Turkey legs with cabbage and plums recipe

Name: Turkey legs with cabbage and plums
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 900g red cabbage, core removed, cut into 2cm strips; 1 large red onion, cut into wedges; 400g pack plums, halved and stoned; 30g pack fresh sage, 8 leaves finely chopped, rest left whole; 2 cinnamon sticks, halved; 75g light brown soft sugar; 4 tbsp red wine vinegar; 100g unsalted butter, softened; 1 garlic clove, crushed; 2 x 800g turkey legs or drumsticks

If you're hosting a smaller crowd for Christmas dinner this year, these tasty turkey legs are the perfect festive main for six. Roasted with cinnamon-spiced red cabbage and tart, juicy plums, this delicious dish is a real game changer, and will definitely impress your guests. Serve with gravy and all the trimmings for a Christmas dinner to remember.

See method

Serves 6
10 mins to prepare and 2 hrs 15 mins to cook, plus resting
569 calories / serving

Shop your ingredients

Tesco Red Cabbage Each
Aldi Price Match
900g red cabbage, core removed, cut into 2cm strips
£0.89
£0.89/each
Tesco Red Onions Loose
Aldi Price Match
1 large red onion, cut into wedges
£0.20
£0.95/kg
Suntrail Farms Plums 1Kg
£1.75 Clubcard Price
(£1.75/kg)
Offer valid for delivery from 08/09/2026 until 02/11/2026
400g pack plums, halved and stoned
£1.99
£1.99/kg
Tesco Sage 20G
30g pack fresh sage, 8 leaves finely chopped, rest left whole
£0.50
£25.00/kg
Tesco Cinnamon Sticks 12G
Any 4 for 3 Clubcard Price - Cheapest Product Free - Selected Cooking Ingredients
Offer valid for delivery from 29/09/2026 until 26/10/2026
2 cinnamon sticks, halved
£1.00
£83.33/kg
Tesco Light Brown Soft Sugar 500g
75g light brown soft sugar
£2.00
£4.00/kg
Tesco Red Wine Vinegar 350Ml
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
£1.55
£4.43/litre
Tesco British Unsalted Butter 250G
Aldi Price Match
100g unsalted butter, softened
£1.85
£7.40/kg
Tesco Garlic 4 Pack
Aldi Price Match
1 garlic clove, crushed
£0.87
£0.22/each
Tesco British Turkey Drumsticks
2 x 800g turkey legs or drumsticks
£2.80
£4.00/kg

Method

Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Put the cabbage, onion and plums in a roasting tin with half the whole sage leaves and the cinnamon. Mix the sugar and vinegar and drizzle over. Season and toss to coat. Cover with foil and bake for 45 mins.
Meanwhile, mix the butter with the chopped sage, garlic and seasoning. Ease the skin from the turkey legs and slash the meata few times with a knife. Smear half the sage butter over the meat, then pull the skin back in place and reshape. Smear the remaining butter over the skin. Cover and chill.
Remove the foil from the veg and stir. Increase the heat to gas 5, 190°C, fan 170°C. Arrange the turkey legs on top, re-cover and cook for 1 hr. Uncover and cook for a further 30-35 mins, basting the turkey and turning the fruit and veg, until the turkey is cooked through and the juices run clear.
Transfer the fruit and veg to a warm serving dish, (reserving the cooking juices to make gravy, if you like) and discarding the whole sage leaves and cinnamon. Put the turkey legs on top; cover and rest for 10 mins.
Garnish with the remaining sage and serve with the gravy.