It’s definitely weird experiencing December in Los Angeles with sunny, 70 degree weather. I’m not complaining though! I am currently sitting in my apartment listening to my Christmas playlist and drinking amazing Fazenda Da Mata coffee from Thousand Faces Coffee in Athens, Georgia. Slight tangent here but this coffee shop is absolutely amazing — they source a variety of coffees from small, mostly family-owned farms around the world! I love supporting small business and more sustainable coffee agriculture and manufacturing as well. Not to mention, the taste of each of their coffee blends are delicious! I recently decided to purchase an affordable pour over coffee contraption and am absolutely loving it. I simply heat up some water in my instant tea kettle, scoop the amount of tbsp per ounces of coffee into the filter and then slowly pour the water over. Remove the filter, pour the coffee into your cup and voila! I love my coffee with a drop of vanilla creme Stevia drops and Milkadamia unsweetened vanilla creamer.
But back to the turkey burgers!
These have been a staple in my household for years – they are simple to make, juicy, protein-filled and make for a great topping to salads, a mid-day snack, or in the middle of a whole wheat bun topped with dijon mustard!
You can also grill these, but I prefer the oven to keep the juice in and the meat more flavorful since turkey can be dry. Also, I am so proud to say that I used my own homegrown basil and Greek oregano for this recipe! If you’re going your own fresh basil and/or oregano feel free to add it. Otherwise, I encourage you to buy a basil plant now and start! They are super easy to care for and grow like weeds. I use basil in so many dishes from omelets to soups and these burgers. I hope you enjoy!
Juicy Baked Turkey Burgers Stuffed with Spinach, Basil & Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs organic ground turkey
- 1/4 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes, with oil
- 2 cups packed spinach, finely chopped
- 1/4 large white onion, diced
- 1/4 cup tightly packed basil, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped (see below)
- 3 tsp salt
- 3 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400o F.
- If sun-dried tomatoes have been in your fridge, microwave for 30 seconds to melt oil.
- In a large salad bowl, combined turkey, sun-dried tomatoes with oil from jar, and all other ingredients. You may need more pepper depending on taste preference.
- Use a fork (or your hands) to combine the ingredients well. If the turkey is sticking a lot, add 1-2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil to add juiciness to the mixture.
- Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using your hands, form small, well-rounded and flat turkey burgers and place on the parchment paper. Make sure not to make too thick so the burgers cook all the way through.
- Place in the oven for 15 minutes or until well-cooked through.
- After 15 minutes, turn the turkey burgers over and broil on high for 2 minutes.
- Turn the turkey burgers back over and broil for an additional 2-3 minutes on high or until golden brown on the outside.
- Enjoy with dijon mustard or as a topping on my healthy crunchy salad!