Grilled Pesto Turkey Burgers
These grilled pesto turkey burgers have a ton of flavor and don’t get dried out like some other turkey burger recipes. They’re a great addition to your summer cookout or 4th of July get-together.
This grilled pesto turkey burger recipe may seem a little strange when you look at the ingredients (who ever heard of putting chopped walnuts in a burger?)
But they taste amazing!
The pesto ingredients add the flavor that is sometimes missing from ground turkey.
And the little bit of water keeps the turkey burgers from getting dried out.
As with most burgers, these patties can be made ahead of time. Letting them sit in the refrigerator for a day actually improves the flavor, since the spices have a chance to blend in better.
Ingredients
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Here’s your shopping list:
- meat – 2 pounds ground turkey – you can also use ground chicken or lean ground beef
- dairy and eggs – 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 2 large eggs
- spices – fresh basil. You’ll need enough for 1 cup of chopped basil, which is a lot! Or substitute 3 Tablespoons dried basil.
- bread crumbs – 1/2 cup – you can use gluten-free bread crumbs if desired.
- vegetables – 1 cooking onion, 4 cloves garlic
- nuts – walnuts or pecans (enough for 2 Tablespoons of chopped nuts)
- seasoning – 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper.
How to make pesto turkey burgers
Prep work
Finely chop enough nuts to make 2 Tablespoons.
Finely chop the onion. I like to use a mini food processor for this. It’s so much easier than chopping by hand!
If using fresh basil, finely chop enough to make 1 cup.
Mince 4 cloves of garlic.
Start the grill up so it will be nice and hot by the time you put the burgers on.
Make the burgers
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a fork.
Mix in 1 cup chopped fresh basil (or 3 Tablespoons dried basil), 1/2 cup bread crumbs, the chopped onion, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 4 Tablespoons water, 2 Tablespoons chopped nuts, the minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper. If you are using ground beef, you can omit the water.
Add the ground turkey and mix well. I usually use my hands for this…it’s messy but it gets everything evenly distributed with the meat.
Shape into 3/4 inch thick burgers.
I make 8 quarter pound burgers with this recipe, but the number will depend on how big you make them.
Grill the burgers
Grill over medium heat for 6 to 7 minutes per side (or until no longer pink inside).
Let them cook for the full time on one side without touching them.
Then flip them and cook for the full time on the other side (without touching them). You will end up with much juicier burgers this way.
Serve with hamburger buns and condiments.
To cook on the stove
Although these pesto turkey burgers are delicious when cooked on the grill, you can also make them on the stove.
Put a little oil in a frying pan and heat over medium heat for a minute or two until the oil is hot.
Then cook the burgers in the pan following the same directions as for grilling.
How to store turkey burgers
If you’re making the burgers ahead of time, store the uncooked patties in an air tight container with parchment paper between each patty.
They can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a day.
Or frozen for up to 3 months and then thawed before cooking.
Let the burgers sit out for about 20 minutes before putting them on the grill. This will let the meat come to room temperature and make them cook more evenly.
Other cookout recipes you might like
Pesto Turkey Burgers
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup fresh basil finely chopped, or 3 Tbsp dried basil
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- 1 cooking onion finely chopped
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 Tablespoons water
- 2 Tablespoons finely chopped walnuts or pecans
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 pounds ground turkey or chicken
Instructions
- Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl.
- Mix in the basil, bread crumbs, onion, grated Parmesan cheese, water, chopped nuts, minced garlic, salt and pepper.
- Add the ground turkey and mix well.
- Shape into 3/4 inch thick burgers.
- Grill over medium heat for 6 to 7 minutes per side (or until no longer pink inside).
- Serve with hamburger buns and condiments.
Notes
Nutrition
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