BAKED BREAST OF TURKEY PARMESAN

A great one pan dinner, this is a boneless, skinless,fillet of turkey breast baked in a cast iron skillet. Topped with slices of fresh Mozzarella cheese covered with diced tomatoes flavored with basil, garlic & oregano, this is a protein-rich meal that only took about 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to bake.

1. 3 TBS EVOO
2. 1 teaspoon garlic powder
3. 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
4. 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
5. 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
6. 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Blackened Seasoning
7. 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8. 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
9. 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
10. 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
11. 1 12 ounce boneless skinless Turkey Breast
12. 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
13. 1 14/5 oz can petite dice tomatoes
14. 2 oz Mozzarella cheese (about 3 slices)
15. 2 tablespoons fresh basil, roughly chopped

Whisk the egg with 1 TBS of water until well blended.

Place the 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs in a flat dish or bowl (I like to use a large paper plate here) and mix in all of the herbs and spices along with the shredded Parmesan cheese.

Completely coat the raw turkey cutlet in the egg mixture, then place it on top of the breadcrumb mixture and press it down. Flip it over and repeat this process.

Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees f.

1. When the oil is hot, brown both sides of the coated breast of turkey (about 3 minutes per side, being careful not to burn it).
2. Momentarily remove the browned cutlet from the pan and spread a couple of tablespoons of diced tomato (with some juice) over the bottom of the skillet.
3. Place the browned cutlet on top of the tomatoes and cover with almost all of the remaining canned tomatoes (reserving just a tablespoon or two).
4. Place the slices of fresh Mozzarella on top of the tomato covered fillet, then cover the cheese with the remaining spoons of diced tomatoes.
5. Bake uncovered in the oven at 400 degrees f for 25 minutes.
6. While the turkey is baking, you can chop the fresh basil and have it ready to be used as a final topping.
7. After 25 minutes, check to make sure the turkey cutlet is fully cooked (I usually insert a long bamboo skewer into the meat; if it can quickly and easily be inserted all the way through, I'm satisfied that the dish is done).
8. Remove the skillet from the oven (be extremely careful; it is hot) and top with the shredded Basil.

Although you might want to serve this dish with a side salad, or perhaps some hot garlic bread, I was content to enjoy it as is, along with a nice glass of Chianti. Nothing else needed!

Mangiare e gustare!

(As usual, I have estimated the nutritional value of this recipe to the best of my ability using the MyFitNessPal Recipe Analyzer (click on the image to enlarge).