Spinach Turkey Burgers

The first time I ever made turkey burgers, I followed a “healthy recipe” and they came out absolutely dry. Sure, the recipe suggested topping it with a slice of avocado, but that did little to remedy the…well…dryness.

So even though the Hubs has been asking for turkey burgers FOREVER, I’ve been dragging my feet— haunted by the terrible recipe experience. Recently I caved, and after scouring the Internet for a recipe that would work for us, I decided to just throw caution to the wind and make up my own recipe entirely.

I really wanted to mix spinach in there, but all the recipes online suggested mixing feta in with the burger. I don’t know about you, but if I’m going to each cheese, I want to EAT the cheese. I want to experience it. I want to enjoy it. Mixing cheese with meat, while good and common in many traditional recipes, ends up typically giving you more calories for less taste. So I figured, if I’m going to have feta with the burger (which I didn’t have any in the house, but I’m pretty sure it would have been good) I’d put it ON the burger so I could really enjoy the feta in the way it was intended to be enjoyed.

But let me tell you, these were ANYTHING but dry. So juicy. So good. We’ll definitely be making these again.

Spinach Turkey Burgers

Ingredients: (yields 4 patties)

1lb lean ground turkey
1 cup finely chopped spinach
1/2 finely chopped (or minced) medium yellow onion
1 egg white
1/2 tbs low sodium soy sauce
1 tbs redwine vinegar
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbs Italian seasoning
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

So easy…ready for this?

1. Throw everything in a bowl. Mix together with hands.
2. Make four patties of equal size and lay on stove top pan over medium high or George Foreman grill.
3. Cook until desired consistency… Roughly 3-4 minutes on the first side and 2-3 on the second (but keep an eye on it so you don’t dry it out.

BAM! You’re done! And the best part? You can dress it up any way you like. Here I topped it with a little bit of mild cheddar and then about 1/4 of a cup of lightly sauteed onions and mushrooms mixed together, and of course, the traditional lettuce and tomato on a whole wheat bun. TOTALLY to die for. With all my add-ons, the burger was about 540ish calorie-wise. For a burger that has so many add-ons (plus made with whole/real ingredients) and tastes like a restaurant burger without being 700-1000 calories, I was pleased.

Of course you can lighten it up even more by nixing the bun or the cheese or whatever, but if I’m going to eat a burger, I want to enjoy it my way. But in case you want to dress it up differently, here’s the nutrition break-down of just the turkey burger patty for the recipe above! Enjoy!