Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Serves 4

Ground turkey certainly has less fat, calories and cholesterol than ground beef, but it may not be as big a difference as you might think. Is the ground beef chuck, round or sirloin? Is the turkey all dark, all white or a combination? Ground round has about 220 calories, 13 grams of fat and 75mg of cholesterol per 3 ounce serving. (Broiled or barbequed). The same portion of ground turkey (all dark meat, broiled or barbequed) contains approximately 200 calories, 11 grams of fat and 71mg of cholesterol. The good news is if you choose all white-meat ground turkey, a 3 ounce portion has only 161 calories, 11 grams of fat and 66mg of cholesterol.

2 lbs Ground Turkey, all white meat
4 Slices Provolone
1 Small Red Bell Pepper, roasted, skinned and cut small dice
1 Small Yellow Bell Pepper, roasted, skinned and cut small dice
4 Small Portobello Mushrooms, sliced thin
1 Small Yellow Onion, sliced thin
2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
¼ tsp Dried Thyme
Kosher Salt, to taste
Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste
2 TBS Olive Oil
Vegetable Spray, as needed
4 Potato-Bread Buns, lightly buttered and toasted

1. Spray a broiler pan with vegetable spray. Cut bell peppers into 2 segments, removing the seeds. Lay flat and place under broiler and the let the skins blister and blacken. Be sure and rotate pan to get an even blister (about 10 minutes). When done, remove and place into a plastic bag, seal and let sit for 15 minutes.

2. Remove the peppers from the plastic bag and remove the skins. Cut the peppers into small dice.

3. Heat a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and cook the onions, turning constantly, 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the mushrooms and diced peppers. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, put the ground turkey into a medium bowl and add the Worcestershire sauce, thyme and season with salt and pepper. Form into 8 patties of equal weight and size. Place 4 patties on broiler pan and top with ¼ of the pepper/onion/mushroom mixture. Top with a slice of provolone, being sure the outside edges of the cheese are inside the outside edges of the turkey patty. Now top with another patty and press down and crimp the edges tightly.

5. Place pan under broiler at second rack setting and broil 6 minutes on each side, turning only once.

6. Carefully remove burgers from broiler pan and place on bottom of toasted potato-bread bun. Top with top half and enjoy. Use of condiments is strictly a personal decision.


Larry Irons is the author of the Bizarre Chef Newsletter. To sign up, send an email to: [email protected] with Free Newsletter in the subject line.

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