Zucchini and Feta Turkey Burgers

Turkey zucchini burgers are the secret to healthy burgers that are juicy and tasty. Adding feta cheese to the burgers adds another pop of flavor.

Not only are these Turkey Zucchini Burgers good for your health, they are bursting with flavor. Burgers are a clean slate of creative possibilities. Not only can you be innovative with the type of burgers that you choose to grill, but you have a myriad of options for the toppings that will complement the burgers.

The #1 attribute of a good burger in my opinion is juiciness. If a burger is tough and dry, the flavors won't be enough to compensate. Since poultry is a lean meat (Yay! Healthy!) it also has has a tendency to dry out very quickly, since it doesn't have a bunch of fat to help keep it moist and tender. I added some grated zucchini to the burger meat, which not only adds flavor, but also adds juiciness, which I'm all about, as you can see.

Creamy and zesty bites of feta cheese dispersed throughout the meat gives you a nice surprise. As you enjoy bites of your burger, the pockets of cheese start to melt, but still keeps most of the texture, since the pieces of feta are generous in size to begin with.

The combination of the creamy, flavorful guacamole is such an awesome, summery complement to the turkey burgers and I love the crisp, crunchy cucumbers and tomatoes to top it all off.

Ingredients:

(Scroll to the bottom of the page for the printable recipe card with all the measurements.)

• zucchini
  • instead of zucchini, you can also use yellow squash
• ground turkey
  • you can use any ground turkey for this recipe, but I prefer using ground turkey that has both white and dark meat
  • instead of ground turkey, you can also use other ground meat, like ground chicken, or even ground beef
• onion
  • any onion will work; I usually use yellow onion, but white or red onion or even shallots can be used too
• feta cheese, crumbled
  • the flavor and texture of feta works so well in this recipe, but you can use any of your favorite grated cheese instead too
• salt, ground black pepper
• Kaiser rolls or hamburger buns

Toppings:

• Provolone cheese (or any other cheese that you like)
• guacamole
• tomatoes
• cucumbers

How To Make Turkey Zucchini Burgers

1. Start with grating the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater.
   • Sprinkle it with salt and then place it in a colander to drain for 15- 30 minutes.
   • I usually do this while I prep the rest of the ingredients. Squeeze out as much moisture as you can, since it's very watery.
2. Place the ground turkey, grated zucchini, minced onion, and ¾ teaspoon of table salt and ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine.
3. Add the crumbled feta cheese and gently mix it into the burger mixture.
   • If you add the feta cheese right away, it has a tendency to completely fall apart. Adding it in last will help the feta crumbles to stay in nice and big chunks, so that you have wonderful pockets of melted feta throughout the burger.
4. Next, shape the burger mixture into 4-6 burgers.
   • I was using Kaiser rolls, which are on the bigger size, so I got 5 burgers from 1.3 lbs of meat.
5. Now, it's time to cook them! Preheat the grill to high heat for at least 15 minutes, then clean the grates.
   • Dip a wad of paper towels in oil, and go over the grill grates with the oil 3-5 times, which helps to make them somewhat nonstick and cleans them too.
6. Place the burgers on the preheated grill and cook them for 4-6 minutes per side.
7. During the last 2 minutes, place the slices of Provolone cheese (or any other cheese that you like) on top of the burgers to melt. You can also grill the hamburger buns if you like.
8. Finally, add toppings of your choice to the burgers and serve. I used guacamole, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Now comes the task of getting your mouth around this monstrous taste fest. It'll be worth every juicy bite!

When you shape the burgers, use the buns as a guide to how big to shape the burgers.

The raw burgers should be slightly bigger than the bun, since the meat will contract as it cooks and become smaller. Hold the bun right over the burger to make sure it's large enough. (Being careful not to touch the raw meat, of course.)

Also, make a slight indentation in the center of the raw burger, since it will also puff up a bit in the center as the burgers cook.

Cooking the Turkey Zucchini Burgers on the Stove

You can also make these burgers on the stovetop and they make wonderful, juicy patties.

• Heat some oil in a skillet on medium high heat and then cook the burgers on the skillet until golden on both sides, 3-4 minutes per side.
• You don't even have to serve them as burgers but as patties, or make them into meatballs.

Meal Prep Tip and How to Reheat

You can prepare the burger mixture, shape them into burgers and store in the refrigerator, covered, for 1-2 days, until you're ready to cook them.

Prepped burgers freeze really well too. Place the burgers on a parchment lined baking sheet, plate or cutting board and place in the freezer until frozen. Transfer the individually frozen burgers into a freezer ziptop bag, vacuum sealed package or an airtight container. It helps to put some parchment paper in between the burgers. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To Reheat Cooked Burgers

You can use a microwave, but an air fryer or oven works even better. Preheat the oven to about 400 F, then cook until the burgers are warmed through.

My favorite method though, is to reheat them on the stove. Place the leftover burgers in a skillet/pan, add a spoonful of water, just enough to create steam, cover and cook on medium low heat until the burgers are warmed through. They will not only get warm, the water will make them plump and juicy again.

What To Serve With the Burgers

• Roasted Smashed Potatoes
• Grilled Zucchini and Mushrooms
• Fire Roasted Grilled Corn Salad
• Vegetable Pasta Salad

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