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Southwestern Turkey Burgers

Posted in: Dinner Ideas, Food Photos, Grill Ideas, Lunch Ideas, Sandwich Ideas | 58 Comments

Update: See me make these burgers on video!

About a year ago I was distraught to find that Trader Joe’s discontinued one of may favorite summer treats, their Southwestern Turkey Burger. I think they replaced it with some chicken burger but it’s just not the same.

This is my recreation. I cooked mine on the George Forman but I can’t WAIT to get them on the BBQ this summer!Southwestern Turkey Burgers

  • 8oz extra Lean Ground Turkey
  • 1/3 of a red bell pepper diced small
  • 1/3 of a green bell pepper diced small
  • 1/3 of a yellow bell pepper diced small
  • ½ of a small onion diced small
  • 1 medium button mushroom diced small
  • 1 egg white
  • ¼ cup quick oats
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp dried cilantro
  • Salt & pepper

Put all ingredients in a bowl and combine with hands.

Southwestern Turkey Burgers Ryan cuttingSouthwestern Turkey Burgers in bowl

Form the mixture into 4 equal sized patties approximately 4 ounces each.

Southwestern Turkey Burgers raw pattiesSouthwestern Turkey Burgers cooked

Grill about 4-5 minutes a side or about 6 minutes on the George Forman Grill.

I served it on a Whole Wheat Potato Roll (a whole wheat English muffin would work too) with a bed of baby spinach and some ketchup. I also cooked up the other 3 and froze them for lunches.

What about the husband? well, he had a regular old burger. BORING! ;~P

Are your burgers sticking? Click here for me tips?

Update: See me make these burgers on video!

Aprox Nutritional Information per serving
Servings Amount per Serving Calories Fat Fiber WWPs
4 1 turkey patty 100 2g 2g 2

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Comments

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 13th, 2008 at 11:11 pm and is filed under Dinner Ideas, Food Photos, Grill Ideas, Lunch Ideas, Sandwich Ideas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
58 Comments so far
  1. B on February 14, 2008 12:50 am

    Looks good i’ll have to try it soon.

  2. a. grace on February 14, 2008 4:20 am

    you’ve done it again, roni! this looks like my ideal burger, perhaps with a little pepper jack cheese on top. no, there’s no way i can wait until summer to grill one of these babies up–nice job!

  3. Kathy on February 14, 2008 7:38 am

    I love the Trader Joe chicken patties with the lime and I’m sorry I missed the Southwest Turkey burgers!!! The seasonings in these sound so good! Once again, I gotta try these! Thanks!

  4. Rebecca on February 14, 2008 11:16 am

    Roni-
    These do look good. What % of turkey do you use? Is it turkey breast or the 93%? I always stand in front of the meat case debating what one to buy. I like the 96% ground beef but my super market is out a lot of the time. Plus it is about $5 a pound.

  5. Dev on February 14, 2008 1:20 pm

    These look really good, Roni! I’ll be giving these a try soon :-)

  6. eurydice on February 14, 2008 3:46 pm

    wow these look AMAZING – i love turkey stuff like this. I will definitely try!

  7. Dani Spies on February 14, 2008 5:22 pm

    I love turkey burgers…these sound like a great version!!
    Happy Valentine’s Day!!

  8. Lauren on February 14, 2008 8:41 pm

    Thank you so much for doing this! I was furious when Trader Joes took them off their shelves. Not a fan of the new Chicken Chile Lime burgers. Can’t wait to try these! Thanks Roni!!!

  9. Freezer Tricks | GreenLiteBites on February 15, 2008 3:43 pm

    [...] Southwestern Turkey Burgers [...]

  10. Tina on February 17, 2008 11:12 am

    I had never tried the turkey burgers, but the chicken chile lime burgers rock my world! I could eat one everyday!! These burgers you created look really good as well, I will have to try them sometime.

  11. Colleen on February 18, 2008 10:34 am

    I tried these yesterday and what a great burger!!!

  12. Morgansmom227 on February 18, 2008 1:02 pm

    I am seriously addicted to your page!
    This looks like a great recipe…I’ll be making them this week!
    Also thanks for adding the ww pts column …saves me some time!

  13. Michelle on February 21, 2008 10:45 pm

    Once again this was really good. I made some little adjustments for what I had on hand, used a light english muffin with mustard, lettuce, cucumbers, grilled mushrooms and onions, and pickles on top. I will definitely make this again, especially when I have a burger craving.

