Stuffed Turkey Burgers
Stuffing turkey burgers with spinach and cheese definitely take them to the next level. These Stuffed Turkey Burgers with Spinach & Three Cheeses were excellent the night we had them and still just as good for lunch the next day.
Ground turkey is a staple in my home. I was a vegetarian for almost 10 years and although I do eat meat now I eat poultry most of the time. Ground turkey is also more economical than ground beef. I use ground turkey in casseroles, meatballs, soups, tacos, and burgers. One of my favorite ways to step up a basic turkey burger is to stuff it. It only takes a few minutes to fill it with flavor.
I’ll admit that only one of my four children ate the stuffed burger for dinner. The others had plain turkey burgers with their usual pickles and ketchup. My 8 year old daughter loved these though.
Ingredients
Meat Ingredients:
- Ground turkey – I normally buy 85% lean ground turkey. If you choose a number higher than that the meat will have less fat and dry out more easily.
- Salt & black pepper – It can be hard to season raw meat since you can’t taste it but a general rule of thumb is to use one teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of meat.
- Rosemary – I use dried herbs in this recipe but fresh chopped herbs can work too.
- Thyme – You can really use any herbs you enjoy.
Filling Ingredients:
- Frozen spinach, thawed and drained – If you prefer to use fresh spinach you will need to saute it first.
- Cream cheese – Cream cheese gives the filling a delicious creamy texture. Other good choices would be ricotta or mascarpone.
- Shredded cheese – I used a shredded cheese blend containing part-skim mozzarella cheese and provolone cheese but any assortment of cheese will work.
- Salt & black pepper – You can season the filling to taste before you add it to the burgers.
How to Make Stuffed Turkey Burgers
Step One: Preheat the oven to 400. Spray a small baking sheet with cooking spray.
Step Two: Mix together meat and seasonings in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl mix together spinach, cheeses, and seasonings.
Step Three: Using half the meat make four thin patties on the baking sheet. Divide the filling mixture between them.
Step Four: Divide the rest of the meat into four pieces. Take each one and press it out into a flat round circle in your hands. Put it on top of the filling and press down and around it. Press into the bottom meat to seal the burger.
Step Five: Bake the stuffed turkey burgers for 20 minutes or until the burgers are 160 when checked with a meat thermometer.
Variations
Greek – Swap out the shredded cheese for some feta cheese and add diced or chopped tomatoes and a bit of oregano and garlic powder.
Mexican – Combine cream cheese and salsa and use that to stuff the burgers. Top the cooked stuffed turkey burgers with sliced avocado and slices of tomato and onion.
Spicy – For a bit of heat add crushed red pepper to the filling of your choice.
Salad – I serve burgers on top of a salad of fresh romaine lettuce or baby spinach most of the time in lieu of using a hamburger bun. You can do that with stuffed burgers too.
How do I make sure turkey burgers are done?
You need an internal thermometer. I am a pretty experienced home cook and I still rely heavily on my instant-read thermometer. Especially when cooking poultry.
How to make turkey burgers in the oven
It’s very easy to bake turkey burgers. Just form them, place them on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake. It is important to use a baking pan with a rim because the meat will release juices as it cooks.
How do you keep turkey burgers from drying out?
The main way to keep your turkey burger recipe moist is to use an internal thermometer and not overcook them. Overcooking ground turkey will make it dry.
More Low Carb Burgers:
Baked Turkey Burgers w/Blue Cheese
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Stuffed Turkey Burgers with Spinach & Cheese
Ingredients
Meat Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp rosemary
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Filling Ingredients:
- 1 cup frozen spinach thawed and drained
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice I used a blend mozzarella and provolone
- pinch salt
- tiny pinch pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Spray a small baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Mix together meat and seasonings in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl mix together spinach, cheeses, and seasonings.
- Using half the meat make four patties on the baking sheet. Divide the filling between them. Divide the rest of the meat into four pieces. Take each one and press out into a flat round circle in your hands. Put on top of the filling and press down and around it. Press into the bottom meat to seal the burger.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the burgers are 160 when checked with a meat thermometer.
Notes
Nutrition
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Originally Published March 22, 2017. Revised and Republished September 11, 2021.
could you do these on the grill?
also can you prepare them early before cooking them?
Yes, but I would cook them on foil or a grill mat in case the cheese bubbles out. Yes, you can prep up to a day ahead.
Absolutely delicious! I used fresh spinach and added a few mores spices to the turkey. This is a keeper!!
Yummy. I cheated and used frozen green giant creamed spinach. Thawed the spinach and added shredded Italian cheese to spinach. Big hit.
Very good! Used sauteed spinach.. Ricotta,mozz, and cream cheese. Excellent
Will make again. Thank you for the recipe.
These were so good. They tasted even better a couple of days later.
Making stuffed burgers has always been intimidating for me. Thanks for making it so approachable!
These turkey burgers were SO good, will definitely make them again!
I made these recently. I found them very bland and dry.
What percent fat ground turkey did you use? Using the very lean ground turkey can make burgers dry. And which type of cheese? Using all mozzarella would produce a blander burger than using a blend with a stronger flavor cheese.
My menfolk (the hubby and son) are avid hunters – I’m thinking this would be a wonderful filling with venison.
So I took this and just did a meatball version. Came out great and used the left over stuffing made a dip out of it!