St. Patrick’s Corned Turkey and Cabbage Recipe

Leave the usual corned beef behind and try this Corned Turkey and Cabbage Dinner, made with the same pickling spices and hearty roasted vegetables for a lighter, festive meal.

Corned Turkey and Cabbage Dinner

This dish is a perfect choice for St. Patrick’s Day or any spring meal when you want the warming, spiced flavors of corned meat without the heavier points of brisket. Instead of the traditional corned beef brisket, this recipe uses a boneless turkey breast seasoned with pickling spices, and the vegetables are roasted alongside the turkey so they caramelize and develop bolder flavor.

Adapted from a Weight Watchers–friendly perspective, this version keeps the classic aromatics—items like allspice, mustard, coriander, cloves and cinnamon—while trimming fat by using turkey. Roasting rather than boiling concentrates the vegetables’ natural sweetness and gives the turkey a nicely browned exterior and juicy interior.

Hi, I’m Sabrina from Cooking with Points, a recipe blog focused on Weight Watchers-friendly dishes. Corned beef is a beloved springtime favorite, but the brisket can be high in points. By swapping turkey breast and using a dry spice rub that recreates corned beef’s pickled profile, you get the same comforting taste in a lighter package.

The result is flavorful and satisfying. While nothing perfectly mimics the exact texture of corned beef brisket, this corned turkey offers the familiar spice blend and the joy of a festive roast without the heavy calorie or points load. If you want extra-crispy roasted potatoes, try a rotisserie-style seasoning on the potatoes for an intense roasted flavor without added fat from poultry skin.

Because we’re using turkey breast, the recipe’s points come mostly from the potatoes, oil and the small amount of brown sugar in the rub, so it’s easier to fit into a lighter eating plan while still enjoying classic seasonal flavors.

Corned Beef–Style Pickling Spices

Corned beef gets its signature taste from a salty brine and a blend of pickling spices such as allspice, mustard seed, coriander, cloves, peppercorns, cardamom and cinnamon. In this roast we recreate that profile using ground spices plus a touch of brown sugar to balance the blend. A high oven temperature gives the turkey breast a chance to brown on the exposed side while staying moist inside.

Because we’re applying spices directly to the turkey rather than brining, a tablespoon of brown sugar is included to round the flavors. It won’t make the turkey noticeably sweet—just more balanced and true to the corned-beef flavor palette.

How to Roast a Juicy Turkey Breast

Choose a boneless turkey breast with the skin on. For this method, place the turkey skin-side down on the baking sheet. Keeping the skin on the bottom traps natural fat against the meat, helping prevent drying while the top browns. After roasting, discard the skin and slice the seasoned, browned turkey to serve. Because this technique protects the meat, you can roast at a higher temperature to achieve good color on top with only a light spray of olive oil.

Seasoning the Turkey

Make a dry pickling spice rub and work it under the skin and over the top of the turkey breast so seasoning reaches the meat on all sides. Even though the skin is discarded before serving, seasoning beneath it keeps the turkey flavorful and juicy during roasting.

More Irish-Inspired Ideas for St. Patrick’s Day

• Irish Oatmeal Leek Soup
• Creamy Cauliflower Mash with Kale (Colcannon)
• Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread
• Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
• Sweet Potato Irish “Nachos”

Corned Turkey and Cabbage Dinner — Recipe

Ingredients

Turkey

• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf, crumbled very finely
• Olive oil spray
• 3 1/2 lbs boneless turkey breast, skin on

Vegetables

• 1 head cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch coins
• 1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1″ chunks
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Combine all the spices and the brown sugar in a small bowl to make the dry rub.
3. Gently pull the turkey skin up from the meat and rub half of the spice mixture directly onto the turkey under the skin.
4. Place the turkey skin-side down on a baking sheet and rub the remaining spices over the top of the turkey breast.
5. Put the turkey in the oven to begin cooking; total turkey cook time will be about 35 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, toss the carrots and potatoes with the canola oil, kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Spread them on the baking sheet around the turkey if there’s space, or on a second sheet.
7. Add the cabbage wedges to the sheet(s) and lightly spray them with olive oil spray.
8. Return the vegetables to the oven and continue roasting for another 30 minutes, or until the turkey is cooked through and the vegetables are beginning to brown.
9. Remove from the oven, discard the skin, slice the turkey and serve with the roasted cabbage, carrots and potatoes.

Nutrition (approx. per serving)

• Calories: 276 kcal
• Protein: 27.4 g
• Carbohydrates: 19.7 g
• Fat: 10 g
• Fiber: 3.8 g
• Cholesterol: 74 mg
• Sodium: 256 mg
• Sugar: 5.6 g

If you try this corned turkey version, please share how it turned out and any tweaks you made. It’s a great way to enjoy the traditional spices of corned beef with a lighter roast and deeply flavored, caramelized vegetables.