Garden Vegetable Turkey Burgers

Recipes, Worknight Dinners

garden vegetable turkey burger lead

Garden vegetable turkey burgers are low-carb, gluten-free, high in protein and packed with delicious flavor for a quick and easy work night dinner or backyard barbecue. 

Burgers are always a quick and easy option when you want a no-frills grilled dinner, but sometimes it’s fun to dress them up and take them to the next level.

Even though my boyfriend and I are well established omnivores, we are moving into a new apartment together next week and once we get settled, have vowed to eat a little healthier. Everyone knows that the chaotic weeks leading up to moving aren’t the time to start any kind of new eating or fitness plan, so I’ve been experimenting with different ways to take some of our favorite meals and make them a little more nutritious.

There are plenty of ways to vary up burgers — with tuna, salmon, ground chicken or even black beans. One of my favorite swaps for red meat is ground turkey.  The problem is that it’s super, super easy to dry out ground turkey and dry turkey burgers are a very good reason to never make turkey burgers again.

Of course, if you do it right, turkey burgers can be top notch. Adding cheese is a no-brainer, but can be a little contradictory to that ‘eat healthier’ goal.

garden vegetable turkey burger 2

Lean ground turkey that is high in protein, along with vegetables that are full of vitamin A and C, are all you need for an easy and healthy meal choice. You can serve these on a pretzel roll or if you want to cut down on carbs, use a piece of butter lettuce to wrap your burger.

I topped the turkey burgers with leftover brussels sprouts slaw and a side of sweet potatoes tossed in a sesame vinaigrette. It’s the perfect late summer dinner, with sweet potatoes to hint at what’s around the corner, but would also be delicious served with a big green salad or your favorite summer picnic side dish.

garden vegetable turkey burger 3

Garden Vegetable Turkey Burgers
Author: 
Recipe type: Worknight Dinners, Weekend Cooking
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4 burgers
 
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ white onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • ½ red bell pepper, diced
  • ½ yellow bell pepper, diced
  • 1 - ¼ pound lean ground turkey
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 handful fresh herbs (parsley, basil and/or cilantro work best), chopped $1 for a bunch
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it begins to soften and turn opaque. Add diced red and yellow peppers and carrot. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, about five minutes. Add in the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute or two, until the carrots have softened slightly and the mixture is fragrant. Remove from the heat.
  2. In a large bowl, mash the ground turkey with a wooden spoon -- or just use your hands. Add salt, pepper, sautéed vegetables, chopped fresh herbs and mix until combined. Shape into four patties, about ¾-inch thick. Chill 30 minutes or so before cooking -- patties will be easier to handle.
  3. Heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat and brush with a small amount of canola oil, or prepare a medium-hot grill. When you can feel the heat when you hold your hand above it, cook the patties for 5 minutes on each side, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the burgers registers 170 degrees F.
  4. Serve on whole-grain buns or in lettuce wraps with your favorite condiments or slaw.
 

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  • Reply
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    January 2, 2019 at 6:57 pm

    […] Low-Carb Garden Turkey Burger […]

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