My Favorite Turkey Burger | Peggy Lampman's dinnerFeed

Recipe: My Favorite Turkey Burger

Ingredients

2 cups soaked cracked wheat*
1 pound fresh spinach leaves, longer stems removed
1 pound lean ground turkey breast
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1-3 teaspoons ground cumin
Pinch or more cayenne
1-2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 large egg
1 tomato, sliced (optional)
1 onion, sliced (optional)
4 large lettuce leaves (optional)
4 whole-grain buns, pita bread or Paesano-style rolls
Condiments, such as mustard, mayonnaise and salsa

Instructions

Boil a large pot of salted water. Put spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds; drain in a colander, rinsing under ice cold water. With your hands or clean towels, squeeze spinach dry, then chop.
Place spinach in a bowl. Add ground turkey, garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin, pinch of cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, egg and soaked cracked wheat. Thoroughly combine, then fry or microwave a bit of meat and add additional cumin, cayenne and salt to taste.
Preheat gas or charcoal grill to medium heat**. Oil grill grates.
Shape ground turkey mixture into 4-6 burgers. Place burgers on grill grates and cover. For thinner burgers, grill 4-6 minutes per side. For thicker burgers, grill 10-12 minutes per side or until cooked to 170 degrees.
Lightly toast buns on grill, if desired. Spread condiments on cut side of buns, then layer buns with lettuce, tomatoes and onion, if using, and burger.

*Place 1/2 cup dry cracked wheat in a pan; cover with 1 cup boiling water. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes, stirring once. **Bake burgers on a greased baking sheet in a 400-degree oven, 20-40 minutes, instead of grilling, if desired.

Time: 45 minutes

Number of servings (yield): 4-6 burgers, depending on thickness of burger