I got home *really* late the other day. Ha! Did you notice how I said that like it was a rare occurrence? Anyway, I needed dinner and I needed it now. I had sleep to get to. And a desperately fluffy cat that was giving me the stink eye for being gone for 16 hours and 17 minutes. There’s no sneaking in the back door past Miss Daisy, you know. At that point, this Tarragon Turkey with Leeks wasn’t even an idea in my mind.
I threw open the doors of the ‘fridge and peered inside. Sometimes when I do that I feel like I’ve just stepped onto the set of “Chopped”, except my 5 things are in the ‘fridge, not a wicker picnic basket. And no one is going to be judging me. Except Daisy. I can always count on Daisy to let me know what’s what.
I had roast smoked turkey slices (the thin deli-style meat), Greek yogurt, leeks and crimini mushrooms. Of course I had leeks. When does my ‘fridge ever not have leeks in it? I figured I had about 15 minutes before my head would start to nod and my eyelids require match sticks. My choices appeared to be:
- Eat the turkey and call it good.
- Down the yogurt and pretend it was cottage cheese or something less like dessert. Or just eat it and revel in the fact that it was dessert.
- Ignore that I was hungry and go to bed.
- Cook something.
Here were the downsides to each of those options:
- Boring. And cold.
- Boring. And cold. And for some inexplicable reason, yogurt makes me hungry, so that wouldn’t work.
- Never a good idea. Going to bed hungry is not the path to a great sleep.
- Time and energy.
So I opted to do #4 using as little time and energy as possible. This was the result. Tarragon Turkey with Leeks.
Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum.
Tarragon does something magical to turkey, you know. If I had to name my herb of the year, it would be tarragon. It totally transforms this Tarragon Turkey with Leeks 10-minute-dinner from deli-meat dish to terrific turkey taste-fest.
Another 10 minutes later it was lights out. Daisy approved.
As much as I love to cook, there’s a lot to be said for 10-minute-dinners that are this simple, fast and tasty.
And, if you’re single like me, there’s even better news. You have lunch or dinner for tomorrow already done. Score! Tarragon Turkey with Leeks for the win.
Tarragon Turkey with Leeks
Author: Carrie Brown | Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 10 mins | Total time: 15 mins | Serves: 2
What You Need
- 1 TBSP coconut oil
- 2 large leeks, thinly sliced
- 7 oz / 200g roast smoked turkey slices, cut into thin strips
- 4 oz / 110g crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup / 4 fl oz. full-fat Greek Yogurt (DO NOT USE fat-free!)
- 1 TBSP fresh tarragon, chopped
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 oz / 28g pine nuts
What You Do
- Heat the coconut oil in, add the sliced leeks and saute, stirring frequently, over medium heat for 5 minutes until leeks are softened.
- Stir in the thin strips of turkey and the sliced mushrooms and continue to saute until the mushrooms and turkey are warmed through – about 3 minutes.
- Gently stir in the chopped tarragon and yogurt.
- Turn the turkey mixture into a casserole dish.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese and pine nuts evenly over the top of the turkey.
- Place under a hot broiler (grill) until the pine nuts turn golden brown. Don’t walk away – you’ll end up with burnt nuts! And no one – anywhere – likes burnt nuts.
Top Recipe Tips
- If you try and cook with non-fat or low-fat Greek Yogurt you will find that it curdles when heated. There’s a very sciency explanation, but all you really need to know is to always use full-fat yogurt when the recipe requires heating.
- You can use any mushrooms you like or have on hand.
- You can also use chicken slices, the tarragon tastes great with chicken too.
- Check out the Ingredients Guide for information on ingredients.
- Where Are The Macros and Nutritional Info?
Helpful Cooking and Recipe Links
- Come laugh and learn with us over at The Kitchen Podcast
- Come hang out in The Keto Kitchen Facebook Group
- For lots more great recipes check out our scrumptious cookbooks!
Podcast Episodes
Ladyp1234Am eating this now – for breakfast! – and it is very tasty. Used cooked chicken, dried tarragon and pumpkin seeds cos didn’t have turkey, fresh tarragon or pine nuts. Have put other half to be side to grill for lunch. This is my first SANE meal after a few days of inSANEity brought on by a weekend away. Driven back to SANEity to stop the cravings, sleep and feel better again. I might keep falling off the wagon but I keep coming back!!! Thanks for the recipe…..
carrieCongrats on keeping on coming back, Lady P! It’s true – you do feel so much better eating SANE!!
LisaGreat tasting, quick and easy! Both husband & I liked it a lot. Would reheat well for lunches too.
carrieLisa – I love how well turkey and tarragon go together! I also love that this is so fast and tasty :-) I’ve even eaten it for breakfast :-)
DianeMade a dish inspired by your recipe but I ran out of leeks (the horror) so I used onions, no tarragon so I just made a medley of sage, rosemary and thyme. No full fat Greek yogurt so I used sour cream. Guess what? It turned out pretty tasty even with my substitutions. It is waiting to be eaten for tomorrow’s lunch.
carrieYou RAN. OUT. OF. LEEKS??? Oh, the shame!! ;-) I hope you try it with leeks and tarragon when you can!! How was lunch?
Andrea M.This was absolutely first rate! I made it with chicken because I didn’t have smoked turkey, and it was still delicious. Can’t wait to use the recipe for some of my turkey leftovers after Thanksgiving!
Tina HornerThis is so incredibly delicious!! I am trying very hard not to eat the 2nd helping!!
Tina HornerI just made this and it is so incredibly delicious!! I am trying very hard not to eat the 2nd helping!!