Turkey with Marsala Sauce
This turkey with homemade marsala sauce turns your holiday leftovers into an Italian inspired entree that will have your family asking for seconds.
This easy Marsala sauce recipe was inspired by leftover Thanksgiving turkey breast but it makes a delicious meal any time of year. Once you learn how to make this delicious homemade marsala wine sauce you can add it to turkey or chicken and enjoy it any night of the week.
We’re all about coming up with creative ways to use up Thanksgiving leftovers, our favorite sandwich, sliders, one pot meals, and a delicious turkey shepherd’s pie. This year we’re adding turkey marsala to the list.
A homemade sauce takes your turkey from drab leftovers to an amazing Italian dish that your entire family will love. Serve it over our leftover Not Your Mom’s mashed potatoes or Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and you have an entire meal!
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Hosting a small gathering for the holidays this year? Check out our post on The Best Way to Cook Turkey Breast for Thanksgiving Dinner for 3 ways to make a juicy turkey!
What You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make this great tasting turkey marsala.
- Butter– Butter provides richness and flavor when you saute the turkey.
- Mushrooms – Use your favorite variety, we aren’t picky and use whatever is available at the grocery store.
- Aromatics – Onions and garlic make this smell and taste amazing.
- Flour – You can use gluten free flour if needed.
- Marsala Wine – Look for authentic, dry marsala wine. If you can’t find it or want to skip the alcohol see our tips below for substitutions.
- Beef Broth – Adds richness to the sauce, but you could use chicken broth or turkey broth for a slightly lighter tasting sauce.
- Cooked turkey breast – This can be your leftover turkey breast from a holiday dinner or cooked chicken breast or even rotisserie chicken for a quick and delicious meal!
Instructions
1. Saute the mushrooms and onions. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter. Next, add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Once the mushrooms are wilted and browned, add the onions and garlic to the mushrooms and continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes until mushrooms and onions are tender and cooked through.
Once they are cooked through, remove the onions and mushrooms and set aside.
2. Make the sauce. Return the skillet to the heat and add the remaining butter and the flour. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
Next, add the marsala wine to the skillet. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Once the pan is deglazed, add the beef broth and turn the heat up bringing the mixture to a boil.
Boil for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, and then reduce to a simmer. Keep cooking the mixture until it is reduced by half. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon. This should take about 10 minutes.
Bring It All Together
Once the sauce has thickened, add the cooked mushrooms and onions to the sauce. Stir it all together.
Next, place the sliced turkey in the sauce and top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Place a lid on top of the pan and continue to cook for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Serve the marsala over mashed potatoes or make a fresh batch of spaghetti and serve over the noodles.
What is Marsala Wine?
Marsala is a fortified wine that comes from Sicily. Fortified wine simply means it has brandy added in. Italians often use dry marsala wine for cooking. It adds notes of vanilla, dried fruits like apricots and raisins, and nuts. When adding marsala to a sauce, it creates a rich caramelized, nutty flavor.
You should stay clear of using marsala cooking wine. This is not authentic and has a different flavor from using the real wine from Sicily. It also has added salt, which can make your sauces or dishes overly salty if you are not careful.
Marsala wine may be dry or sweet. We use dry wine in cooking. If you find a sweet bottle, you can use it, but it will create a slightly sweeter flavor to the dish.
What can be Used in Place of Marsala Wine?
If you can’t find marsala wine, you can substitute with a dry Madeira wine but if you’re going to use Madeira you might as well make our Chicken Madeira recipe 🙂 . The two wines are made differently, but they have a similar flavor profile.
If you don’t want to use wine at all, you can use additional beef broth. It will not give you the same flavor, though. It will end up tasting more like a beef gravy with turkey.
For other great ideas for marsala wine substitutions, you can check out this guide. It offers several ways to substitute a different wine for a relatively similar flavor.
Looking for More Italian Recipes?
- Baked Turkey Meatballs
- Keto Chicken Piccata
- Keto Chicken Parmesan Roll Ups
- Chicken Alfredo Zucchini Lasagna
- Chicken Parmesan Roasted Spaghetti Squash
- Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Roll Ups
- Chicken Florentine
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
- Chicken Parmesan Bake
- One Pot Creamy Chicken Tortellini
- Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Chicken
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Turkey with Marsala Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons Butter
- 8 ounces Mushrooms, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup Onions, diced
- 1 tablespoon Garlic
- 2 tablespoons Flour
- 1 cup Marsala Wine
- 1 ½ cups Beef Broth
- 16 ounces Cooked turkey breast, slices approximately ½ inch thick
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter.
- Add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes.
- Add onions and garlic to the mushrooms and continue to cook for 5 minutes until mushrooms and onions are tender and cooked through. Once cooked set mushrooms and onions aside.
- Add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour. Stir and cook for one minute.
- Add Marsala wine to the skillet to deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Add beef broth and turn the heat up bringing the mixture to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, and then reduce to a simmer. Keep cooking until mixture is reduced by half and the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Approximately 10 minutes.
- Add the cooked mushrooms and onions to the sauce stirring together.
- Place the sliced turkey in the sauce and continue to cook for 3-5 minutes, or until warmed through.
- Serve over mashed potatoes or vegetables.
Nutrition
