Ground turkey can be kind of, well, boring if you don’t dress it up right. That’s why I made these turkey burgers with a twist and added fun add-ins to the burger patty for maximum flavor and color. And instead of the ketchup and mustard treatment, these juicy burgers get a homemade lemon dill yogurt sauce, crunchy slices of cucumber, and a few slivers of red onion. If you’re looking to change up your burger game, these Mediterranean Turkey Burgers are it!
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Can the Turkey Burgers be Grilled?
Yes, you can definitely grill these burgers instead of cooking them in a skillet. An outdoor grill or even an indoor countertop grill, like a George Foreman grill, will work great.
Why 19 oz. of Ground Turkey?
I’ll never understand why, but some brands sell ground turkey in 19 oz. packages instead of one-pound packages (if you work in that industry and know why, please let me know). If you can only find a one-pound package of ground turkey, you can still make this recipe. I wouldn’t adjust any other ingredients, just make four patties instead of five and they’ll be a little extra flavorful.
What to Serve with Mediterranean Turkey Burgers
Since I had a half cucumber and red onion leftover from the recipe, I used them to make a small batch of my Super Fresh Cucumber Salad. It’s the perfect light side to these burgers. You could also serve them with something like Herby Potato Salad, Mediterranean Coleslaw, Steak Fries, Mediterranean White Bean Salad, Quinoa Tabbouleh, or a simple green salad (mixed greens, tomatoes, and a vinaigrette).
Can I Use Fresh Spinach?
Yes, you can use fresh spinach in this recipe instead of frozen, if you prefer. I suggest chopping the spinach until it’s in small pieces so it’s easier to mix into the meat. You may also want to sauté it briefly in a skillet to get some of the water out. You’ll want about ¼ cup once sautéed.
Mediterranean Turkey Burgers
Servings 5Ingredients
Lemon Dill Yogurt Sauce
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt ($0.50)
- 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice ($0.03)
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp dried dill ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.02)
Turkey Burgers
- 19 oz. ground turkey* ($3.89)
- 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes ($0.83)
- 1/4 cup minced red onion ($0.08)
- 2 oz. frozen spinach (1 cup when frozen) ($0.25)
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta ($0.57)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
For Serving
- 5 hamburger buns ($3.04)
- 1/2 cucumber, sliced ($0.75)
Instructions
- Make the lemon dill yogurt sauce first. Stir together the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic powder, dried dill, and salt. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Prepare the add-ins for the turkey burgers. Finely chop the sun dried tomatoes, mince or finely dice the red onion, crumble the feta, and then thaw and squeeze all the moisture out of the frozen spinach (2 oz. will be about 1 cup when frozen, ¼ cup when thawed and squeezed dry).
- Add the ground turkey, sun dried tomatoes, red onion, feta, spinach, dried oregano, garlic powder, and salt to a bowl. Mix the ingredients together until evenly combined.
- Divide and shape the turkey mixture into five burger patties. Make them flatter and wider than usual because they will shrink up and in as they cook.
- Heat ½ Tbsp cooking oil in a skillet over medium. Once hot, add three of the turkey burgers and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until browned and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining cooking oil and the rest of the burger patties.
- To serve, smear some of the lemon dill yogurt sauce on a bun. Add a turkey burger, some sliced cucumber, and sliced red onion, then enjoy.
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Equipment
- Chef’s Knife
- Color Cutting Boards
Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Mediterranean Turkey Burgers – Step By Step Photos
Make the lemon dill yogurt sauce first, so the flavors have a little time to blend. Stir together ½ cup Greek yogurt, ½ Tbsp lemon juice, ⅛ tsp garlic powder, ⅛ tsp dried dill, and ⅛ tsp salt. Refrigerate the sauce until ready to use. And yes, you can use plain non-Greek yogurt if needed, it just makes a less thick sauce. :)
Prepare the burger add-ins. Chop about ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes (I use the dry pack, not the kind packed in oil), mince or finely dice ¼ cup red onion (save the rest to slice and place on the burgers), crumble 1 oz. feta (about ¼ cup), and thaw then squeeze all the moisture out of 2 oz. frozen spinach. The spinach is about 1 cup when frozen, ¼ cup after it has been thawed and squeezed dry.
Place 19 oz. ground turkey, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion, feta, spinach, 1 tsp dried oregano, ¼ tsp garlic powder, and ¼ tsp salt in a bowl (sorry, I forgot the oregano, garlic powder, and salt until after the photo was taken).
