10 Turkey Deli Meat Recipes for a Quick Homemade Lunch & Dinner (2024)

FAQs

What is a good deli lunch meat? ›

The FDA defines 2 ounces as a serving size in regards to deli meat. That being said, one pound of product would equal 8 servings per pound.

Yes, some of these recipes are for sandwiches, but others fold the protein into appetizers, pot pies, and even breakfast casseroles. You're bound to find fresh inspiration in one of these tasty dishes that will help you waste not, and put leftover deli meat to good use.

Souse is pickled meat and trimmings usually made from pig's feet, chicken feet or cow's tongue, to name a few parts. The cooked meat or trimmings are cut into bite-sized pieces and soaked in a brine made of water, lime juice, cucumbers, hot pepper, salt and specially prepared seasonings.

Cold cuts come pre-cooked and need no preparation before being served as a dish. We can safely bid adieu to the morning rush hours and have our kids' lunch boxes ready within minutes thanks to the lunch meat, deli meat, or cold cut whatever you may prefer to call it.

Go with lean protein.

Meat can be part of a healthy sandwich — the secret is choosing lean, unprocessed sources of protein that don't burden your sandwich with excess fat and calories. “Choose healthy proteins like sliced chicken, fish, or turkey, or even canned tuna or salmon,” Taylor suggests.

Head to the deli counter

Deli-sliced meat will be the healthiest option because of the low ingredient list – take this Boar's Head Premium Lower Sodium turkey, for example, which contains only “Turkey breast, water, less than 1.5% of salt, sugar, sodium phosphate.”

If you're looking for the healthiest lunch meat option, choose the leanest cuts of deli meat possible, such as turkey, chicken breast, lean ham or roast beef. “These types of deli meat have the least amount of fat and provide a better nutrient value compared to others,” Zumpano says.

Wondering how much deli meat you should order on your next visit? Here's a good rule of thumb: 1 pound of deli meat, sliced sandwich style, makes about 5 – 6 sandwiches. Cheese slices should be ordered thinner than deli meat, so you'll have more cheese slices to layer on.

How much deli meat for 10 sandwiches? ›

The general rule of thumb is to purchase two to three ounces of deli meat for each sandwich you will make. Yes, it is that simple. Another rule of thumb is to order more than that by the sandwich or per person for the meal. It's never a bad day when you have too much deli meat.

But while turkey is among the leanest deli meats, in the big picture it may not be healthier than other types. That's because all cold cuts are processed meats, like bacon and hot dogs. Regularly eating them—even in amounts less than what you probably put in a sandwich—clearly increases the risk of cancer.

Making your own lunch meat can actually save you money compared to buying pre-packaged lunch meat. Especially if you purchase meat in bulk or when it's on sale. Plus, when you make your own lunch meat, you have complete control over the ingredients you use, which can also be more cost-effective.

A: A meat slicer can save you lots of money because it allows you to take fairly inexpensive cuts of meat and slice them into thin deli cuts that are often much more expensive to purchase already cut.

If you have the time, energy and inclination, the best possible option is DIYing your sandwich meats. “You can buy a roast, ham or chicken breast and cook it yourself, then slice it off into lunch meat size portions,” Zumpano suggests. “This helps to ensure you know what's in the meat you're eating.”

In conventional deli meats the brine includes a combination of salt, water, sugars (dextrose, corn syrup solids), spices, herbs and preservatives like sodium nitrite and potassium phosphate. Nitrites help preserve the meat and give them a nice pink colour and distinctive salty flavour.