I was totally craving a really good turkey burger today, so I made sure I had the ingredients and made Buffalo-Blue Cheese Turkey Burgers tonight.
Teacher Man wasn’t home from school yet (he had parent open house tonight) and Joe was completely starving at 4:45 p.m. (so weird for an 11-year-old boy to be that way, ha!) when I got home so I just fed him right away with one of his favorites (chicken nuggets, duh). Then once Earl the Pug was also taken care of appropriately, I was free to cook up these burgers at my leisure. (Although they only took 40 minutes from start to plate.)
I often hear people say they can’t make a flavorful turkey burger, or they had a horribly dry turkey burger once and it ruined them from ever trying another turkey burger again.
These statements make me sad, people. So very sad.
Turkey burgers are so incredibly awesome if you follow a few easy tips:
- Add spices or something that gives the meat some flavor. (These Buffalo Blue Cheese Turkey Burgers are stuffed with carrots, celery and blue cheese crumbles, plus topped with a little Buffalo sauce. I know. Carrots and celery!)
- Put a binder in with the meat – meaning an egg or bread crumbs (or both). This keeps the ground turkey together when you cook the patties.
- Don’t overcook the patties. Mine tonight took 6 minutes on one side, 6 minutes on the other. That’s it. And I know they were cooked through because I used a meat thermometer to make sure the patties reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
These Buffalo Blue Cheese Turkey Burgers are super flavorful (but not overly hot-spicy, if you’re worried about that). You also probably should like blue cheese – although I was thinking you could easily substitute Feta cheese or even some white or smoked cheddar if that’s more to your liking.
I have no idea where the recipe – which actually called for ground chicken – originated. My sister emailed it to me a few days ago and she never saved the website so neither one of us can provide the source. (Sorry!) I am sure these burgers would be equally good with ground chicken, but you know me – my goal in life is to substitute turkey for as much as possible. 😉
#TurkeyEveryday, I say!
Enjoy!
Lara
P.S. This is also a pretty amazing way to sneak some veggies into a burger without your picky kids noticing overly much. Just saying.
Buffalo-Blue Cheese Turkey Burgers
- 1/2 cup carrots, finely chopped
- 1 (20-ounce) package JENNIE-O® Lean Ground Turkey Breast
- 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles, plus more for garnish (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup Buffalo hot sauce
- Vegetable oil cooking spray
- 4 large hamburger buns or kaiser rolls, split
- Lettuce of your choice (optional)
- Light blue cheese dressing (optional)
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine carrot slices with 2 tablespoons water; microwave on high, stirring every minute, until very tender – about 3 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly while you mash up the carrots. (Note: my carrots didn’t totally mash but that was okay – I chopped mine pretty finely. In fact, the more I think about it, you could just shop the carrots up small and not every worry about mashing them at all.)
Add ground turkey, egg whites, celery, breadcrumbs, and blue cheese to a large mixing bowl; mix to combine thoroughly.
Form turkey mixture into five patties. (Or you can make four bigger patties too. Since the ground turkey package is over a pound of meat, I usually go with five.)
In a second small bowl, stir cornstarch into the hot sauce until dissolved. Set aside.
Coat a grill rack or grill pan with cooking spray. (I used an electric griddle in my kitchen set to 375 degrees F. – worked like a charm.) Grill patties over medium-high heat for 6 minutes; flip and grill 4 minutes more. Brush patties with Buffalo sauce mixture and grill until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. – about 2 more minutes.
Place 1 burger on bottom of each roll. Garnish with cheese, lettuce and/or a little blue cheese dressing, if desired.
Other awesome turkey burger recipes:
Note: I am part of Jennie-O’s Switch Circle of bloggers, but I do not get paid for my posts. I do receive some complimentary turkey products to try upon occasion. Opinions and topics are entirely my own.