Mix the ingredients into the ground turkey until it’s all evenly mixed.
Divide and shape the meat mixture into five burger patties. Make the patties thinner and wider than you’d expect because they do shrink up and inward as you cook them.
To cook the burgers in a skillet, add ½ Tbsp cooking oil to a skillet and heat over medium. Once hot, add a few of the burger patties and cook on each side for 5-7 minutes, or until well browned and cooked through. Repeat with the second half of the oil and the remaining burger patties.
To serve, spread some of the lemon dill yogurt sauce on a bun, add a cooked burger patty and a few slices of cucumber and red onion. Enjoy!
Question Beth: Can you freeze these burgers? I was thinking in terms of meal prep.
For the record I rarely leave reviews, but just had to give a shout out to you for this recipe. We are a family of five and had a guest the first time I made these. It is a rare occurrence when everyone can agree on a meal. Theses burgers received RAVE reviews across the board. I did not have frozen spinach so I sautéed some baby for a couple of minutes with some butter and garlic (sorry) these are phenomenal. Thank you!
We love these burgers, but I do have a question about the calories you listed….does the value of 392.62 kcal for “1 burger” includes the bun and the yogurt sauce? I’m trying to lose a few pounds and counting calories has become my latest obsession :-) Thanks.
Yep, it includes everything listed under ingredients. :) But keep in mind these are a broad estimate and it can vary quite a bit from what is listed. There’s a link to our nutrition disclaimer just below the numbers if you want to read more.
These were terrific! I usually find ground turkey to be disappointingly bland and meh. These burgers were tasty, flavorful and juicy and had a surprisingly small amount of salt added. I think this recipe would be great as meatballs in a bowl with hummus or a salad and will happily make again. I had tzatziki already on hand and used that, but will keep this recipe for another time. Thanks for another winner, Beth!
I messed up and didn’t squeeze out the spinach, but they were still good. I also had sundried tomatoes in oil and they worked fine. I had 19.2 oz of meat but also had only 4 buns so made 4 burgers. I used store bought tzatziki, so I can’t comment on the sauce. Husband said they’re the best turkey burgers he’s had,
So delicious and pretty quick to whip up for a weeknight dinner! Will definitely be making these again.
These burgers are fantastic! In the picture above there is an egg but no egg on your recipe. I recall we used to put bread crumbs in this has that changed since the updated recipe?!
Yes, the old version of the recipe included egg and breadcrumb, but I don’t think that’s necessary (as the original blog post stated), so I didn’t include them in the updated version. :)
So delicious! Husband and I love eating these and we make them probably once a week! We make them into rice bowls :)
Wow! this looks so yummy and juicy for a turkey burger. Super perfect for a weekend lunch with my family. My kids will definitely love this! I’m also thinking of having an apple and kale salad with it. Thank you for shairng!
Really enjoyed these! They have a great tanginess and lots of flavor. As recommended, I used 93% lean ground turkey and that made the burgers plenty juicy; if yours are dry check you didn’t buy 99% lean. I cannot for the life of me find dry sundried tomatoes, like this recommends, in my grocery store, so I bought the ones packed in oil & drained them/patted them dry as best I could. The flavor & texture of these are perfect — the cucumber on top is excellent for a little crunch.
This was very good! I left out the spinach because I didn’t have any and didn’t feel like making a special trip. Weirdly, we didn’t have hamburger buns on hand, but we DID have pita pockets so that’s what we used. Delicious!
I have to say this wasn’t my favorite recipe of yours but they were good turkey was kind of dry and chewy. Now what else can I use the sun dried tomatoes in?
Actually I enjoyed these more as leftovers. I think the flavors blended
Sarah, try Beth’s Tomato-Basil No-Knead Bread. SOOOOO good!
This is one of my go to recipes. So easy and delicious!
These were delicious!
These burgers were delicious! We subbed 2 tbs tomato paste for the sun dried tomatoes since we didn’t have any in the pantry. Served these in oven-warmed pita. Yet another easy and delicious recipe from you, Beth! Thank you ☺️
These were delicious. I subbed the dried tomatoes for Roma tomatoes, but everything else I kept exactly the same. They are so delicious, very light, and the sauce is amazing. I’ve tried other recipes with this same sauce on here and I love putting it on stuff, it’s so worth it.