ll bread and then sauté the protein. I have chosen to forgo this step in my recipe, as I love the flavors as they are without the additional breading, though if you’d like to do that, please feel free. (Lindsey suggested using whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour and only a little to let the turkey shine.)
This turkey scaloppini would be delightful over a bed of pasta. However, I’ve eaten it by itself and with a side salad, and it has been wonderful. You’ve just got to make sure you have some of the sauce, as that is my favorite part.
And with that said, here’s my adaptation of the recipe she sent my way all those months ago:
Turkey Scaloppini
Ingredients
- 1 lb. turkey breasts
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 2 ½ cups turkey stock warm (can substitute chicken stock)
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions
- Season the turkey breasts with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet, and sautee the turkey until browned on both sides.
- Remove the turkey from pan and set aside.
- Add the shallot and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and sautee for 5 minutes.
- Add in 1 cup of broth and simmer until dry on low.
- Add back in the turkey and simmer for 30 more minutes with the other 1 1/2 cups broth or until the liquid has almost completely evaporated.
- Add the lemon juice, then enjoy!
Nutrition
Have you ever been given food and eaten without knowing what it was? Did you later try to learn what you had devoured?
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
Looks AMAZING! I love making turkey scaloppini. This recipe totally sounds like perfection though, I gotta try it soon as I have everything in my kitchen already, yay!
Thanks, Natalie! It’s scrumptious! And I love that you’re gonna give it a go. Please let me know how it turns out!
YUM! I think I would be a little apprehensive if I didn’t know what I was eating. Glad you found what out what it was 🙂
I can understand your apprehension! I was at first, to be honest, but I decided early on to go with it since it was all pretty darn tasty! It was a different way of eating… but I would happily go back and continue to eat like that since all the food was delicious!
This is incredibly easy! I’ve done something similar but never knew the name either. Looks like I now have to thank you for giving me the name of this lovely weeknight dinner. 🙂
It really is, and it is incredibly delicious, too! And I love that you didn’t know the name to it, either. 🙂 Have you made it yet? And what did you think?
I’m SO jealous of your time in Italy. I always wanted to study abroad but just wasn’t adventurous enough 🙁 I graduated from college a few years ago and have been kicking myself the whole time since! I wouldn’t have eaten as adventurously though, I’ve always asked a lot of questions for dietary restriction purposes
Aww, I’m sad that you didn’t feel adventurous enough to study abroad during college. That just means that you’ve got to save up a little and study abroad on your own now, right? 😉 If there was a way, I’d go back and spend a LOT more time in Italy and Europe, in general, because it was a blast and a HUGE learning experience for sheltered 21-year-old me.
And I feel you on dietary restrictions and needing to know ingredients. I’m allergic to most tropical fruits (major wamp wamp), so I always have to ask about those. And I’m sure with you being a vegetarian that you have to be super careful and aware because of that!
Well worth the effort, I’m sure, to recreate this dish! So happy you did, I am definitely trying this recipe myself!
-Shannon
Well worth the effort, I’m sure, to recreate this dish! So happy you did, I am definitely trying this recipe myself!
-Shannon
Thanks so much, Shannon! I’d love to know what you think about the dish if you have the opportunity to make it yourself! Not only it is easy, but I like to think it’s pretty darn tasty, too.
This is incredibly easy! I’ve done something similar but never knew the name either. Looks like I now have to thank you for giving me the name of this lovely weeknight dinner. 🙂