The Secret to the Perfect Turkey Burger
Scratch your burger itch without blowing your calorie budget
My husband has always been a burger guy. Pile it high with lettuce, tomatoes (and cheese, and bacon, and sometimes sauteed mushrooms) and serve it with a stack of fries (with a blob of ketchup mixed with mayo for dipping), and he’s a happy camper.
Recently, he’s been watching his waistline in effort to make healthier decisions, lower his blood pressure, and be more fit. Because of this, I’ve worked to perfect my turkey burger recipe, so that he can scratch that burger itch without blowing his calorie budget.
Below, you’ll find my secret to a moist, delicious, satisfying turkey burger.
1 pound ground turkey (94% lean, NOT ground turkey breast (it’s too dry))
1/4 cup finely minced onion
2 tsp salt + 1 tsp
1 tsp black pepper + 1 tsp
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp steak seasoning (this is the one I use, but choose your fave or make your own!)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
Hamburger buns
Toppings of choice (cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard
- Put turkey, onion, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, steak seasoning, cayenne and Worcestershire sauce in a large mixing bowl.
- Combine until just mixed (DO NOT OVERMIX)
- Form into 6 equal patties; flatten slightly
- Season each side of patties with remaining salt and pepper
- Cook 5 minutes on first side, then flip and cook an additional 5 minutes (Can cook on grill or stove top. I live in NYC and backyards/outdoor spaces are unicorns, so I cook on stove top in a cast iron pan)
- NOTE: If using cheese, cook for 5 minutes on first side, flip, cook 3 minutes. Then, top with cheese, cover and cook remaining 2 minutes.
- Dress burger according to your preference, serve and eat!
Each turkey burger patty is approximately 158 calories, 9 grams of fat, 19 grams of protein (before buns and toppings, of course)*
*Calorie approximation includes 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil for cooking full batch