  14. RACHELLE on March 12, 2008 9:29 am

    Just tried the burgers last night. YUMM!! I was so suprised. It had been about 7 years since I cooked turkey burger. I didn’t like how it smelled while it was cooking. This time no problems. It was great. Thanks again.

  15. Cindy on March 24, 2008 7:36 am

    These burgers are great! Even hubby loved them – he ate two! I LOVE your website and will be trying many more recipes in the days to come. Thanks!!!!!!!

  16. Taco Seasoning | GreenLiteBites on April 7, 2008 6:27 am

    [...] This combination can be used on anything, ground beef, chicken, I even used it in a double batch of Southwestern Turkey Burgers that I made today. For my tacos, I used 8 oz lean ground beef and the following [...]

  17. Dawne on April 12, 2008 12:28 pm

    Made these last night with sweet potato fries…and they were so good!!! I had been craving a burger and this totally satisfied my craving!!! Thanks again for all the great ideas!

  18. Laura on April 18, 2008 7:45 am

    As I was cleaning out the freezer, I came across a good idea when you want to make this but have not gone to the store for peppers… use a frozen stir fry! It has red, yellow and sometimes green peppers as well as onions. This is what we are having for dinner tonight… what a great idea!

  19. roni on April 18, 2008 7:50 am

    That IS a great idea! Thank Laura!

  20. Shawna on May 29, 2008 8:37 am

    These were very tasty! DH liked them too. My mixture came out a little less firm than yours look in the photo and they came apart a bit on the grill when I tried to flip. Any suggestions on how to firm up the mixture for future use?

  21. roni on May 30, 2008 3:35 pm

    Thanks guys!

    Shawna – Glad you liked them!

    As for falling apart, you could do a few things…

    increase the egg white (although it may get dryer)
    decrease the number of veggies

    But will help the most, Only flip once and leave them alone for a good 4-5 minutes. It will really help them set.

    Hope that helps!

    -Roni

  22. So Much More then a Sensational Sunday | Roni’s Weigh on July 6, 2008 11:51 pm

    [...] Southwestern Turkey Burger on a whole grain bun with baby spinach, tomato, sweet pickles and a side of carrots & cucumber slices (a little dressing for dipping) [...]

  23. Persistence Not Perfection | Roni’s Weigh on July 21, 2008 9:46 pm

    [...] Southwestern Turkey Burgers on a whole wheat roll with baby spinach leaves, tomoto, sweet pickles and ketchup [...]

  24. Following My Own Advice | Roni’s Weigh on July 26, 2008 11:27 am

    [...] Southwestern turkey burger on a whole grain english muffin with baby spinach baked beans and 2 (of the most amazing) corn on the cobs (and a nibble of the toddlers burger) [...]

  25. Ask Roni - Stick-less Turkey Burgers? | GreenLiteBites on August 9, 2008 10:04 pm

    [...] there, I tried your turkey burgers. I love the flavor. I cooked mine is a le creuset grille pan but they totally stuck to the pan and [...]

  26. Casey on September 22, 2008 12:59 pm

    Hey Roni,

    I make something very similar to these, but with more of an Indian flair rather than Southwest. I use many of the same veggies, but instead of the spices and herbs you listed above I add orange curry powder and some garlic and onion powder/salt and then of course salt and pepper. They are really good and give a welcome change to burgers. Just thought I’d share since you share so much with us! =)

  27. roni on September 22, 2008 2:46 pm

    Casey – Love that idea! Thanks!!

  28. Rachel on September 25, 2008 11:37 am

    Did you really use 8 oz. of turkey or was it 16? Because then you said there were 4 patties and each one weighed about 4 oz. Maybe it was the veggies that made them weigh 4 oz though…

  29. roni on September 25, 2008 7:57 pm

    It was really 8. This is how I “bulk” my dishes and get them to be “liter”. All those veggies add a lot of volume for little calories and high nutrients! You can’t beat it!

  30. Jordanna on October 3, 2008 1:07 pm

    These turkey burgers were SO tasty. I used a little cooking spray on the George Foreman and had no problem with sticking. What I did have a huge problem with was them not forming in to patties at all and staying all crumbly as they cooked. I just opened the bun and ate it open faces like a sloppy joe and it worked just as well.

