Greek-Style Turkey Burgers

Perfect for the Grill

I feel like I’m seeing recipes for Greek-Style Turkey Burgers everywhere.  allrecipes.com has a version as does the magazine Eating Well. Both are good, but these are even better. I promise.

This recipe for Greek Style Turkey Burgers is perfect for this year’s BBQ season. They’re an amazingly flavorful burger. And the Tzatziki Sauce that tops the turkey burger adds the right amount of Greek flair to the recipe.

Many of the turkey burgers I’ve cooked (and eaten) seem to be dry and lack flavor.  The chopped spinach keeps these Greek Style Turkey Burgers super moist. And the feta cheese adds the right amount salty taste and truly enhances the flavor. Think umami. I can’t say I ever thought of adding feta to a burger but it definitely works here. Yum!

I tried this recipe out on my family recently and they were sold.  Even my son, who’s definitely not a turkey burger fan, was asking for the leftovers. My daughter, who always loved turkey burgers with Latin-style seasonings, thought this burger was so much better. Guess all the other turkey burgers are having to take a backseat to this Greek-Style Turkey Burger.

They’re Healthy, too!

These burgers are loaded with nutrition. Where to even start. Let’s begin with the high protein, lower fat turkey. Then move onto all the nutrition-packed spinach. It’s loaded with

The Greek Turkey Burger-Making Process

• First I mixed up my seasonings in a small bowl.
• Then, in a medium bowl, I gently combined the defrosted (and well drained) frozen spinach with ground turkey and feta.
• I then added the bowl of seasonings and gently mixed those in to combine all the flavors.
• Shape them into however large your want your burgers to be. These Greek Style Turkey Burgers make great sliders. Kids LOVE them!
• These turkey burgers cook quickly on an outdoor grill or can even be made on the stove top. They’re perfect on a grill pan or even a George Foreman grill.

Can’t Forget the Tzatziki Sauce

As for the Tzatziki Sauce, after draining the yogurt and the cucumbers, you can either chop the cucumbers up very fine, add the other ingredients and mix to combine. Or if you don’t mind a smoother texture, give it a whirl through the blender or food processor. The end result isn’t as chunky as most Tzatziki sauces, but I was all about speed. And a blender works perfect for that. And actually, my family preferred the smoother texture. I guess it comes down to personal preference. The flavor was perfect.

One more thing about the Tzatziki Sauce, I use Greek yogurt because it’s thicker and doesn’t need to drain as long. If you’re using plain regular yogurt, give yourself enough prep time to drain most of the liquid out of the yogurt. About 1 hour should work.

I also use fresh garlic. In a pinch garlic powder works, about 1/2 teaspoon or so. But really nothing beats fresh garlic.

Other Grill Favorite

Grilled Caesar Chicken Salad

Best Ever Grilled Chicken

Chicken Fajitas

Print Recipe

Greek Style Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (about 3/4 of a 10-oz box)
• 1 pound ground turkey
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese (4 oz)
• 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt (I use Greek seasoning)
• 4 small hamburger buns
• 4 Tablespoons tzatziki
• 1 cucumber, sliced thin
• 1/2 medium red onion, sliced thin

Tzatziki Sauce

• 1 8 ounce container plain Greek yogurt, drained for 1 hour
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 lemon juiced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 Tablespoon fresh dill (or 1/2 Tablespoon dry dill)
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Instructions

• SQUEEZE moisture from spinach until dry.
• In a medium mixing bowl, COMBINE spinach, turkey, feta, minced onion, garlic powder, oregano, and seasoning salt. MIX well to combine. FORM mixture into four patties.
• HEAT the grill or grill pan. GRILL turkey burgers until completely cooked through, with no pink in the center (about 5 minutes per side)
• PLACE burgers on buns and top each with 1 Tablespoon of Tzatziki Sauce, 2-3 cucumber slices and 2-3 onion rings.

Tzatziki Sauce

• COMBINE strained yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, dill and garlic. COVER and REFRIGERATE for at least one hour for best flavor.

NOTES

• I like to sprinkle diced cucumber with about ½ teaspoon of salt and place in strainer for 30 minutes to remove some of the moisture.
• I also like to strain the Greek yogurt for about 30 minutes. If you're using regular plain yogurt, strain it for at least 1 hour or longer. Keep the straining time in mind when you think about prepping your ingredients.
• Regarding the spinach, if you like the extra green, you can add all 10 ounces of the boxed spinach (drain and squeeze dry first). Keep in mind your burgers will be extra green (but super nutritious)