Healthy Grilled Turkey Burgers: Easy and Delicious
Confession time... Before I created these healthy, grilled turkey burgers, I was a turkey burger virgin.
Well, almost.
These healthy turkey burgers are what I have coined as "Lazy Turkey Burgers - 3" in my chronometer app, where I track all my recipe creations. So technically, it was my third iteration, but I think that still counts. My first version isn't even documented, so I'm guessing I literally took the ground turkey and threw it on the grill with minimal spices. I'm also going to take a wild guess that I quickly discovered how bland and disgusting it was. I clearly blocked this from my memory. I've come to realize that healthy, good tasting turkey burgers are an art form. I know that when I'm eating a turkey burger, that I'm going to use the leanest meat I can get, because, in my opinion, the point of eating a turkey burger is because either:
you don't eat beef
you want something low fat
So how does one, who loves regular burgers, create a healthy, grilled turkey burger that is delicious, juicy, and tastes like beef?
I scour the internet, of course.
Actually, I can recall searching on the web, looking at loads of recipes for turkey burgers just trying to figure out what people have added to make it juicy and tasty. I have to say, people get creative! So, I suppose you could say that version two of this grilled turkey burger was inspired by loads of recipes on the internet. And version two was loads better than version one, but I still thought I could do better. Lead into version three, my lazy turkey burger.
One guess how I was feeling that day...
Yup, the day I made this, I was feeling pretty darn lazy! That meant I had no interest in chopping up fresh onions or mincing garlic. I clearly was in the mood to just make it, cook it, eat it, and be done! Knowing me, even that felt like too much work at the time. But, that's also the beauty of these easy turkey burgers! They are so easy to make! It actually only takes about 10 minutes total for me to toss everything into the bowl, mix it, and form my patties. And it only takes that long because I have to keep pulling my hands out of the freezing ground meat. By the way, if anyone out there has a trick for how to help with that, leave a comment below!
I will admit there are A LOT of ingredients.
However, most should be items that are regularly stored in your refrigerator or pantry. Honestly, my goal for these burgers was to make them taste more like beef, and to be juicier than the first and second version. By using condiments like BBQ sauce, ketchup, and steak sauce, I was able to add both moisture and flavor that is more associated to a red meat, without adding the fat. Luckily, my friends agreed. I've now served this to them multiple times, and they've always enjoyed it. Now, if you're a little worried about the added sugar content with the use of these condiments, don't be. The amounts used are so minimal, that the entire burger is only 3g of sugar. And, considering you are getting 27g of protein in that one burger, I'd say that is a pretty good ratio! Plus, that means it's still healthy for diabetics and those with insulin resistance that watch their sugar.
Okay, I am going to boast just a little bit more about my easy turkey burger.
I mentioned it was low sugar and high protein. However, I didn't mention that it was low-carb and low-fat. Well, it is! This means you can load it up with all the toppings you want without feeling the least bit guilty. I topped mined with bacon, cheese, spinach, tomato, onion, condiments, and a smart bun. All that and I still stayed super low carb. That's pretty darn cool, if you ask me. Okay, maybe I tend to get too excited about my food and my macros, but it's what I do. Enjoy!
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Additional Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 20 mins
Ingredients
1 TBSP Ketchup
1/2 oz lemon juice
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Lawry's Seasoning Salt
1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Sweet Baby Ray's, Honey Barbecue Sauce
1 TBSP A.1. Steak Sauce, Original
1 Egg
Instructions
Combine all ingredients into a bowl
Mix well with your hands, to ensure all ingredients are evenly distributed
Separate into four patties, by creating four evenly proportioned balls of meat, and patting down.
Using your index and middle finger, lightly press down in the center of the patties to create a small indent in the center. This is for more even cooking and less plumping and shrinking of patties
Place on grill. Flip as needed. Cook thoroughly until safe eating temperature is reached.
Notes
With the amount of liquid that is placed into this mixture, the burgers are extremely delicate. If needed, you can place the meat in the fridge for a few minutes to keep their form.
I don't normally need to do this, but it does help.
Because they are so delicate, ensure you keep the grill well sprayed with oil, so that they don't fall apart when you try to flip them or remove them
The trick with with the two finger indent was something I read about years ago online. This is not required, but it also helps with cooking.
