Turkey Burgers (or, Turkey Burger Salad)

This warmer weather has me yearning for burgers, burgers, and more burgers. I had a package of ground turkey in the fridge that I thought was destined for spaghetti (cleaning out the cupboards this week). Instead, it met its fate in the form of burgers. Thick, juicy, flavorful burgers. Here is the biggest surprise of all: I measured what I put in the burgers, so I could share with all of you! I know, it is hard to believe. I’m trying to change, grow.

However, I’m still not so great at taking photos. My hubby ate his like a normal burger (bun, ketchup, etc.), but I threw mine on top of a salad with romaine, avocado, grape tomatoes, sauteed onions and shredded carrot. I had plans to make some kind of Dijon vinaigrette to mimic the mustard that you might otherwise put on a burger. I forgot and ended up going with light Italian I had in the fridge.

I have a picture of my salad, but no picture of an actual turkey burger. They weren’t the best looking burgers anyways, I just cooked them under the broiler. I would have had hubby grill them, but he works really long days and would rather rest after work. We’ll save the grilling for the weekends. I also have a cast iron grill pan which I love but honestly, I just didn’t feel like having to clean it last night. It is also a bit on the small side and I think I would have had to do the burgers in two batches. Anyways, enough talky talk. I’ll get to the recipe.

Turkey Burgers

1.25 pounds ground turkey
1.5 tsp dried parsley (fresh would be better, I just didn’t have any. If you use fresh, throw in a bit more)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne (Don’t be scared away by this if you don’t like spicy foods. I don’t either, but this small amount doesn’t really make it too spicy. You can also omit it completely, you will still have plenty of great flavor from the cumin.)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 medium yellow onion, grated (Make sure you grate it over your bowl so you collect all the juices–they give the burger great moisture. Slice up the rest of the onion and saute it for a great burger topping.)
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 egg, beaten

1) Mix all ingredients together (Use your hands, you don’t want to over-mix). Separate meat into four portions, roll into a ball, and flatten into a patty.
2) Grill until cooked all the way through. I broiled mine (broiler on high) for maybe about 7 minutes on each side. I measure my ingredients people, you expect me to time things too? You want the burger to be nice and brown on the outside and cooked all the way through as it is turkey, not beef.
3) While the burger is grilling, saute some sliced onions to either put on top of your burger or on top of your salad.

Verdict: I think these are really good. They are my go-to version of turkey burgers. If you’re buying pre-made patties, you need to try these–100x better. Promise.
Huband’s take: He’s a turkey burger lover just like me. Give a man a burger and I promise he’ll be happy.
Changes I would make: I had some thoughts of stuffing these with cheese, but I held myself back. Maybe next time…
Difficulty: Easy!