I’m all for having a well-stocked pantry, but sometimes too much is just, well, too much. I’m not a fan of clutter in any capacity, so when I recently realized my freezer and pantry were just too full, I went to work planning some meals to use up what I already had on hand. A quick search on the Food Network website and I had this recipe from, Ellie Krieger, one of my favorite healthy cooks. I had everything on hand to make these burgers, so away I went.
To be perfectly honest, I was a bit worried about the burgers being dry; turkey burgers are known to do that. But I had faith in Ellie and her recipe, so away I went. And holy cow! Both M and I were so happy with the results. By adding a slice of cheese and a simple sauce to the burgers, we had a delicious, simple, and very economical dinner.
Green Olive Turkey Burgers
inspired by Ellie Krieger via Food Network
Ingredients:
For the burgers:
cooking spray
1-1.25 lbs. ground turkey
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 c. coarsely chopped pitted green olives
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 TBSP finely chopped Italian parsley
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
4-5 slices baby Swiss cheese
8-10 pieces whole wheat bread
For the sauce:
1/2 c. lowfat mayonnaise or Greek yogurt
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
2 TBSP chopped Italian parsley
freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium heat. If using a grill pan, spray with cooking spray.
2. While grill heats, mix together turkey, olive oil, olives, garlic, parsley, cumin, paprika, and black pepper in a large bowl. Shape into four or five patties.
3. Place burger patties on grill or grill pan and cook for four to five minutes per side. When one minute remains in cooking time, place cheese over the top of each burger patty.
4. Meanwhile, mix together all ingredients for sauce and toast the bread.
5. Assemble burgers and enjoy!
one year ago: sesame chicken
two years ago: One of my favorite dressings, honey-balsamic vinaigrette.
three years ago: chicken with mango barbeque sauce
I keep a spreadsheet of the food items in our fridge, freezer, and pantry and highlight the items that will expire within the month to base my meals off of those items. No more science projects growing in the back of the pantry. It makes meal planning a life saver. No more guessing what I have on hand. These turkey burgers look amazing! Yummy!
What a great idea! I think I'll try my hand at making one of those spreadsheets during my summer break.
Love when you can use stuff from the pantry to make great meals! I really need to do the same thing, my pantry is a mess.
yum- green olives. I'll have to try this recipe. Looks delicious.
They are almost turkey meatloafs when served on that bread. They remind me of my husband's favorite meatloaf sandwiches.
I hadn't thought of it that way. They are like meatloaf sandwiches!
I just love burgers, and these like delicious, i will try your recipe. Thanks a lot for sharing with us.
I am such a big fan of Ellie Krieger – her recipes always turn out really good! She has another turkey burger, a burger stuffed with cheese and roasted red peppers, that is just amazing. I wish I wasn't the only one in my family that eats green olives because I would love to make these. Glad they turned out well!
This chihuahua–I've got that burger on here too. So tasty!