10 Recipes

How to Cook Ground Turkey

Everything to do with a pound of ground turkey — sloppy joes, turkey meatballs, stuffed peppers, Korean rice bowls — for busy weeknights at home.

Contributors
Jillian Jones
CC
LT
+7

★ lunch

Mediterranean Turkey Burgerlunch

Mediterranean Turkey Burger

A cheeseburger, if you will - but more on the lean side. Turkey meat is a great substitute for beef when you want to cut back on the cholesterol, fat, and calories. Trust me when I say you won’t be missing it after you make these delicious, tangy, mediterranean turkey burgers.

45 min620 cal45 g proteinServes 655 saves
Jillian JonesJillian Jones

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Ground turkey
  • 1 Egg - beaten
  • 1/4 cup White mushrooms (diced)
  • 8-10 Kalamata olives (pitless & chopped)
  • 1/2 tbsp Garlic powder
  • 1/2 tbsp Onion powder
  • 1/3 tbsp Basil (finely chopped)
  • 1/3 tbsp Dill (finely chopped)
  • 1/3 tbsp Oregano
  • 1/3 tbsp Thyme
  • Dash Salt & pepper
  • Red onion (sliced)
  • Feta cheese
  • Arugula
  • Tzatziki
  • Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free Burger Buns

Instructions

  1. 1In a mixing bowl, beat 1 large egg by hand. Add ground turkey, mushrooms, olives, and all seasonings and spices. Mix together until completely combined. It’s easiest to do this with your hands!
  2. 2Scoop out about 2-3 tbsps of patty combo then roll and flatten into patties. Place on a plate or baking sheet to put in the refrigerator to chill for about 20 minutes.
  3. 3While your patties are chilling, cut a red onion into slices. Heat a pan over medium-high heat, drizzle with olive oil, then add in your onions to sauté. (about 10 minutes)
  4. 4Once your patties are chilled, heat a grill pan on medium-high heat. Drizzle with olive oil, and place patties in pan to cook. Each side needs about 5-7 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF. You can use your regular outdoor grill for this too, just make sure to get them to an internal temperature of 165ºF
  5. 5Once your patties are done, top them off with some feta and pop them into your broiler for about 3-4 minutes. You can use an All Clad grill pan on both stove top and in the oven.
  6. 6Once the patties are done, remove from the grill pan and set aside. In that same pan, you can brush olive oil or butter onto your buns and toast those on the pan as well until golden brown.
  7. 7Assemble your burger by placing the patty first, the sautéed onions, arugula, then top it off with some tzatziki sauce. Enjoy!

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A Pound of Ground Turkey Goes Far

Ground turkey is lean, cheap, and cooks in about ten minutes, but it needs help. Onion, garlic, a little fat in the pan, and a sauce with some backbone turn it from plain to something your family asks for again.

Cooks on Pepper reach for this collection on the nights the freezer has one pound of turkey in it and nobody has decided what dinner is yet.

Every recipe here starts with that pound: Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes, Turkey Meatballs, Mediterranean Turkey Burgers, Korean Ground Turkey & Rice Bowls, Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers, and skillets with zucchini or sweet potato.

Quick Tips

  1. 1

    Add fat to the pan

    Ground turkey has little fat of its own, so heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil before the meat goes in to keep it from sticking and drying out.

  2. 2

    Leave it alone to brown

    Press the turkey flat and let it sit 3 to 4 minutes before stirring so you get browned edges instead of gray crumbles.

  3. 3

    Keep burgers and meatballs moist

    Mix in an egg and something soft like diced mushrooms or finely chopped onion; handle the mix lightly and stop once it just comes together.

  4. 4

    Cook to 165 degrees

    Check the thickest spot with a thermometer and pull it at 165°F, usually 8 to 10 minutes for burgers and about 20 minutes for baked meatballs.

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