It’s still grey and rainy here, but in between the rain showers we had ONE sunny day this week and managed to get our summer garden planted!! The kids helped dig the holes for the plants and happily buried the tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers and then blew them kisses as they ran off to play in the sprinkler – apparently they haven’t had enough water falling from the sky since last November!!
And while they enjoyed their summer-like day playing in the sprinkler, the adults also acted like it was summer by firing up the grill and making these amazing Greek-inspired turkey burgers!!
These turkey burgers are filled with sautéed spinach, crumbly feta cheese, a bit of garlic, some dried oregano, and a pinch of red pepper chili flakes which helps the burgers stay moist and so flavorful!!
Within a few minutes you can whip up these amazing spinach and feta turkey burgers, drop them on the grill, and serve them for dinner with your favorite burger toppings!! OR – you can swap out the regular burger toppings, add a big dollop of refreshing cucumber-yogurt tzatziki sauce, some crisp lettuce, creamy avocado, and a homemade sun-dried tomato ketchup to really bring these delicious burgers to the next level!!
These burgers make a great weeknight meal and add a fun twist to the regular weekend burger/hot dog BBQ’s in the backyard – you could even use this same recipe to make a Greek-inspired meatloaf with a side of mashed potatoes or make meatballs for a batch of homemade tomato sauce on spaghetti night!!
Any way you make it, it’s going to be delicious!!
XO,
Jenn
Greek feta and spinach turkey burgers
Ingredients
for the burgers:
- 1 pound ground turkey, 93% lean
- 4 ounces fresh spinach
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper chili flakes
- 4 small hamburger buns
for the tzatziki sauce:
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup grated cucumber
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, minced
- 1/4 tsp lemon zest
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
for the sundried tomato ketchup:
- 1 cup apple juice
- 1/2 cup oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, drained
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 garlic clove
- salt
Instructions
for the burgers:
- Place a heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and the spinach to the pan, cooking the spinach until wilted, stirring as needed. Once the spinach is cooked, remove it from the heat and allow to cool. Roughly chop the spinach and set aside.Preheat your grill.In a medium sized bowl, place the turkey, cooled spinach, feta cheese, oregano, garlic, red pepper chili flakes, salt and pepper. Wet your hands under some cool water, then use your hands to mix the ingredients together until completely combined. Separate the mixture into four equal portions and form them into burger patties.Once your grill is hot, place the burger patties on the grill. Cook them for five minutes before flipping them over to cook fully. The burgers should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.Once the burgers are cooked, remove them from the heat. Assemble each burger bun with one turkey burger, 1/4 cup tzatziki sauce, 2 tablespoons sundried tomato ketchup, some crispy lettuce, and creamy avocado - enjoy!!
for the tzatziki sauce:
- Place the Greek yogurt, cucumber, dill, lemon zest, salt and pepper into a bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside until ready to use.
for the sundried tomato ketchup:
- Place the apple juice, 1/4 cup of the sundried tomatoes, brown sugar, vinegar, cloves, cayenne, ginger, onion and garlic in a blender. Puree the mixture completely. Pour the mixture into a saucepan, adding the remaining 1/4 cup of sundried tomatoes. Simmer the sauce over medium heat - stirring as needed - until reduced and very thick - about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add salt to taste.
Notes
made this for friends for lunch, used an electric griddle pan (no bbq)–they loved it! we had it without buns (they’re on weight watchers) and did brown rice & veg as a side dish. thanks for an easy, healthful, tasty recipe 🙂
Hi Lindsay,
Yay! I’m so glad you all enjoyed this recipe and you were able to adapt it – sounds like a delicious lunch for sure!
I have made this so many times since I found the recipe! It is so fresh tasting and delicious. I will often double the recipe so we can have the turkey burgers as a lunch option – they reheat really well. I have to confess I’ve never made the sun dried tomato ketchup and I use store bought tzatziki. I serve them without buns with a chick pea salad and it is soooo good! Plus my husband and two teenage kids love it too! One of my all time fave recipes found on Pinterest for sure!
Yay! I’m so happy to read your comment Jamie! This is one of our favs as well, and yes to ease of store bought tzatziki! 🙂
What a nice recipe to change things up for dinner!
These were delicious! I made it exactly as you recommended and especially loved the sun dried tomato ketchup sauce and tzatziki which gave it a nice kick. Saving the rest of my sauce but not yet sure what I will put it on. My only challenge was the roll bottoms getting soggy. Next time I’ll toast. Will definitely make again!
Hi Sue, I am so happy that you liked this recipe ~ it’s definitely a favorite in our household! 🙂