When we say "burger" in our house, it's 90% of the time turkey--we just aren't huge red meat eaters.  For non-turkey fans, I feel there is a misconception that they are super dry, hockey pucks.  SO not true!

There are a few varieties of ground turkey to purchase: Lean (93/7), Extra Lean (99/1) and a fattier variety that uses dark and white meat (85/15).  Most of the time, the lean variety is preferred.  It's very healthy, but still has a bit of fat to it.  If you are subbing for a beef recipe, I highly recommend Lean over Extra Lean, which can be dry.

 

My favorite tip for getting perfectly seasoned burgers is to get a big bowl out and put all seasonings in BEFORE adding the meat.  Since I use steak sauce and spices, I want to make sure they are all blended well.  Otherwise some burgers will be salty, while some could be under seasoned.  It's truly a life saver!

Speaking of spices, I tend to use 2-3 but if you don't have a huge spice collection AT LEAST use Montreal Chicken seasoning.  It has tons of tasty spices in it and will give it some good flavor.  The steak sauce adds a depth of flavor and some moisture the ground turkey needs.

Since this is just the basics, once you make these burgers you can play around with other seasonings.  We love spicy turkey burgers with black beans and jalapenos, or Jerk flavored ones. Have fun so you don't get bored!!


Here's what you'll need (for 4-5 burgers)

• 1 package Jennie-O lean ground turkey
• 1 teaspoon each: Montreal Chicken Seasoning, Hamburger spice, Garlic Powder
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire 
• 1 teaspoon A1 Steak Sauce
• Buns and favorite burger toppings

1.  In a large bowl, whisk all seasonings, steak sauce and Worcestershire together
2. Add ground turkey and mix until all spices are evenly distributed. Try to avoid over-mixing, though! 1 minute should be plenty
3. Shape into patties, leaving a thumb indentation in the center. There should be 4 large patties or 5 medium sized.
4. Two options:

• To Freeze: place patties on a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze 4-5 hours or overnight. Once frozen, place in a baggie.  I really love the Ziploc perfect portions bags to individually freeze items like burgers and chicken.  It makes it much easier to pull out one or two burgers at a time.  After putting them in the perfect portion bag, I place all of the burgers in a gallon sized bag.  You can grill frozen or defrost.
• To Grill: use a Foreman or regular grill and cook completely, trying to avoid pressing down on the burgers (it releases all of the juices!).  The thumb indentation made when you formed the patties will keep the burgers from turning into a softball shape.

Other turkey recipes you'll love:

• Turkey Tacos
• Turkey Italian Sausage + Lentil Soup
• Turkey Chili Mac
• Turkey Meatballs

What's your favorite ground turkey recipe?

How to Make Turkey Tacos {Plus a Stuffed Pepper Recipe!}

I thought I might write a few recipes focused on ground turkey.  In our house, we don't eat too much ground beef--it's all turkey.  Once you know how to season and cook with it, you'll be a fan too!  It's cheaper, healthier and can replace any meal made with beef. 

To start off, I thought I would give some tips for buying ground turkey.

• Most packages are 1.25 lbs.  It's a bit of adjustment to season if you're used to just 1 pound packages of beef.  When seasoning ground turkey, you do need to add a bit more than you would for other ground meat. 
• Start off with "Lean" labeled packages (or 93/7).  Extra lean is quite dry if you don't know how to cook it.  Sometimes premade burger patties will use both dark and white meat and they will be a fattier variety.  I prefer just making my own burgers.
• Keep your eyes peeled on the Sunday paper coupons or on Coupons.com....very frequent coupons lately!  Pair with a sale and stock up!

Our favorite recipe: tacos!  Serve with some pantry salsa and you have dinner in less than 20 minutes! 

What you'll need:

• 1 package of Lean ground turkey
• 1 can (4 oz) of green chiles
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (about 1.5 packets)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Optional: 1 can rinsed black beans + 1/2 cup frozen corn

1.  In a large pan, heat 1 teaspoon of oil over medium heat.  Add onions, green chiles and garlic. (Also corn, if wanted) Cook 3-4 minutes, until soft.  Add package of ground turkey.  Use a spatula to break up turkey as it's browning.
2. Season with cumin and taco seasoning about halfway through cooking.  (Since you don't drain it, you can season early).  Cook about 3-4 minutes longer.  Add water and turn to low heat.   
3. Optional: Add black beans.  Cook on low for 5 minutes. 
4. Serve on taco shells or in a taco salad!

Tired of tacos?  Make some stuffed peppers!  I love to make these when I find markdown produce pepper bags and I'll freeze half of the batch!

This recipe is perfect for a quick and healthy dinner.  I added quinoa instead of rice to keep it light.

Here's what you need:

• 1 cup of quinoa, cooked as directed with 2 cups chicken stock
• Turkey taco meat (see recipe above) making with black beans and corn- I used about 2 cups for my peppers and had plenty left over
• 1 cup shredded Mexican Cheese
• 5-6 green peppers- poblanos or red peppers work great too!
• Garnish: cilantro, salsa, guacamole, green onion, sour cream/Greek yogurt

Let's Cook!

1. Cook 1 cup of quinoa as directed with 2 cups chicken stock (there will be some leftover)
2. Preheat oven to 400*.
3. Cut peppers in half and seed them.  Place in a sprayed 9x13 pan.
4. In a large bowl, mix 1 cup cooked quinoa with about 2 cups taco mixture.
5. Fill peppers generously.  Top with a sprinkle of cheese.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melted and peppers are browning. 
7. Top with favorite garnishes and serve with a salad!

What's your favorite way to enjoy turkey? Head on over to my FB page to answer that question and I'll draw one lucky winner on Thursday (5/15/14) to get 4 FREE product coupons for Jennie-O Turkey products!