Turkey Burgers Recipe – Made From Leftover Turkey

When you think about recipes that uses your leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, do Turkey Burgers come to mind?

If you are like most people, you are probably thinking of recipes like Turkey Noodle Casserole, Turkey Chili or even Turkey Pot Pie to use some of your leftover turkey.

Although those are all fantastic recipes, I like to switch things up a bit and transition my leftover turkey into something a little different than a noodle or rice dish.

That is because I am so stuffed after the big holiday meal that I can’t even think about eating another bite of a casserole. Instead, a light, refreshing, and healthy burger is much more appetizing to me.

And if you can’t decide what you want to make with your leftover turkey or you have had your fill of turkey for awhile you can make the burgers and freeze them for later.

Then whenever you are ready, pull them out of the freezer and let them thaw. Then simply cook them on a hot skillet or griddle and you have a delicious meal that took little effort to prepare!

Turkey Burger Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• Leftover turkey meat
• Plain breadcrumbs
• Greek yogurt, plain
• Dijon mustard
• Egg
• Kosher salt
• Ground black pepper
• Garlic clove, minced
• Yellow onion, diced
• Parsley, finely chopped
• Olive oil for cooking

Equipment Required

We all know that most recipes require basic kitchen equipment such as measuring tools, cutting boards, knives and spatulas. However, you will also need a large capacity food processor or meat grinder to make these turkey burgers from your leftover turkey.

I absolutely love my Hamilton Beach Duo Food Processor. It is nothing fancy, but it does include both a large and small size food processing container that I can use for a variety of recipes.

I use it for chopping vegetables for soups and salsa. But I also use it to mix up the ingredients for pie crust, pizza dough, and of course burgers!

However, if you don’t have a large capacity food processor, you could also use a meat grinder or even a high power blender to mix the ingredients. It will just require more time during the clean up process.

INSTRUCTIONS

To make the turkey burgers, cut up or shred the leftover turkey. If you don’t have leftover turkey, you can use ground turkey instead.

Measure and place the turkey inside the food processor. Then sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the meat.

*Breadcrumbs – although this is a low-carb recipe in general, if you want to make it even more low-carb, you can substitute pork rinds in place of the breadcrumbs. And for a gluten-free diet, use gluten-free breadcrumbs instead.

Next, add the plain Greek yogurt, mustard, egg, salt, black pepper, garlic, and onion to the food processor. Lock the lid in place and push pulse until the ingredients are fully incorporated.

It is important here not to press LOW or HIGH. Doing so will result in the mixture being over processed and possibly turning into a puree mixture.

Instead, push Pulse several times. Then open the lid and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue to pulse until the mixture resembles raw meatloaf.

Fold In The Parsley

When the turkey burger mixture is combined, transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Then, using a silicone spatula, fold in the chopped parsley.

You may be wondering why not to add the parsley in with the other ingredients in the food processor. That is a good question.

If you add the parsley to the food processor, the blades will cause the parsley to disintegrate and become liquified. And that in turn will cause the meat mixture to become green in color.

Although edible, it isn’t the best looking burgers that you have ever had.

Once the parsley is added and mixed evenly throughout the mixture, it is time to determine if the burgers can be formed.

If the mixture is too dry and crumbly, add a little more yogurt. On the contrary, if it is too wet, sprinkle in more breadcrumbs.

The patties should be able to be made without too much sticky residue on your hands. And they should be wet enough to not fall apart when manipulated.

Measure out 1/4 – 1/2 cup of the meat mixture and make into a patty. Repeat until all patties are made.

Cooking Instructions

Once the turkey burgers are ready, you can cook them right away or cover and put them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

When you are ready to cook them, heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Then brush the cooking surface with olive oil.

Working in batches as needed place the formed patties on the hot pan or griddle. Cook the burgers for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until well-browned and cooked through.

The internal temperature needs to reach 165°F in the center of the burger in order for it to be safe to consume. Use a digital food thermometer inserted in the side of the burger for most accurate results.

Remove the burgers from the skillet and let sit 3-4 minutes before serving. Top with your favorite burger toppings and place on a toasted bun.

Or serve as is, for a low-carb dinner!

Enjoy! Mary

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