Southwestern Turkey Burgers

YUM. YUM. YUM. These were the best turkey burgers I have had to date. Alex loved them so much he ate TWO last night! Once again, I can thank my friend Liz for blogging about this recipe which led to me trying it. She mentioned in her post that it has become a “classic” dish for her and her husband. Well, I think it’s quickly becoming one of our classics too!

Basically it’s just a grilled turkey burger served with avocado and salsa on top so I honestly didn’t expect that much out of it. I have a hard time liking turkey burgers and it didn’t seem like anything too crazy in the recipe. But wow, the flavors are just so good together!!

I totally misread the recipe and thought the pepper jack cheese was just for putting on top of the burgers so I bought sliced cheese. Well, turns out you put the cheese IN the burgers so I chopped up the cheese as fine as I could get it. I served these burgers with oven-baked steak fries seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika.

Southwestern Turkey Burgers

Seen on Graced by Food

Adapted from Everyday Food

1½ pounds ground dark meat turkey (93% lean)

½ cup pepper jack cheese, shredded

¼ cup plain dried breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon coarse salt

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

hamburger buns

fresh tomato salsa (listed below)

sliced avocado

Heat grill to medium-high. In a medium bowl, place turkey, cheese, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. Mix very gently, being careful not to overwork meat (which makes burgers dense). Gently form meat into 4 equal-sized patties. Place on grill and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, per side, or until cooked throughout. Serve on buns and top with sliced avocado and fresh tomato salsa.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

Source: Everyday Food

1½ pounds plum tomatoes, cored, halved, and seeded

½ medium red onion, minced

1 jalapeño, minced

1 small garlic clove, minced

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons lime juice

coarse salt

Chop tomatoes into ¼-inch pieces and place in medium bowl. Add onion, jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice; season generously with salt. Let stand 15 minutes to develop flavor. Salsa can last up to 3 days in airtight container.