These Mediterranean-inspired Feta Turkey Burgers w/ Sun-dried Tomatoes & Kale pack a ton of flavor into one small patty. Each bite into one of these burgers brings different flavors and textures: a salty pocket of crumbly feta, a slightly chewy bit of sun-dried tomato, crunchy and bitter kale. Friday nights are burger nights around here. We get together with our friends and host a messy burger night after a workout. It’s a fun weekly routine we’ve all come to look forward to. While a simple cheese burger or house-favorite Fig & Goat Cheese burger always pleases, it’s fun to switch it up. Feta, sun-dried tomatoes and kale tucked into a ground turkey burger will do the trick!
The grocery list.
- Ground turkey – Generally lower in fat than ground beef, ground turkey isn’t as flavorful on its own which is why you’ll load up these burgers with delicious ingredients!
- Sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil – These have such an incredible flavor and texture.
- Crumbled feta cheese – Some crumbled feta will make your burgers perfectly salty.
- Lacinato kale – Eat your greens! The slight bitterness that the bits of kale add to these burgers is delicious.
- Brioche burger buns – I love the slight sweetness of buttery brioche burger buns.
- Mayonnaise – I like a thin layer of mayo on the top bun of my burgers to add a little saltiness.
- Avocados – Avocado is a go-to burger topping in my house. It has such a subtle flavor, it will never overpower any of the other ingredients in your burger.
- Heirloom tomato – It’s heirloom tomato season, so OF COURSE I’ll be topping my burger with a thick slice of juicy tomato. I highly recommend you do the same!
- Lettuce leaves – I love the crunch that fresh lettuce leaves add to a burger.
The preparation.
I understand not everyone is a Traeger fanatic and year-round grill master like me. If you’ve already retired your grill tongs for the season, these will taste just as delicious if prepared on the stovetop.
Make the burgers.
Always start by preheating your grill! Preheat the Traeger Grill to 450°F. If you are cooking your burgers on the stove, heat a cast iron pan with a little bit of olive oil.
In a large bowl, combine the burger ingredients: ground turkey, minced sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese and minced kale.
Use your hands to fully combine the mixture. You want all the ingredients to be equally distributed throughout the mixture so each patty has a little bit of everything.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, it will prevent the meat from sticking to the pan. The baking sheet is just to transport your Feta Turkey Burgers to and from the grill. DO NOT put your cooked burgers back onto the same baking sheet, it has raw meat on it and should go right into the sink away from where you’re assembling the burgers.
Form eight equally-sized burgers and lay them on the baking sheet. PRO TIP: to prevent the burger from sticking to your hands, pour the olive oil marinade from the sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl. Dip your hands into the bowl to lightly coat your hands in the oil before forming each burger. Not only will this keep your hands from sticking, it will add some additional flavor to your burgers from the outside. You could also use the sun-dried tomato olive oil to cook your turkey burgers if you’re making them on the stove.
Cook the burgers.
Lay the burger patties directly on the grill grates and cook each for 5-7 minutes on one side before flipping. Flip the burgers and continue to cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until the internal temperature of each burger reaches 165°F. Remove the burgers from the grill.
Assemble the Feta Turkey Burgers.
Once you remove the burgers from the grill, it’s time to assemble! You can lightly toast your buns in the oven or on the grill with the flat side directly on the grill grates. For this recipe, I chose not to. These Feta Turkey Burgers w/ Sun-dried Tomatoes & Kale already have a ton of different textures at play, including some crunch from the fresh lettuce and heirloom tomato. I think the soft brioche bun is a lovely contrast to that.
Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise over the top buns and lay a few slices of avocado on the bottom buns. Place the burgers on top of the avocado and sprinkle with additional feta cheese (you can never have too much!). Add the tomato and lettuce and cover with the mayo-spread top bun. Last but not least, enjoy!
Looking for more Friday night staples?
Here are a few to try:
Lastly, if you make this Feta Turkey Burgers w/ Sun-dried Tomatoes & Kale recipe, be sure to leave a comment! Above all, I love to hear from ya’ll and do my best to respond to every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of your dayyyummm good recreations is my favorite!
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, minced
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese, plus more for serving
- ½ cup lacinato kale, minced
- 8 Brioche burger buns
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 avocados, sliced
- 1 large heirloom tomato, sliced
- Lettuce leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the Traeger Grill to 450°F.
- In a large bowl combine the ground turkey, minced sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese and the minced kale. Use your hands to get the mixture well combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Form eight burgers and lay them on the baking sheet. PRO TIP: pour the olive oil marinade from the sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl. Dip your hands into the bowl to coat your hands in the oil before forming each burger. This will keep your hands from sticking and it will flavor the burgers from the outside.
- Lay the burger patties directly on the grill grates and cook for 5-7 minutes before flipping. Flip and continue to cook for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the internal temperature of the burgers reaches 165°F.
- Remove the burgers from the grill and assemble. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise over the top buns and lay a few slices of avocado on the bottom buns. Place the burgers on the avocado, sprinkle with additional feta cheese. Add the tomato and lettuce and cover with the mayo-spread top bun. Enjoy!
Notes
If you choose to make these burgers on the stovetop, heat a cast iron pan with a little bit of olive oil. For extra flavor, use the oil marinade from the sun-dried tomatoes. When your burgers are assembled and the oil shimmers, add your burgers to the pan. You will likely have to cook them in batches. Cook your burgers on medium heat until browned on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
2 comments
These were GREAT! A big difference from the flavors my regular burgers have, so I prayed as they took their first bite! Success! They liked it! I now have a burger rotation in addition to my meal rotation! Tonight we’re having these with a bowl of homemade beans and a yummy kale salad!
Thank you…AGAIN!??
These were delicious! I used 99% lean ground turkey and they didn’t dry out at all. I didn’t salt or pepper my mixture but I wish I had so it had brought out the flavors more. I won’t forget next time. I will definitely make these again!