I hope you agree with me that burgers are great on the grill. I love a good beef burger but have become a turkey burger advocate of late, and once you try these turkey burgers, you’ll immediately get why. It will blow you away. Heck, it’ll blow the whole family away — and any extra kid or adult lucky enough to be around at dinnertime!
Southwestern Turkey Burgers
In growing numbers of American households, turkey burgers are the burgers of choice—or at least some of the time. Many of us try to eat less beef, and so ground turkey has inched its way onto the culinary stage, although still playing a minor role. When you mix the turkey with flavors inspired by the dishes of the Southwest like cilantro, adobo sauce, and cumin, and then serve the burgers with pepper jack cheese and some sliced avocado, no one misses the more familiar beef burger.
Serves 4
1 pound ground turkey
2 scallions, trimmed and sliced thinly on the bias, white and light green parts
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup finely minced red bell pepper
2 tablespoon adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Freshly ground pepper
4 slices pepper jack cheese
4 hamburger buns
Guacamole or sliced avocado, optional, for garnish
Mix together the turkey, scallions, garlic, cilantro, red pepper, adobo sauce, oil, salt, and cumin. Season with pepper. Form the mixture into four patties.
Heat the oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat and when shimmering, cook the patties for about 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Just before lifting the burgers from the pan, top each with a slice of cheese and let it melt.
Serve the burgers on the hamburger buns, topped with guacamole and avocado slices, if desired.