Scrappy Turkey Burgers

By Recipe courtesy of Scraps
Images
Scrappy Turkey Burgers
Serves
Makes 6 burgers

Learn more about Scraps

Ingredients
  • Slaw and Toppings:
  • ½ head green cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium tart apple, coarsely grated
  • ¼ cup cheese whey
  • ½ cup prepared mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon or whole grain mustard
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • Burgers:
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups assorted finely chopped vegetables (onions, mushrooms, greens, carrots and other root vegetables, zucchini, etc.)
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • 1 pound ground turkey (or your favorite ground meat)
  • 1 cup cooked beans, drained and smashed (any type)
  • Vegetable oil, for greasing grill
  • 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, thinly sliced or grated
  • 6 burger buns


Procedure
Make the slaw: In a large bowl, add cabbage, apple and whey. Stir to combine. Let slaw sit at room temperature while you make the burgers.

Make the sauce: In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, mustard and maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper. Set sauce aside.

Make the burgers: Heat butter (or oil) in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are soft and start to brown. Add garlic, cook for about 30 more seconds. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

In a large bowl, add cooked vegetables, turkey and beans. Season with more salt and pepper. Using your hands or a spatula, mash everything together until just combined (don’t overmix). Form into 6 burger patties.

Grill the burgers: Clean grill grates and rub grates with a cloth dipped in vegetable oil. Light grill to medium-high heat. Alternately, heat an indoor grill pan or cast iron skillet. Grill burgers for about 4 minutes per side until internal temperature when tested with a thermometer reaches 165°F. When burgers are almost done, top with cheese and cover to allow cheese to melt. Remove from grill, keep warm.

Put burger buns cut side down on grill until lightly toasted. Assemble burgers in buns topped with slaw and sauce.

Notes:
Joel and Sally used a combination of onions, mushrooms, Swiss chard, carrots and white beans in their burger. They topped it with sharp Vermont cheddar, of course!

This hybrid meat and veggie burger is a “gateway” to the world of veggie burgers. The key to keeping these burgers together are the mashed beans. Play around with the ratio of vegetables to meat to beans. Or, opt for no meat for a veggie option.

Try wrapping your burger in a collard, chard, lettuce or cabbage leaf like Sally!

Note on whey:
Whey is the watery remains from the formation of cheese curds or other dairy products. Whey is a byproduct of cheese making. Save the cheese whey when making ricotta or visit your local cheese shop and ask for some! You can also strain plain yogurt and use yogurt whey for a similarly tangy flavor. If you can’t get whey but need to try this slaw, substitute buttermilk.

Scrappy Turkey Burgers

By Recipe courtesy of Scraps
Serves
Makes 6 burgers

Learn more about Scraps

Ingredients
  • Slaw and Toppings:
  • ½ head green cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium tart apple, coarsely grated
  • ¼ cup cheese whey
  • ½ cup prepared mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon or whole grain mustard
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • Burgers:
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups assorted finely chopped vegetables (onions, mushrooms, greens, carrots and other root vegetables, zucchini, etc.)
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • 1 pound ground turkey (or your favorite ground meat)
  • 1 cup cooked beans, drained and smashed (any type)
  • Vegetable oil, for greasing grill
  • 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, thinly sliced or grated
  • 6 burger buns


Procedure
Make the slaw: In a large bowl, add cabbage, apple and whey. Stir to combine. Let slaw sit at room temperature while you make the burgers.

Make the sauce: In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, mustard and maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper. Set sauce aside.

Make the burgers: Heat butter (or oil) in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are soft and start to brown. Add garlic, cook for about 30 more seconds. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

In a large bowl, add cooked vegetables, turkey and beans. Season with more salt and pepper. Using your hands or a spatula, mash everything together until just combined (don’t overmix). Form into 6 burger patties.

Grill the burgers: Clean grill grates and rub grates with a cloth dipped in vegetable oil. Light grill to medium-high heat. Alternately, heat an indoor grill pan or cast iron skillet. Grill burgers for about 4 minutes per side until internal temperature when tested with a thermometer reaches 165°F. When burgers are almost done, top with cheese and cover to allow cheese to melt. Remove from grill, keep warm.

Put burger buns cut side down on grill until lightly toasted. Assemble burgers in buns topped with slaw and sauce.

Notes:
Joel and Sally used a combination of onions, mushrooms, Swiss chard, carrots and white beans in their burger. They topped it with sharp Vermont cheddar, of course!

This hybrid meat and veggie burger is a “gateway” to the world of veggie burgers. The key to keeping these burgers together are the mashed beans. Play around with the ratio of vegetables to meat to beans. Or, opt for no meat for a veggie option.

Try wrapping your burger in a collard, chard, lettuce or cabbage leaf like Sally!

Note on whey:
Whey is the watery remains from the formation of cheese curds or other dairy products. Whey is a byproduct of cheese making. Save the cheese whey when making ricotta or visit your local cheese shop and ask for some! You can also strain plain yogurt and use yogurt whey for a similarly tangy flavor. If you can’t get whey but need to try this slaw, substitute buttermilk.