Southwestern Burgers

Yesterday I shared with you a great Homemade Chipotle Ketchup, and while it is super good just with fries, I thought I would give you something else to put it on.  Southwestern Burgers.  This is a burger I created just to go with the ketchup! It’s a beef patty with corn and black beans, seasoned with cumin and chili powder and draped in pepper jack cheese.  Top it all of with the chipotle ketchup, and it’s one sassy burger!

Southwestern Burgers

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

½ cup corn (fresh, frozen, or canned)

½ cup black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tbsp cilantro, chopped

4 slices pepper jack cheese

4 hamburger buns

Homemade chipotle ketchup

Directions:

Combine ground beef, corn, beans, salt, cumin, chili powder, and cilantro in a large bowl.  Divide mixture and shape into 4 patties.

Grill burgers over high heat until cooked through.  Top each patty with a slice of pepper jack cheese.  Place on buns and top with chipotle ketchup.

Makes 4 servings.

I am not usually a fan of pepper jack cheese, but I really liked it on this burger.  The burger itself isn’t spicy, more of a smoky chili flavor.  The spiciness of the cheese and the ketchup was just perfect with it.  

This is a great way to perk up your burger night!

Chicken Zucchini Burgers

I’m glad you all enjoyed the zucchini recipe I posted the other day, my One Pot Summer Squash, Beef and Rice Skillet.  It is really great and I hope you try it.  Today I thought I would share with you the runner-up from the poll I posted on my Facebook page, about which zucchini recipe to share.  This one is a burger, but it’s not your typical ground meat burger.  It’s a burger made with cooked chicken (or turkey) breast meat and shredded zucchini.  It’s an adaptation of one I saw over at Finding Joy in My Kitchen.

Zucchini Chicken Burgers

Ingredients:
1 medium zucchini, shredded (1½ cups)
2 cups canned chicken (or turkey)
½ cup dry breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 tsp shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, grated
½ tsp dried dill
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
4 slices cheese
4 hamburger buns
Mayo, lettuce, tomato, if desired

Directions:
Place shredded zucchini in a clean kitchen towel and gather up corners.  Squeeze as much water out of the zucchini as you can.  Place zucchini in a large bowl and add chicken or turkey (breaking it up with a spoon if it’s in large chunks), dry breadcrumbs, egg, shallots, garlic, dill, and salt.  Stir all ingredients together until evenly distributed.

Divide the mixture into 4 equal patties.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil.  When oil is hot, place patties in the pan and cook about 5 minutes per side or until warmed throughout and lightly browned.  Place a slice of cheese on each patty and cover skillet with lid for a few minutes to melt cheese.

Place patties on buns and top with lettuce, tomato, and mayo, or any condiments/toppings of your choice.

Makes 4 servings.

This is a really neat twist on burgers.  Lighter and fresher than a normal hamburger.  I actually used turkey instead of chicken, because that’s what I had on hand at the time, but I know that canned turkey can be hard to find in regular grocery stores (I get mine at Sam’s), so I wrote the recipe for canned chicken.  You could actually use any cooked chicken breast meat, doesn’t have to be from a can.  It would be a good use for leftover roasted chicken breast or rotisserie chicken breast.

I used provolone cheese on these, but probably any kind would be good. I served them with my Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes.  My husband wasn’t crazy about these burgers, but the girls and I loved them.  Great way to use up all the extra zucchini!

Hummus Turkey Burgers

Today is the first day of a fun Fourth of July Blog Hop series.  I was invited by the hostess, Savannah of Hammock Tracks, and signed up right away.  Each day has a theme, and all of the participating bloggers post a recipe with that theme.  Then at the bottom of each post is a collection of thumbnail links to all of the other recipes with that theme.  Today’s theme is burgers, tomorrow is veggies, Friday is appetizers, Saturday is ice cream (I’m sitting out that day bc I don’t have an ice cream maker), Sunday is desserts, and Monday is beverages.

For today’s burger, I chose a turkey burger seasoned with something unexpected: hummus!  We LOVE hummus around here, my husband could eat a whole container in one sitting, so I knew this would be a hit.  I got the burger recipe from Fried Ice and Donut Holes, but changed it up a bit.  (Tzatziki sauce recipe is from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice.)

Hummus Turkey Burgers with Feta Tzatziki Sauce


Ingredients:
¾ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
½ cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced small
⅓ cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tsp dried dill
1 lb. ground turkey
¼ cup prepared hummus, plus more for topping if desired
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
4 hamburger buns
Lettuce
Tomato


Directions:
Combine Greek yogurt or sour cream, cucumber, feta, garlic, and dill in a small bowl.  Mix well.  Refrigerate until ready to be used.


In a medium bowl, combine ground turkey, ¼ cup hummus, cilantro, and coriander.  Mix until just combined.  Divide into 4 equal portions and form into patties.


Grill burgers over medium-high heat, about 7 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.  Place burgers on buns and top with lettuce, tomato, prepared tzatziki sauce, and additional hummus, if desired.


Makes 4 servings.

Be sure to check out all the other great burger recipes below, and come back tomorrow to see a recipe for a veggie I bet you would never have thought to put on the grill!

