Using the leftover ground turkey meat from last night’s Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs, I decided to try this turkey burger recipe. I made some additions to the guacamole on top of the burgers. I added a few dashes each of ground cumin and cayenne as well a 1 small chopped tomato. This made the burgers more flavorful and any guac that fell off the burger I swept up with my fork, yummy!

The only problem with this recipe was that the ground turkey was quite moist which made it difficult to stick together once placed on the grill. One of the burgers split apart into two parts but I was able to smoosh it back together. I think next time I’d either use a paper towel to ring out the meat a little or add a little breadcrumb to the ground meat to help hold it together. The recipe did come out tasting heavenly and jam-packed with flavor so I will definitely have to make it again. Here’s my cheddar turkey burger:

Cheddar Turkey Burgers ©EverydayCookingAdventures 2013

Cheddar Turkey Burgers with Mashed Avocado

Real Simple Magazine,  June 2013

Serves 2
Total Time: 30m

Ingredients
canola oil, for the grate
1 avocado, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
kosher salt and ground pepper
1/2  pound ground turkey
2 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (about 1 cup)
1/4  small red onion, half grated and half thinly sliced
2 whole-wheat hamburger buns, split

Directions
1. Heat grill to medium-high. Once it is hot, clean the grill grate with a wire brush. Just before grilling, oil the grill grate.

2. Mix together the avocado, lime juice, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a small bowl until combined.

3. Gently mix together the turkey, Cheddar, grated onion, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper with your hands in a medium bowl until just combined. Form the turkey mixture into two ¾-inch-thick patties. Use your fingers to make a shallow well in the top of each patty (this will prevent overplumping during cooking).

4. Grill the burgers until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 165°F, 6 to 8 minutes per side.* Grill the buns, split-side down, until toasted, 5 to 10 seconds per side.

5. Stack the burgers, sliced onion, and avocado mixture between the buns.

*This recipe includes the Real Simple test kitchen’s preferred cooking temperatures (considered safe by many experts) for burgers cooked to their juicy best. For maximum food safety, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends temperatures of 165° F for poultry, 145° F for fish, and 160° F for ground beef, lamb, and pork.