Turkey Marinara Burger

This burger was fantastic!  The turkey stays moist and flavorful, few ingredients are needed, and it tastes great.  Enjoy...

To start, combine 1 package of Jenny-O 93/7 Lean Ground Turkey with an Italian seasoning blend.  I decided to add dried parsley, some roasted garlic, fresh basil (the kind you find in a tube, it's weird I know), and s&p.  I also added some red pepper flakes to give it a little kick.  Once combined, add 1 egg and 1/3 cup of panko bread crumbs (or any bread crumbs).  Combine until all ingredients are incorporated and shape into four patties.

Then in a deep dish skillet over medium high, heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil.  Grill the burgers until brown on the first side, then flip and brown on the other side.  Warning!  Don't flatten the burger with the back of your spatula!  It forces all those yummy juices out of the burger and makes the burger dry later on, gross.  Once the burger is browned on both sides, add one jar of premade marinara sauce.  Lift the patties up slightly so it rests on top of the marinara, but is covered slightly as well (if that makes sense).  Cover partially and let cook for 10 minutes or until a thermometer reads 165F when inserted in the center of one patty.


Once the burgers are cooked through, add to a toasted bun (I only had sesame on hand, but I recommend ciabatta) and top with a couple spoonfuls of marinara.  Top with a couple slices of fresh mozzarella (or 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella).  Place on a cookie sheet and broil until the cheese melts.




Enjoy!  I didn't go to the store to grab any of the ingredients (tried to use only what I had on hand), but if I were to make it again (I plan on it) then I would swap the sesame bun for ciabatta and add fresh basil to the finished burger.  I can't get over how moist and delicious these burgers were.... if you give it a try please let me know what you think!

Turkey Marinara Burger
Alyssa's Two Bites, April 2011

Ingredients:
1 package Jenny-O 93/7 Lean Ground Turkey meat
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped or squeezed from tube (tubes can be found in produce section near packaged fresh herbs)
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. roasted garlic (used the jarred roasted garlic you can find in the produce section, I would substitute with fresh garlic or garlic powder if needed)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flake
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 egg
1/3 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 jar Marinara sauce (I used Barilla classic marinara)
4 ciabatta buns (or one loaf of ciabatta cut into four slices to make buns)
Mozzarella cheese (2 slices per burger)
Fresh Basil

Directions:
1. Combine ground turkey, all seasonings, egg, and bread crumbs.  Shape into four burger patties.
2. Heat olive oil in deep skillet over medium-high heat.  Add burgers and cook 1-2 minutes on each side, until brown.  Once browned on both sides, add entire jar of marinara sauce and lift each burger patty so the burger rests on top of the marinara, but is still covered slightly.  Partially cover and cook for 10 minutes or until internal temperature of turkey burger is 165F.
3. Toast ciabatta and add burger with a couple spoonfuls of marinara.  Top with 2 slices of mozzarella and broil until cheese melts.  Add a couple fresh basil leaves and enjoy!