Jump to RecipeSpinach and Feta Turkey Burgers are healthy, juicy, lean and absolutely delish! Serve on Brioche roll, with arugula, tomatoes, cucumber with a dap of tzatziki, to really drive home the Greek flare of flavor!
As the summer begins to wind down and the school year ramps up, I’m looking for dinners that I can throw together quickly, have a veggie, protein and starch already built in and minimal dishes to clean up! This is one of those meals! Plus, it’s nice to get out there and grill, while the weather is still warm. With a pound of frozen chopped spinach in these lean and mean Turkey burgers you really do get a pretty hefty portion of vegetables in each burger. I prefer to use turkey breast, but if you would rather trade a few points in the fat percentage area to have ground dark meat, which is notoriously juicer, that’s certainly an option!
I think that with the moisture from the spinach, feta, and mozzarella these burgers are plenty juicy and using turkey breast is JUST FINE!
In this picture you will see that I served these Spinach and Feta Turkey burgers with soft and buttery Brioche rolls, thinly sliced cucumber, plum tomatoes, a little arugula and a generous dollop of Tzatziki sauce. And that’s exactly how i would recommend you make them as well, of course if you have a family member who is a stickler to having ketchup on their burger- I’ve seen it done and it totally works!
These Greek flavor inspired Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers are just so easy to make!
How to Make Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers
Begin by sauteeing onion in a tad of olive oil over medium heat until translucent. This should only take about 5 to 7 minutes, add the garlic towards the last minute as it cooks much faster and can quickly burn. Remove from heat and set aside. I really prefer to sweat out the onion instead of adding to raw to burger mixture as this softens the in-your-face raw onion punch, allowing it to gently fold into the background to create a base for the rest of the flavors!
Meanwhile, you will need to squeeze out the moisture from your thawed frozen spinach. By the way, I love to keep a few packages of chopped frozen spinach on hand. I’ve been caught many times trying to cook a dinner without fresh produce on hand, and having back up frozen vegetables in my freezer is a savior! A meal isn’t a meal without a vegetable, folks!
Using a cheesecloth or any kitchen towel will do. You will really need to give it a big squeeze. Almost as if you are wringing the spinach out to dry! When you open the towel you will see a big green compact ball of spinach, transfer that right into the large mixing bowl and that towel will definitely need a wash!
Break the spinach up with a fork, you want to do this before adding the meat because just less mixing on the meat the better. Overworked meat leads to dense burgers- no bueno!
Add all remaining ingredients, gently mix with a fork or your hands and form into burgers. I made mine pretty big. But you can make whatever size you choose.
In fact if you want to make these into little meatballs to serve with rice or to add to a soup, go right ahead. In that case you would skip the grilling and go right to baking in the oven like a meatballs, directions on that found on my recipe for PERFECT ITALIAN MEATBALLS
Remember to be gentle when forming your turkey burger patty. No mushing and smooshing. Because we are woking with a very lean meat, there is little wiggle room for maintaining moisture. Lightly guide meat together, use fingers to guide the shape. No one likes a tough burger, don’t overwork the meat! You got this- I have faith!
Here’s the fun part- turn your grill on med-high heat for a few minutes before adding the turkey burgers. Depending on the size of the burger it will likely take about 20 total minutes. You only want to flip ONCE! None of this back and forth. One side down, next side down- remove, which is standard burger grilling procedure! A meat thermometer will need to be your guide to check for doneness. You want the internal temperature to reach 165 degrees, for proper food safety precautions.
I served these Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers on a Brioche Bun, which is one of my favorite choices for burger buns! I lightly toasted them, of course, and then layered a bit of baby arugula, sliced plum tomatoes, and thinly sliced english cucumber with a dap of store bought tzatziki, which is a lemony, herby yogurt based sauce- a perfect condiment for these turkey burgers with a Greek twist!
Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground turkey breast
- 16 oz chopped frozen spinach thawed
- ½ onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5 oz feta cheese good quality
- ¼ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ cup breadcrumb
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp oregano
Instructions
- Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes, set aside to cool
- Remove thawed frozen spinach from packaging and transfer to cheesecloth or kitchen towel. Squeeze out the excess moisture over sink. Spinach with look much dryer and compact. Place in large mixing bowl and use fork to break apart.
- Add all remaining ingredients to mixing bowl, including the cooled sauteed onions. Mix
- Create 6 burger patties. Cover and refrigerate until ready to grill.
- When grilling, heat until internal temperature reaches 165°, with meat thermometer.
Notes
Nutrition
