Looking for a way to lighten up your next burger?

Try this simple recipe for juicy turkey burgers that come together in just minutes. Prepared as written, each patty comes out to about 200 calories, so go ahead and splurge with the toppings.

Turkey Burger Recipe:

Ingredients (serves 5):

  • 1/4 cup diced onion
  • 1/2 pint fresh mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
  • 1 lb. ground turkey
  • 1 T. mayonnaise
  • 1 T. plain bread crumbs
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 5 dashes Maggi sauce or 1/2 tsp. soy sauce

turkey burger

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Over medium heat, in a dry, oven-safe skillet, cook the onion and chopped mushrooms for four minutes until softened. Set aside to cool.

Combine the turkey with the rest of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well. Add the onion and mushrooms, stir some more until they are incorporated, and use your hands to form 5 uniform patties. Flatten them before you cook them and make a bit of a depression in the center; they'll contract quite a bit as they cook.

*At this point, you can freeze or refrigerate the burgers to cook later. Don't forget to separate them with some parchment paper and freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet first before transferring them to a freezer-safe plastic bag.

If you have a grill pan, get it good and hot then cook the patties for four minutes on each side over medium-high heat. Transfer them to the skillet and finish them in the oven for 14 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Let the burgers rest at least 5 minutes before serving with all of the traditional fixings. Add a good, soft bun, some crisp lettuce, onion, and tomato slices; you'll have a big, juicy burger that will satisfy any craving.

burger

Variations:

  • You could easily make 10-12 sliders instead of 5 burgers. Just cut the cooking time to 2 minutes on each side in the grill pan, then 10 minutes in the oven. Dinner rolls make great buns for these 2-bite sliders.
  • Dress up with some caramelized onions, strips of bacon, or gourmet cheese on top. The sky's the limit once you nail the basic recipe.
  • Don't go too lean with the turkey. You need at least some fat to make sure the final product isn't dry. I went with 93% lean and wouldn't go any higher than that.
  • Maggi sauce is a smoky, savory condiment that you'll find in the Latin or Asian food aisle of your grocery store. It has more depth than soy sauce and isn't as tangy or thick as steak sauce. Give it a try on fried eggs and rice!
  • The chopped mushrooms and onions are there to lighten up the burger's texture. If you want to impart more flavor, add some finely chopped jalapeno or serrano peppers. Just two should do the trick.

Looking for more quick, easy, delicious recipes? Check it out, here.

*Photos by Sarina Petrocelly

Do you have a favorite way to prepare turkey burgers? What spice blends or special toppings do you like on them? Let us know in the comments.