    I guess my question is this:

    a third of a pepper, half an onion is kind of subjective to the size of the produce…I might have added to much veggies. How much vegetables in total should I be adding in cups?

    Also I diced my veggies up really fine with a chopper and it created a lot of extra juices – would that have made it not stick together?

    Sorry so long!

  31. Lorraine on October 6, 2008 12:39 pm

    I loved them and the kids ate them too..very yummie. I’m making a batch now for the freezer.
    Thank you Roni.

  32. Melany on October 14, 2008 5:49 pm

    This was such a great recipe! thank you for sharing!! I esp. loved the left overs- i put one in a whole wheat pita with some baby spinach leaves-it was so good!

  33. Laura Brandon on October 24, 2008 9:10 pm

    I think I’m going to have to try these soon. Sounds so good!!

  34. Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound on November 22, 2008 7:57 pm

    I’m so angry that TJ discontinued the southwest turkey Burgers. I was just searching online for a recipe and found this one. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. If it takes anything likt he original, I’ll be in heaven!

  35. Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound on November 23, 2008 8:42 am

    These burgers taste even better than TJs!!! I can’t thank you enough for proving this recipe as well as the nutritional info. I just started WW and will be sharing this recipe at my meeting.

    I made the burgers last night, made 2 1/2 times the amounts you gave and got 12 3-ounce burgers. I went heavy on the spices and added a lot of extra cilantro. TJ’s burgers also included corn kernels, which I might add next time.

    I served it on half an oat bran pita with mustard. Heaven all over again.

  36. WW Week #2 Menu, Jan 18 - 24, 2009 « Life is Sweet on January 19, 2009 4:27 am

    [...] any recipes that are share worthy later in the week! Sunday: Breakfast Burritos, Birthday party, Southwest Turkey Burgers and sweet potato fries Monday: Apple Whole Wheat Waffles (new recipe too!), 1 point Turkey Chili, [...]

  37. I think my scale must be broken! « Journey to Goal on February 5, 2009 11:01 pm

    [...] 2 Southwest Turkey Burgers with about 2 oz of cheddar cheese – I was legitimately very hungry after my workout so I had two [...]

  38. WW Week 5 Down 2lbs (3 for the last two weeks and 10+ overall) « Life is Sweet on February 10, 2009 12:26 am

    [...] Pork Chops with Mushroom Sauce, Mashers, Garlic Broccoli (inspired by Roni’s) Wednesday: Southwestern Turkey Burgers, Oven Onion and Zucchini Rings, Veggies and FF Dip Thursday: Spaghetti, Meatballs, Asparagus (a [...]

  39. Meatloaf Muffins and Twice Baked Potatoes « Life is Sweet on February 24, 2009 2:29 am

    [...] diet friendly. I have always made them with ground turkey, but this time I took what I learned from Roni’s Southwestern Turkey Burgers and included more veggies and used oatmeal and a little parmesan for flavor. The turkey was also [...]

  40. Week 8 - Down 6lbs from the Stomach Flu :-( « Life is Sweet on March 2, 2009 2:54 am

    [...] Southwestern Turkey Burgers, sweet potato fries (didn’t get to this last week) Tuesday: Skillet Lasagna (I will post [...]

  41. Karen Nahirniak on April 13, 2009 2:59 pm

    Hi…I’m brand new to this site but have tried a few of the recipes already…I’m soooo impressed with these southwestern burgers!! I think I’m addicted to them now..lol

    Seriously though, every recipe that I have tried from here has been a huge hit at my house!!

    Thank you Roni!!!

  42. Spinach Salad Topped with Curried Turkey @ Real Quick Bite on April 14, 2009 2:15 am

    [...] It’s lunch time, I have a 20oz package of ground turkey defrosted to make a double batch of Southwestern Turkey Burgers (I like keeping them in the freezer) which will leave me 4 oz leftover. (Why they only package [...]

  43. Courtney on April 16, 2009 12:41 pm

    These were fantastic! I have never liked turkey burgers in the past but these are so good they are going into our weekly dinner rotation. Thanks for a great recipe.

    Also, a tip I heard on Oprah is to chill the turkey burger for two hours before cooking. According to the chef, they hold together better that way.

