by Cheryl
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.Although I work from home, I don’t always have a lot of time to make healthy and nutritious meals. With my son’s food allergies and me wanting to set a good example for healthy eating, we rarely eat out at restaurants. Sure, there are some healthy restaurant options out there but how many are budget-friendly? Not many. With my busy schedule, I always appreciate recipes that I can prepare the evening before to eliminate the prep time after school. It’s also a bonus when those healthy meal leftovers can turn into tomorrow’s lunch! These Cheddar Smokey Turkey Lentil Burgers are both delicious & nutritious – a winning combination! Plus, burgers are usually a hit with both kids and adults so you can save yourself from some of that dinner table whining. {wink}
Cheddar Smokey Turkey Lentil Burgers:
So what exactly makes these Cheddar Smokey Turkey Lentil Burgers so nutritious? Did you know that each 100-gram serving of turkey provides about 30 grams of high quality lean protein? Let’s not forget the nutrients turkey is packed with: vitamin B12 (helps keep your nervous system working well), selenium (an antioxidant mineral), and zinc (for a strong immune system).
These burgers also have Canadian lentils which are another nutritional powerhouse! They are high in protein and fiber and are a great source of potassium, iron and folate.
Short on time? You can make a larger batch of these burger and freeze some for a quick meal next week! Turkey and lentils both freeze really well so get creative with other recipes too:
- replace the meat in your favourite meatloaf recipe with turkey and lentils
- make a spaghetti sauce loaded with healthy vegetables, cooked ground turkey and lentils
- make a batch of chili with ground turkey and lentils with just the right amount of spice
- …you get the idea!
Keep school lunches in mind too – they are lots of supper ideas that would make great leftovers in tomorrow’s lunch like a turkey and lentil meatball sub (from leftover spaghetti night), burgers cut into bite-sized pieces and put in a wrap with sliced bell peppers and a little creamy salad dressing on the side, etc.
4.6 from 27 reviews
Cheddar Smokey Turkey Lentil Burgers
Author:Canadian Turkey and Lentils.org
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves:4-6
TIP: These burgers can be made in advance and frozen for a quick lunch, dinner or weekend meal. Just thaw for 30 minutes before following cooking instructions. For a different flavor twist, feel free to change up the cheese with your family’s favourite kind! To cook whole green lentils, place ¾ cup dry lentils in a pot with 2 ¼ cups of water and boil for 20-25 minutes until tender and cooked through. For an extra short-cut you can also use canned lentils too!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) olive oil
- 2 cups (500 ml) onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 750 gr (1½ lb) ground Canadian turkey
- 1 cup (250 ml) cooked green lentils
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) oyster sauce (optional)
- 2 slices sandwich bread
- 4 tablespoons (60 ml) milk
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 X 1 cm (½ inch) pieces of cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan.
- Add onions and cook over low-medium heat until soft, browned and caramelized, 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- While onions are cooking, break up bread into little pieces. Add milk and set aside to soak through, 5 minutes.
- Place turkey, lentils, bread mixture, egg, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce and onions in a bowl.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Gently mix together until ingredients are thoroughly combined. Be careful not to over mix to keep the burgers moist.
- Divide mixture into 8 even portions. Roughly shape into a ball. Press cheese into the middle and then mold mixture around it completely covering the cheese. Flatten into a patty shape. Place on sheets of wax paper.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes up to overnight. This will help patties hold their shape when cooking.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Celsius or 177 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
- Add patties and cook over medium heat until browned, 2-4 minutes per side.
- Transfer to the oven and cook an additional 10-15 minutes until burgers are cooked through and an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees Celsius or 74 degrees Fahrenheit.
Win a $75 Prepaid Visa Gift Card:
Canadian Turkey and Lentils.org want to help you getback-to-school ready so they are sponsoring a giveaway for a $75 prepaid Visa gift card! Follow the steps in the Rafflecopter entry form below to enter.
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- The giveaway ends September 28th, 2017 at 11:59pm. A winner will be drawn randomly within 24 hours of the end of the giveaway. The winner will be notified, by email, and will have 48 hours to claim the prize & answer a skill testing question. If I do not receive a response from the winner within 48 hours, a prize forfeit will be assumed and a new winner will be chosen randomly.
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Looking for more delicious turkey recipes? Check out these other favourites!
Turkey Burgers in Tomato Sauce – an old family favourite. Don’t care for tomato soup? No problem! Substitute mushroom soup instead.
Italian Turkey Burger – packed full of delicious flavour!
Disclosure: I was compensated for this post byCanadian Turkey and Lentils.org; however, all opinions expressed here are my own.
