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    Home » Recipes » Dinner » Southwestern Turkey Burgers

    Southwestern Turkey Burgers

    Updated: Jul 21, 2023 by Veronica Noone · This post may contain affiliate links · 44 Comments

    turkey burgers pin

    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!

    Ingredients

    • 8oz extra Lean Ground Turkey
    • â…“ of a red bell pepper diced small
    • â…“ of a green bell pepper diced small
    • â…“ 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 teaspoon chili powder
    • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
    • ½ teaspoon cumin
    • 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
    • Salt & pepper

    Instructions

    Put all ingredients in a bowl and combine with hands.

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

    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!

    📖 Recipe

    turkey burgers featured

    Southwestern Turkey Burgers

    Ready for a juicy, healthier burger option? These southwestern turkey burgers are the answer! They're quick and easy to make, and bursting with bold flavors.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 6 minutes mins
    Total Time 16 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 98 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 8 oz extra Lean Ground Turkey
    • â…“ of a red bell pepper diced small
    • â…“ of a green bell pepper diced small
    • â…“ 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 teaspoon chili powder
    • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
    • ½ teaspoon cumin
    • 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
    • Salt & pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Put all ingredients in a bowl and combine with hands.
      8 oz extra Lean Ground Turkey, ⅓ of a red bell pepper diced small, ⅓ of a green bell pepper diced small, ⅓ 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 teaspoon chili powder, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon dried cilantro, Salt & pepper
    • Form the mixture into 4 equal sized patties approximately 4 ounces each.
    • 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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 98kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 15gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.4gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 64mgPotassium: 280mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 433IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword Cheeseburger, Turkey
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    1. roni

      June 28, 2010 at 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.

      Reply
    2. Laura

      June 28, 2010 at 11:02 am

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

      Reply
    3. roni

      May 23, 2010 at 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!

      Reply
    4. Laura

      May 19, 2010 at 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?

      Reply
    5. Paula

      March 29, 2010 at 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!

      Reply
    6. Renae W.

      March 15, 2010 at 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!

      Reply
    7. Kristy

      July 13, 2009 at 11:06 am

      These are delicious! Thank you for the great recipe!

      Reply
    8. Becca

      July 06, 2009 at 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!

      Reply
    9. Dena

      June 16, 2009 at 12:13 pm

      THESE BURGERS WERE OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!

      Reply
    10. Georgia

      June 09, 2009 at 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!

      Reply
    11. Georgia

      June 02, 2009 at 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

      Reply
    12. Jaymie

      May 01, 2009 at 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!!

      Reply
    13. Christy

      April 27, 2009 at 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 ....

      Reply
    14. Courtney

      April 16, 2009 at 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.

      Reply
    15. Karen Nahirniak

      April 13, 2009 at 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!!!

      Reply
    16. Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound

      November 23, 2008 at 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.

      Reply
    17. Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound

      November 22, 2008 at 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!

      Reply
    18. Laura Brandon

      October 24, 2008 at 9:10 pm

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

      Reply
    19. Melany

      October 14, 2008 at 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!

      Reply
    20. Lorraine

      October 06, 2008 at 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.

      Reply
    21. Jordanna

      October 03, 2008 at 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!

      Reply
    22. roni

      September 25, 2008 at 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!

      Reply
    23. Rachel

      September 25, 2008 at 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...

      Reply
    24. roni

      September 22, 2008 at 2:46 pm

      Casey - Love that idea! Thanks!!

      Reply
    25. Casey

      September 22, 2008 at 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! =)

      Reply
    26. roni

      May 30, 2008 at 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

      Reply
    27. Shawna

      May 29, 2008 at 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?

      Reply
    28. roni

      April 18, 2008 at 7:50 am

      That IS a great idea! Thank Laura!

      Reply
    29. Laura

      April 18, 2008 at 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!

      Reply
    30. Dawne

      April 12, 2008 at 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!

      Reply
    31. Cindy

      March 24, 2008 at 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!!!!!!!

      Reply
    32. RACHELLE

      March 12, 2008 at 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.

      Reply
    33. Michelle

      February 21, 2008 at 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.

      Reply
    34. Morgansmom227

      February 18, 2008 at 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!

      Reply
    35. Colleen

      February 18, 2008 at 10:34 am

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

      Reply
    36. Tina

      February 17, 2008 at 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.

      Reply
    37. Lauren

      February 14, 2008 at 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!!!

      Reply
    38. Dani Spies

      February 14, 2008 at 5:22 pm

      I love turkey burgers...these sound like a great version!!
      Happy Valentine's Day!!

      Reply
    39. eurydice

      February 14, 2008 at 3:46 pm

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

      Reply
    40. Dev

      February 14, 2008 at 1:20 pm

      These look really good, Roni! I'll be giving these a try soon 🙂

      Reply
    41. Rebecca

      February 14, 2008 at 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.

      Reply
    42. Kathy

      February 14, 2008 at 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!

      Reply
    43. a. grace

      February 14, 2008 at 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!

      Reply
    44. B

      February 14, 2008 at 12:50 am

      Looks good i'll have to try it soon.

      Reply

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