Turkey Burgers With Paprika & Sage

I enjoy a good turkey burger, a light twist on the ‘real thing’ I find it an easy, super flexible weeknight way to enjoy turkey versus having yet another night of chicken….chicken…chicken…. My turkey burgers vary quite a bit, in terms of seasoning and flavors, but this was a flavorful, juicy take with the addition of paprika and sage.

Expectations:

Time:  20 minutes or less total time. I use one very large frying pan to pan sear all at once (4 burgers) and at 3 – 5 minutes per side at most. Prep takes about 5 – 10 minutes at most, on the longer end if your turkey is one of your freezer staples (as mine was) in need of defrosting.

Serves:  This is a 1X (feeds your family once) meal for a family of 4 – 2 adults, 2 kids.  I made very small burgers for the kids, my husband had 2 burgers.  If you have kids (or a partner) that will eat more than one burger, consider doubling & it’s easy to save any excess burger patties in the the freezer (frozen flat in freezer safe bags or if stacking in a container, oil parchment to place in-between raw patties before freezing).

While the burgers are cooking, I made a quick salad and sliced additional vegetables for the kids.

Kid modifications:  As noted in the photo of my kids’ plates, they’re not quite eating ‘burgers’ in burger form so I give them the components – i.e. roll, turkey burger, cheese, veggies on the side. Cut (or not) depending on which child it’s for. Works for eaters with strong preferences shall we say.

Ingredients:

• 1 to 1.25 pounds (one package from a typical grocer) of ground turkey
• Salt & pepper to taste (I used about 1 tsp. of kosher salt
• Optional: Sweet Paprika 1 teaspoon
• Optional: Dash (1/2 teaspoon of turmeric)
• Optional: Sage (1 tablespoon of 2 teaspoons fresh chopped fine or 1 teaspoon of dried sage)
• 1 large egg
• Optional:  4 Burger rolls: If you’re interested in making your own, I use this recipe from King Arthur Flour and I keep partially risen rolls (gone through 1st rise only) in my freezer for quick access. I made a 50/50 blend of all purpose & white whole wheat flour to add a bit of whole grain.

Rolls… 1/2 white, 1/2 whole wheat flour… yummy and easy to keep in the freezer and bake when you want to.

Steps to Put this On Your Table:

• Preheat a large (i.e. 12 inch) frying or saute pan over medium-high heat, spray or coat with cooking oil (i.e. coconut or olive oil).
• In a small bowl (or to save time, I did this right in the package — note if you try it, just need to be careful to avoid spilling it when mixing the ingredients) throughly combine all of the ingredients except for the burger rolls with a spatula.  The egg will make the mixture slightly ‘loose’ but it really helps keep the turkey burgers moist and flavorful (as turkey breast, usually what’s used for ground turkey is very lean and can dry out quickly).
• Form 4 burger patties from the turkey mixture (using your hands) and place directly into the warm pan.  My children are young so I made 2 small burgers for them and two larger (about 1/3 pound) burgers each for my husband and I.
• Watch the burgers to see when the ‘cooked’ (lighter colored part that is no longer pink) at the bottom looks to be about 1/3 to 1/2 way ‘up’ towards the center of the burger — this takes about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Using a large spatula, ‘flip’ the burgers from the ‘cooked’ to the ‘uncooked’ side and continue to cook for about another 3 to 4 minutes. To check for doneness, using a small fork or knife cut (lightly) into the center and take a look for any remaining pink/uncooked ground turkey.
• They should take 6 – 10 minutes total time to cook.

Serve with (on or alongside — as I did for my kids, see picture below) burger rolls and top with your favorite burger condiments: i.e. slice of cheese for ‘Turkey Cheeseburgers’, ketchup, salsa, avocado, mustard… whatever takes you to burger heaven.

My kids are still not quite eating ‘burgers’ in burger form so I give them the components – i.e. roll, turkey burger, cheese, veggies on the side. Cut (or not) depending on which child it’s for. Works even for particular eaters.

Finished turkey burgers… with cheese & served with the mushroom, shisito pepper & warm tomato salad.

Enjoy!

Please let me know if you try this, how it turns out for your family or if you have questions in the comments.

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