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Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers

I tried a new burger recipe last night.  I saw these burgers on A Zesty Bite and knew I had to make them.  We had put feta on top of burgers before, but I never thought to put them inside the burger.  Genius.

The picture isn’t so great, because I find burgers very difficult to photograph.  This is one of those who-cares-what-it-looks-like-because-it-tastes-so-awesome recipes.  Although, it is kind of pretty in person.  You can’t go wrong with vibrant green flecks running through something.

Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers


Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
1 egg
1 tsp Greek seasoning
¾ cup feta, crumbled
¼ cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
4 hamburger buns


Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and thoroughly combine.  Divide into four patties.


Heat a large pan over medium-high heat.  Place patties in pan and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side, until cooked through.  Serve on buns.


Makes 4 servings.

The burgers are really good.  They are super duper moist.  I topped mine with mayo and thinly sliced onion.  Red onion would have been prettier, but I didn’t have any.  Tzatziki sauce would be really good on these burgers, I think.

My husband said these are quite possibly the best burgers he’s ever had.  He loved how juicy they were.

The original recipe called for fresh spinach, and I’m sure that would be good too, but I didn’t have any on hand.  Frozen spinach is something I always have, so it was easy to pull it out of the freezer and use that.  While I cooked these on the stovetop, I think they would be great on the grill as well.  In fact, I was kind of wishing I had done them that way.

I made a special side dish to go with these burgers, but I can’t tell you about it yet because it’s this month’s recipe for the Secret Recipe Club.  Come back Monday morning to read all about it!

This recipe is linked up at 

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Barbecue Pork Burgers

Here’s another one of my unique burger recipes.  I see tons of recipes for barbecue pulled pork in the summertime, so the idea hit me to make a burger version of that.  Instead of cooking pork, shredding it, and putting barbecue sauce on it, I thought it would be fun to add barbecue sauce to ground pork and shape it into burgers.  Kind of like a simpler, easier version of pulled pork made on the grill.

Now, I have to tell you that it took me no less than three attempts to get this right.  I started off putting all of the barbecue sauce inside the burgers with the pork.  That made them taste awesome, but they were so loose that they fell apart on the grill.  We were still able to eat them, but they were more like barbecued loose meat sandwiches.  So I figured we needed more binders.  For the next attempt, I added an egg and some bread crumbs to the pork and barbecue sauce.  They did hold together much better, but I had to add so much bread crumbs to achieve that, that the burgers ended up tasting really kind of bland and “bready”.  Not really what I was going for.  I was about to give up when an idea hit me while I was making my Teriyaki Turkey Burgers.  I put a small amount of the sauce inside the mixture, then brushed the rest of it on the outside of the burgers as they cooked.  It worked out perfectly for the teriyaki burgers, so I thought it was worth a shot on the barbecue burgers.  Finally, success!  They turned out great with this method.  My poor husband was not happy when I told him we were trying these burgers for the third time, but he was very glad we did after he tasted them.

Barbecue Pork Burgers


Ingredients:
1 lb. ground pork
⅔ cup plus 2 tbsp barbecue sauce, divided
4 hamburger buns
Cole slaw


Directions:
Place pork in a bowl and add 2 tbsp barbecue sauce.  Mix well.  Form into 4 patties.  


Grill burgers over high heat.  Grill for 5 minutes; flip over and brush cooked side with some of the remaining ⅔ cup barbecue sauce.  Grill another 5 minutes and flip again, brushing the second side with barbecue sauce.  Continue to cook burgers until they are completely cooked through and register 160°.


Place burgers on buns and top with cole slaw.


Makes 4 servings.

Jim loves cole slaw with anything barbecue, so that’s why I topped them that way, but they would be good topped any way you like.  I actually really like the combination of barbecue sauce and ranch dressing, so I think that would make a good condiment.  

This is a really easy way to have the great taste of pulled pork without having to spend all day cooking it!

This recipe was linked up at Everyday Mom’s Meal‘s Church Supper.

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers with Asian Slaw

I know this isn’t a great time to be posting a recipe involving ground turkey, but I made this about a week and a half ago, before I heard that it might have problems.  So tuck it away for later after that’s all over with, or you can also use ground chicken (or even beef, really).

This is a recipe I created.  I like to come up with fun and different burgers in the summertime and I wanted to try a teriyaki one.  It turned out pretty well.  Here’s the recipe.

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers with Asian Slaw


Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce, divided
2 tbsp green onions, finely sliced
½ cup red cabbage, shredded
½ cup carrot, grated
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
½ tsp sugar or honey
4 hamburger buns


Directions:
Combine turkey, 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce, and green onions.  Shape into 4 patties.


Grill burgers over high heat.  Grill for 5 minutes; flip over and brush cooked side with some of the remaining ¼ cup teriyaki sauce.  Grill another 5 minutes and flip again, brushing the second side with teriyaki sauce.  Continue to cook burgers until they are completely cooked through and register 165°.


Meanwhile, place cabbage, carrot, and cilantro in a small bowl.  In another small bowl, combine vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar or honey.  Whisk until completely combined.  Pour dressing over slaw and stir to combine.


