Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Burger with Tomato and Basil

This mozzarella stuffed turkey burger has all the summer flavors of caprese but in a juicy and healthy turkey burger!

I don’t want to bring attention to this right away because it’s probably all you’ll see, but I can’t stop thinking about how the two pieces of mozzarella on the top of this burger look like two teeth. Granted, teeth that need dental work, but teeth nonetheless. Am I the only one seeing this?

About this mozzarella stuffed turkey burger

Anyways, if we can move beyond the teeth-like cheese, we can talk about MORE cheese. The cheese inside the burger. That’s right – I stuffed one of those lovely pieces of fresh mozzarella inside the burger before cooking it.

Fresh mozzarella is one of my favorite types of cheese and it’s such a fun surprise to bite into the burger to find the ooey gooey cheese. Also why I left the cheese on top unmelted. I wanted to showcase all of the equally delicious ways to eat the mozzarella.

And of course, what is summer without the flavors of caprese? I’ve made more lunches than I can count with just a handful of tomatoes, some fresh mozzarella, and basil from my garden. Who needs anything more in the summer?  Try Caprese Pasta Salad or this hot Caprese Dip Recipe. 

Well, okay, my husband probably wouldn’t be happy with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil as a meal. Enter, these turkey burgers.

Tips:

• Only mix the meat mixture enough to combine all the ingredients. Over-mixing will create a tough burger.
• Make sure that the burger is formed completely around the mozzarella so that it doesn’t leak out when it melts.
• I usually broil these because they are a little fragile. If you want to grill them, be careful! You might want to do them on foil or a grill pan. If you put these on normal grill grates, they’re likely to break up and fall through.
• I toast my bun on a griddle with a bit of olive oil for a nice crispy surface.

More summer-worthy sandwiches

• Turkey Taco Burgers
• The Best Meatball Subs
• Egg Salad Recipe
• Dill Chicken Salad — serve on a croissant or lettuce leaves.
• Pizza Turkey Burgers
• Easy Sloppy Joes with FIVE ingredients!
• Chicken Burgers with Bacon, Leeks, and Gouda

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Get the Recipe: Caprese Turkey Burgers Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

4 servings

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You'll love Caprese turkey burgers, with fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil. They're so flavorful and healthy, too.

Ingredients

• ▢ 16 ounces ground turkey (85/15)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil plus about 8 additional leaves for topping
• ▢ ½ cup panko bread crumbs
• ▢ 1 large egg, beaten
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• ▢ ½ small yellow onion
• ▢ 1 clove garlic
• ▢ 8 oz. log fresh mozzarella cheese
• ▢ whole grain buns, for serving
• ▢ 4 tablespoons pesto, optional
• ▢ 1 large tomato, sliced, for serving

Instructions

• Preheat broiler on high, with oven rack 5 to 6 inches from broiler. Line rimmed sheet pan with foil.
• Drain liquid from mozzarella and pat dry with paper towels. Cut log into eight ¼ inch slices. You’ll need 4 slices for the burgers, plus 4 to 8 additional slices for topping the burgers.
• Add ground turkey, basil, panko, egg, salt, pepper, vinegar, and parsley to a large mixing bowl. Grate the onion and garlic over the bowl to catch all the juice. Mix ingredients using your hands until just combined. Do not overmix.
• Divide meat mixture into four equal portions. Form one portion into a patty around a piece of mozzarella, making sure that cheese is completely encased by meat. Each patty should be about 4 to 5 inches in diameter. Repeat process for the remaining meat, forming 4 patties total. Place patties on prepared sheet pan.
• Broil burgers for 8 minutes until golden brown, flip over, cook for another 5 minutes or until burgers are cooked through. Internal temperature should be 165°F.
• If desired, spread pesto on buns. Add burgers to buns, top with sliced mozzarella, tomato slices, and fresh basil. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Nutrition information is for burgers and toppings. It does not include buns.
• If desired, omit the cheese stuffing and make plain turkey burgers, with suggested toppings.
• Recipe card updated after retesting 12/7/2022.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1burger, Calories: 417kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 43g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 155mg, Sodium: 922mg, Potassium: 550mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 1198IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 350mg, Iron: 2mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk

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