When people try a turkey burger for the first time they will often expect a burger that tastes just fine, but not quite the same as your standard backyard barbecue beef burger. As with most healthy alternatives to red meat, there is the expectation of a sacrifice of flavor, and while this burger may be much healthier it is in no way less flavorful. The recipe that we will be going over today features a juicy turkey burger with all of the classic toppings, and a few curve balls thrown in there. So don’t be intimidated by turkey burgers any longer, give this recipe a try and watch it become a family favorite.
Turkey Burger Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 12 oz white mushrooms
- ⅓ cup bread crumbs
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Muenster cheese
- Red onion
- Tomato
- Lettuce
Instructions
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Take your white mushrooms and finely mince them using a knife or food processor. The mushrooms will have quite a bit of moisture in them so feel free to squeeze any excess liquid out with a cloth.
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Combine the turkey meat, minced mushrooms, bread crumbs, and seasonings. Mix together until the meat and extras are evenly blended
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Form the patties by rolling out a golf ball sized piece of the meat mixture and pressing it between two pieces of parchment paper. Aim for around ¼”-½” patty depth.
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Season both sides with salt and pepper before laying them directly on the grill over high heat. Cook for around 3-5 minutes before flipping.
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Once the first side is finished cooking, flip the patty over and immediately cover it with a slice of Muenster cheese. Feel free to begin toasting your buns while the burger finishes cooking and the cheese starts to melt.
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Remove the patty from the grill and place it on your toasted bun with lettuce, tomato, red onion, ketchup, mustard, and any other burger toppings that you like.
Step One – Mince the White Mushrooms
To start this recipe off, we will be mincing some white button mushrooms. These mushrooms will be mixed into the meat, helping to enhance both the flavor and texture of our burgers. The quickest method of doing this will be using a food processor, but simply using a knife works just as well. Make sure to get the mushrooms as small as you can, as we do not want any large chunks that will ruin the consistency of the patties. An unnecessary but helpful step after you have minced the mushrooms is to squeeze out all of the excess liquid with a cheesecloth or coffee strainer.
Step Two – Combine the Turkey Meat with Mushrooms and Seasonings
Now that the mushrooms have been minced, combine it with the ground turkey, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and breadcrumbs. Make sure to mix it all together until the ingredients are evenly dispersed throughout the meat.
Step Three – Form the Turkey Burger Patties
Take a small amount of your meat mixture and roll it in the palm of your hand to create a golf ball sized ball of meat. It is important to keep each of the patties as uniformly sized as possible so that they all cook evenly at the same time.
Step Four – Press the Patties Between Parchment Paper
Once you have formed all of the meat into small balls, we will place them between two pieces of parchment or wax paper. Using a large flat object such as a cutting board or even a cookie sheet, press down on the meat until it forms a patty that is roughly a half inch thick. While this step is not completely necessary and you can just form the patties by hand, making thinner patties like this will ensure that the meat is fully cooked throughout while having a nice crispy sear on the outside. Keep in mind that the meat will shrink as it cooks on the electric grill, so it is alright to make the patties slightly larger than the buns you will be using.
Step Five – Grill the Turkey Burgers
There is no denying that some things simply taste better over an open fire. Burgers are definitely not an exception to this rule. Season both sides of your turkey burger patties with salt and pepper before laying them directly on a very hot grill. These patties are nice and thin so we can afford to cook at higher temperatures without the risk of undercooking the center. Close the lid of your grill and allow the burgers to cook for around three to five minutes.
Step Six – Flip the Patty Over and Cover with Muenster Cheese
Once the patties have fully cooked on one side, flip them over and immediately cover each one with a slice of muenster cheese. Of course, you can feel free to use any type of cheese that you like, smoked cheddar or swiss are excellent alternatives. When cooking the first side, you can take a peek at the underside to see if it is ready to be flipped, the meat should be a darker brown with grill marks seared into it.
Step Seven – Toast the Buns While the Meat Finishes Cooking
After you top your patties off with cheese and are waiting for it to melt, you can begin toasting your buns. If you want to be safe, feel free to use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the burgers is around 165°F. They should only take a couple of minutes, so everything should be ready at the same time. When the cheese begins to melt and you are sure that the patties are cooked on both sides, remove from the grill and serve them on the buns with any toppings that you desire. As a rule of thumb, the best way to layer a burger would be ketchup or mustard on the bottom bun followed by the patty. Then stack your onion, tomato, and lettuce on top of that and top it off with a bun. This ensures that the grease of the burger doesn’t soak into the bun since nobody likes eating a soggy burger.
So now that you see just how simple this recipe is, go ahead and try it out yourself. These burgers come out tasting just as good if not better than a standard beef burger, and are a healthier low fat alternative. These delicious burgers are perfect for your next barbecue or family dinner, and as with all burgers there is a great deal of room for customization. Try experimenting with different types of cheese, or add toppings like sauteed mushrooms and onions to really pack a lot of flavor. Whichever way you decide to dress it up, this delicious turkey burger recipe is definitely going to be one you’ll want to remember.