Place each burger patty on a bun and top with the slaw.


Makes 4 servings.

Doesn’t the slaw look so pretty?  You can use any kind of cabbage you want, but I thought the red looked really pretty with the orange of the carrot.  I forgot to add the cilantro; that’s why you don’t see it in the picture.  If the sesame oil is too much for you, you can use only 1 tsp of sesame oil and the rest olive oil.  That’s what I did, actually, because I don’t like very much sesame oil.

My husband skipped the slaw and topped his burger with a pineapple ring.  He raved about it, and while I did try one bite, I can’t handle fruit on my burgers, so I think I’ll stick with the slaw!

Brushing the burgers with the teriyaki sauce was a great idea.  I have been trying to make barbecue pork burgers and have failed twice now.  If I put enough of the sauce inside the burgers to achieve the flavor I want, the burgers fall apart on the grill because they are too loose.  Then a light bulb went off, and I thought about basting them with the sauce as they are grilling.  That way I still get all the flavor, but it won’t make the burgers fall apart.  Now that I see how well it worked on these teriyaki burgers, I can’t wait to try that method on the barbecue pork burger.

Asian Turkey Burgers

This is a fun burger that I came up with.  It’s similar to my Thai Style Meatloaf, but in burger form and with turkey instead of beef.  I get really tired of burgers by the end of summer, so this is an easy way to still enjoy the simplicity of a grilled burger meal but without feeling like you’re eating the same thing all the time.


Asian Turkey Burgers


Ingredients:
2 lb. lean ground turkey
2” piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
4 green onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
6 hamburger buns
Thai Peanut Sauce


Directions:
In a large bowl, combine turkey, ginger, green onions, soy sauce, and cilantro. Mix thoroughly. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form into patties.


Cook patties on the grill or in the skillet.


Place on buns and slather with Thai Peanut Sauce or any other toppings of your choice.


Makes 6 servings.

The combination of these flavors is so amazing.  So much more flavorful than a regular burger.  And since they’re made with turkey, they’re better for you.  My three year old gobbled hers up very quickly!

The Thai peanut sauce that I used on these was the one from Pampered Chef.  But you can use any that you like.  

I served these with Bobby Flay’s Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Lime and Cilantro, but they didn’t turn out well, so I won’t be posting that recipe.

Slow Cooker Pizza Turkey Burgers

When I did my meal planning for April, I was looking for a slow cooker recipe that used ground turkey, because I had a bunch of that in the freezer that I needed to use. I found a recipe for Crock Pot Pizza Turkey Meatloaf. I was intrigued. As I read through it, I thought that pizza and meatloaf was kind of a weird combination, and what would I serve it with? Then the thought occurred to me to make the loaf into hamburger-sized patties instead to make pizza burgers. So I tweaked the recipe a bit and here is what I came up with.

Slow Cooker Pizza Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

24 slices pepperoni, divided

1 lb. lean ground turkey

½ cup marinara or pizza sauce, divided

½ cup dry breadcrumbs

¼ cup onion, finely chopped

1 large egg

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp salt

½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

4 hamburger buns

Directions:

Dice 12 slices of the pepperoni, leaving the other 12 in slices. In a large bowl, combine the diced pepperoni, turkey, ¼ cup of the marinara sauce, breadcrumbs, onion, egg, oregano and salt. Form into 4 patties and place in the bottom of a 6 quart oval slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours, or until they reach 165°.

Using a turkey baster, remove any liquid that has accumulated in the slow cooker. Top each turkey patty with 1 tbsp marinara sauce, 3 slices of pepperoni, and 2 tbsp cheese. Cover and cook another 5 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

Serve on hamburger buns.

Makes 4 servings.

When I first told Jim about this recipe, he didn’t seem too excited. He told me that he had something called Pizza Burgers in his elementary school cafeteria and that they were, to put it nicely, less than appetizing. That got me a little worried that this experiment was going to be a flop. He also admitted to me (after we ate and he loved it) that he wasn’t too sure about it as it was cooking all day.

But, I am proud to announce, it was a huge hit. Jim loved these burgers. When he walked into the dining room and saw it all plated up, he said, “Wow, that looks beautiful! It doesn’t look anything like the ones from the school cafeteria!” Whew!

When I was thinking about what to serve with these, I thought of how pizza is usually served with breadsticks dipped in pizza sauce. So I took frozen steak fries and “Italian-ed” them up and we dipped them in the marinara sauce. This meal is what would happen if a hamburger dinner and a pizza dinner got together and had a baby!

The burgers getting all cozy in the slow cooker. Don’t be alarmed if your burgers look a little pinkish when they’re done. The marinara sauce will do that. If they are only pink in the middle, they probably are not done yet, but if they are a uniform kind of pinkish, it’s probably just from the marinara sauce.

I cooked these on low, but I think next time I will cook them on high so they get a little bit crusty around the edges like a good burger does.

Here’s how I made the fries. I cooked one 28 oz. package of frozen steak fries as directed on the package. Then when they were done, but still warm, I brushed them with a mixture of olive oil, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt. I think next time I will use more oregano.