  44. Christy on April 27, 2009 12:41 am

    I made these last week ….. LOVED EM! They were moist and so full of flavor! I did have to make some minor adjustments to allow for items I had on hand but they were awesome. I made 8 patties (I used 16 oz of ground turkey) cooked 2 on the GF grill and froze the remaining ones. I pulled one out today for lunch … it defrosted in just a few hrs … ate it with a side of mashed cauliflower with butter buds! Very filling! Thank you so much for the recipes ….

  45. Jaymie on May 1, 2009 4:53 pm

    Yay Roni!! I have been eyeballing this recipe for awhile now and finally tried it out…survey says…Fantabulous!!! I (of course) did not have all the ingredients on hand so I had to add some oatmeal to hold it together….still tasted great!! And to the comment earlier about the frozen stirfry…Trader Joes (my personal fav.) has a great trio of peppers (no onion tho) that I use every morning for my omelets!!! Keep the great recipes coming!! I love your sites!!

  46. Georgia on June 2, 2009 10:37 pm

    I’m glad you linked back to this! I will try both of these. I am close to goal (didn’t have incredibly far to go- but it felt insurmountable), and I had been following your page awhile before I started WW. I’m glad you’re share such great recipes. I’m loving the snowpeas the way you just sauteed them the other day. YUM!

    Other blog: http://www.jacobandgeorgia.blogspot.com

  47. Mmmm Good « Reborn Runner on June 9, 2009 10:07 pm

    [...] then I made Roni’s Southwest Turkey burgers. Thanks Roni! They were Delish.  Jacob especially loved them and after he ate his normal burger, [...]

  48. Georgia on June 9, 2009 10:10 pm

    I tried these tonight with some sweet potato fries. We were missing half of the ingredients but they were still scrumptious! My husband loved them too… He insisted on eating his without the bun because they were “just that good”. HA!
    Thanks!

  49. Dena on June 16, 2009 12:13 pm

    THESE BURGERS WERE OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!

  50. Becca on July 6, 2009 3:27 pm

    These were great! Even my picky and skeptical fiance agreed! I modified it slightly – they were slightly larger/more turkeyful, no mushrooms, and I added a tsp of oil because the 99% fat free turkey was too dry. All in all, it was still 4 points per patty, with healthy oil and veggies to boot! With a 2 point bun, that’s a completely manageable and delicious dinner!

  51. Kristy on July 13, 2009 11:06 am

    These are delicious! Thank you for the great recipe!

  52. Weight Loss WooHoo! to Roni (Lost 70 pounds) | Fat Fighter TV on March 2, 2010 4:00 pm

    [...] Southwestern Turkey Burgers [...]

  53. Renae W. on March 15, 2010 9:46 pm

    I made these for our church life group meeting and they were a huge hit! I have found some sandwich rounds that are only 1 point and pair great with these turkey burgers. These will be a staple in my WW menu, for sure!

  54. Paula on March 29, 2010 3:41 pm

    Absolutely delicious!! I didn’t think I would like these more than the Grilled Honey Mustard Oat Burgers..but I do, or maybe I don’t!. I don’t know! They are both sooooo good. This one especially. I didn’t think it would fill me up, but, it was all I had at lunch on a roll with spinach and catsup and I was full after. Perfect lunch :)
    Thanks again Roni!

  55. Laura on May 19, 2010 8:25 am

    I tried these last night and I loved them. Although I forgot to add the salt and pepper and the red pepper flakes. My husband liked them, but it did need more seasoning. So next time I will make sure and season them very well.
    I had 16 ounces of turkey, so I just doubled the recipe. I will eat these all week for lunch.
    I was wondering if anyone has tried to grate the bell peppers instead of chopping them?

  56. roni on May 23, 2010 7:26 pm

    Glad you liked them Laura! Haven’ tried grating the peppers but it’s a good idea! Let us know how you make out if you try!

  57. Laura on June 28, 2010 11:02 am

    I have another question. If Im going to freeze them, should I cook them first before freezing them?

  58. roni on June 28, 2010 11:45 am

    I have only frozen them cooked before. Then they are super easy to pop in the microwave at work for lunch. I’m sure you could freeze raw but I haven’t tried it yet.

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I'm Roni, a 30ish working mom with a passion for coming up with lite recipe ideas. In '05, I started a weight loss blog to help me lose 70lbs! Now I'm focusing on archiving and sharing my food ideas. Read more on the about page.

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