Fire up the grill for a fast, low carb dinner with southwest flare. These grilled turkey burgers are tender, juicy, and packed with smoky fajita flavor in every bite.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: These burgers have a delicious smoky flavor, complemented by sweet grilled peppers, fresh cilantro, and a tangy sauce for the perfect burger-meets-fajita flavor mashup.
- Budget: This easy recipe is perfect for weeknights, but using ground turkey and peppers makes this colorful burger affordable for a crowd.
- Recommended Tools: All you need is a grill, mixing bowls, a cutting board, sharp knife, and a spatula. Use an instant-read thermometer for safely cooked and juicy burgers.
- Serving Suggestions: I love serving these tender turkey burgers in lettuce wraps or burger bowls for an easy backyard dinner. Add avocado or sliced tomato for even more flavor.
Ingredients
- Turkey: Using lean ground turkey keeps the burgers light tasting. Avoid extra lean ground turkey because the burger can dry out faster.
- Veggies: Use half of the bell peppers and onion in the patties for added moisture and flavor, while the rest are grilled for topping. A mix of colors looks best and adds natural sweetness. Red onion is a bit sweeter than white or yellow varieties.
- Sauce: This bright and tangy southwest sauce brings all the flavors together. Try a DIY fajita, Southwest, or taco seasoning recipe. Swap in sour cream in place of the yogurt and mayo, if desired.
- Variations: For a milder, smoky flavor, use poblano instead of jalapeno, or skip the pepper entirely for a family friendly version. Add pepper jack cheese in the last minute for a cheesier Southwest burger.
How These Burgers Come Together
- Mix the sauce ingredients.
- Prepare veggies (full recipe below).
- Combine turkey with diced veggies and seasoning.
- Divide into patties and grill along with reserved veggies.
- Top each patty with grilled veggies and southwest sauce.
Holly’s Best Burger Tips
- Gently mix ground turkey so the patties stay tender.
- Dice the veggies added to the ground turkey small so the patties hold together well. Chill the formed patties for 15 to 20 minutes.
- To prevent the burgers from sticking to the grill, oil or spray the outside of the patties, not the grill grates.
- Cook only to a safe 165˚F, do not overcook. Let the burgers rest a few minutes before serving for juicy burgers.
- Make extra sauce and use as a veggie dip or to drizzle over leftover veggies.
Save It For Later
- Refrigerate leftover cooked burgers, grilled vegetables, and sauce separately. Cooked burgers and sauce will keep in airtight containers for up to 4 days.
- Store frozen or uncooked patties in layers with parchment for up to 3 months.
- Thaw frozen, cooked patties in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat in a skillet, in the microwave, or in the oven, covered.
Cookout Sides
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Grilled Turkey Burgers
These grilled turkey burgers are packed with peppers, onions, and southwest seasoning, then topped with grilled fajita veggies and a creamy sauce. They are juicy, colorful, and perfect for an easy low carb grill night.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 bell peppers one each of red, green and yellow peppers (divided)
- 1 red onion divided
- 3 tablespoons Southwest Seasoning divided
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds lean ground turkey
- 1½ tablespoons cilantro chopped
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and finely diced (optional)
Southwest Sauce
- ⅓ cup fat free greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
- 1½ tablespoons southwest seasoning
Instructions
Southwest Sauce:
- Mix together sauce ingredients and refrigerate.
To Marinate Veggies:
- Cut a red, green and yellow pepper in half. Set each half aside for later.
- Slice the peppers and ½ red onion into large pieces.
- In a small bowl mix 1 tablespoon southwest seasoning, 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss with veggies and set aside.
To Make Burgers:
- Preheat grill to medium high.
- Dice remaining ½ red pepper, green pepper & yellow pepper. Mince red onion to make 2 tablespoons.
- In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, diced peppers, minced red onion, cilantro, garlic, thyme, cumin & 1 tablespoon southwest seasoning just until mixed.
- Divide into 8 equal pieces and form into ¾" thick patties.
- Lightly spray each patty with no stick spray and sprinkle with Southwest Seasoning. Grill about 4 to 5 minutes on each side or just until cooked through (do not overcook). Meat should reach 165°F. Cover and allow to rest.
Assembly
- Grill marinated veggies about 5 minutes or until just softened. Slice veggies into narrow strips
- Top each burger patty with veggies and 1 Tablespoon south west sauce. Serve.
Notes
- Keep leftover burgers, sauce, and grilled vegetables separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 196.23kcal | Carbohydrates: 7.92g | Protein: 28.89g | Fat: 5.52g | Saturated Fat: 1.02g | Cholesterol: 63.7mg | Sodium: 105.24mg | Potassium: 561.29mg | Fiber: 2.19g | Sugar: 4.92g | Vitamin A: 2853.51IU | Vitamin C: 117.58mg | Calcium: 25.98mg | Iron: 1.5mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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