Turkey Tuesday: Fajita Turkey Burgers

Turkey Tuesday is baaaaack, people, with Fajita Turkey Burgers! Truth be told, I felt downright guilty for not posting my usual turkey recipe the past two Tuesdays. (I’m very good at the self-guilt process.) But life happens – and I just didn’t have a lot of time to prep a recipe, take photos, and make sure the recipe was what I wanted to share with you.

Tonight, however, I left the office at 4:30 p.m., picked up Joe from his after-school care program, and zoomed home to get started on this new recipe for Fajita Turkey Burgers I found over the weekend on the Jennie-O Turkey Store website. Based on the seasonings and the plethora of peppers and onions, it seemed like it was going to be super flavorful.

I was right.

That’s the thing about turkey burgers that I’ve mentioned before … you really must commit to season these little buggers. Turkey on its own is good, but bland – especially when you use the extra lean ground turkey like I did tonight. But throw in chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, and garlic salt and – wham! – things get very interesting.

So in honor of June is Turkey Lovers’ Month, I give you Fajita Turkey Burgers – with some yummy white cheddar thrown on top for Dairy Month, too.  Let me know what you think!

– Lara –

Fajita Turkey Burgers

Adapted from this recipe by Jennie-O Turkey Store

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• salt and freshly ground pepper, if desired
• 1 (20-ounce) package JENNIE-O® Extra Lean Ground Turkey Breast
• ¼ cup salsa, drained
• ¾ cup cilantro, divided
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• Cheese slices (I used White Cheddar because I LOVE White Cheddar but Monterey Jack would be fab too)
• Sour cream and extra salsa, if desired
• Hamburger buns, sliced

In a small bowl, combine cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, red pepper flakes, paprika and salt and pepper, if desired. Set aside.

Mix ground turkey, half of spice mixture, drained salsa, and ½ cup cilantro; form into 5 (½-inch thick) patties. (Full disclosure: I made 6 patties with this recipe because I knew Joe wouldn’t necessarily be a big fan; he got the smaller burger.) Spray skillet with cooking spray. Place patties in skillet over medium-high heat. Cook 17 to 19 minutes, turning occasionally. Always cook to well done, 165°F. as measured by a meat thermometer. Top with slices of cheese to melt slightly.  (Obviously you could grill these burgers outside, too, but tonight I left Teacher Man to his mowing while I did the cooking indoors.)

Meanwhile, melt 2 Tablespoons butter in another large skillet. (You can also just spray with cooking spray, but I prefer to cook my vegies in a little butter. It’s very The Pioneer Woman of me.) Cook onions, bell peppers and remaining spice mixture over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining ¼ cup cilantro.

To assemble burgers, spread sour cream and salsa, if desired, on buns. (You could also use guacamole instead of sour cream if you prefer!) Place burgers and vegetable mixture on buns, and serve!

Note: I am part of Jennie-O’s Switch Circle of bloggers, but I do not get paid for my posts. I do receive some complimentary turkey products to try upon occasion. Opinions and topics are entirely my own.