Thursday, October 13, 2016

Turkey Pesto Burgers: 21 Day Fix Friendly


Turkey Pesto Burgers


Jennie-O Ground Turkey was on sale for $2.99 this past week.  I stocked up!  I did not plan my meals very well this week; instead I stocked up on items which were on sale.  Thankfully I came up with an idea for something I could make with a least one pound of ground turkey; this will make four meals for me and the recipe calls for just a few ingredients. I considered adding veggies into the burger mix, but decided to keep it simple.  The pesto I used is Kroger Brand "Private Select" Basil Pesto and it has a very wet consistency; I added in some quick or instant oats so that the burgers would hold together well.  The burgers did hold together well while grilling in my grill pan. I was surprised how the addition of oats really changed the texture of the burgers.  I would say it made the burgers very tender and, since I did not add in any grated or diced veggies, the texture was also very smooth. I decided to top my burger with some garlicky tomato sauce (Barilla brand Roasted Garlic Natural jarred tomato sauce) and a little grated mozzarella cheese.  I plan to make this meal again but next time I'll make up some zucchini noodles (zoodles).  I think these burgers would also be great on a bun.  I did not add any salt to my burgers but I think a few pinches of salt would have been good, so I did add a pinch of salt to the list of ingredients below. 

Turkey Pesto Burgers (Serves 4)

1 pound lean Jennie-O brand ground turkey, 93 percent lean
1/4 cup plain quick or instant oats
2 tablespoons prepared basil pesto
A pinch of salt

Directions

Mist a large skillet (or grill pan) with cooking spray and preheat over medium high heat.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  Mix gently with hands to distribute the ingredients and shape into 4 equal patties, less than 1/2 inch think.  Add patties to preheated skillet (or grill pan), reduce heat to medium, and cook until bottoms are deep golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Flip and cook until patties are firm to the touch and cooked through (no pink remains), about 4 to 5 minutes more. 

If desired, serve with some warmed tomato based pasta sauce and a little mozzarella or Parmesan cheese.




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