Turkey and Zucchini Burgers

Turkey and Zucchini Burgers with Green Onion and Cumin are a delicious marriage of plant based ingredients and meat.

Turkey and zucchini burgers are a delicious way to lighten up meat

I can’t resist a burger that’s packed with greens, whether it’s green veggies, leafy greens, or fresh herbs, it doesn’t matter, greens mixed in with the meat make burgers extra tender, juicy and bursting with flavor.

These turkey burgers get their green personality from grated zucchini, green onions, mint and cilantro. They’re browned in a skillet and then finished off in the oven, which gives them great caramelization on the outside and  helps insure that they aren’t tough inside. With their spring green color, almost meatball-like texture, and  subtle Middle Eastern spicing, these patties are worlds away from any turkey burger you’ve had lately. But it gets even better — they’re topped off with a wonderfully tangy sumac yogurt sauce. Sumac is a deep red tart spice that’s well worth tracking down. It looks a little like chili powder, and it’s used in a lot of Middle Eastern dishes. It gives a citrusy tang to meats, rice, hummus and salads.

This recipe is from Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook, Jerusalem

It came out a couple of years ago to great fanfare, and the fanfare hasn’t died down one bit, at least in my kitchen. It is hands down my favorite cookbook, and everything I’ve made from it has turned out perfect, and has introduced me to something new. Yotam Ottolenghi and  Sami Tamimi have a flair for vivid flavors and compelling, but not at all fussy, presentation. I most often choose what I want to cook by eye, and  the photos in this book are so enticing that I can hardly get past a page or two before I’ve made my choice. Every page is a killer. If you don’t have this book, I can’t recommend it enough. When I get in a rut and can’t think of anything to make, I turn to this book. It never lets me down.

You could eat these turkey zucchini burgers just like a classic hamburger, on a bun with all the fixings,

but you can also forgo the bun and eat these just as they are, drizzled with the sauce, or on top of a pile of fresh salad greens for a super low carb option (and the way we like them best.)

You could also put them in pockets of soft pita bread, topped with tabouleh or hummus.

Aaaaaand you could also make these into cocktail meatballs…they’re very versatile little fellows.

Promise me you’ll give these a try — they’ll change the way you look at turkey burgers, for sure, and I bet they’ll inspire you to get creative with all your spring and summer grilling.

More Yotam Ottolenghi recipes

• Red Pepper and Baked Egg Galettes
• The Best Yotam Ottolenghi Recipes You Don’t Want to Miss!
• Flourless Coconut Cake
• Cod Cakes in Tomato Sauce
• Mejadra

Turkey and Zucchini Burgers with Green Onion and Cumin

3.48 from 68 votes

Turkey and Zucchini Burgers with Green Onion and Cumin from the fabulous Yotam Ottolenghi!

Print Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time:15 minutes minutes

Cook Time:15 minutes minutes

Total Time:30 minutes minutes

Servings: 9 patties

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

for the burgers

• 1 lb ground turkey, I used white meat, you can also use dark meat
• 1 large or 2 medium zucchini, grated (2 cups grated)
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• oil for browing

for the Sumac Sauce

• 2/3 cup yogurt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp sumac
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Instructions

• Set oven to 425F
• Make the sumac sauce by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and mixing well. Refrigerate until needed. Thin with a little water if you like a thinner sauce.
• Put all the burger ingredients, except the oil, in a large bowl Mix well, using your hands, making sure to get all the ingredients well incorporated, but don’t over-work the meat…use a light touch!
• Form the meat mixture into patties. I used a 1/3 cup as a measure, and made about 9 burgers. (You can make your burgers as large or small as you like, but will need to adjust the cooking time.) Note that the mixture will be very wet. Don’t worry, they will firm up as they cook.
• Coat the bottom of a skillet lightly with oil and heat until it is nice and hot. You should hear a good sizzle when the patties hit the pan, If not, let the oil heat more. Working in batches, brown the patties on both sides, for about 2 minutes per side, and add more oil as needed.
• Set the burgers on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 7 to 10 minutes, just until done inside.
• Serve the burgers with the sauce.

Notes

You can make these any size you want, from a regular burger size, to smaller patties and even meatballs. Serve them on top of salad greens, in a bun, or pita bread.
Recipe from Jerusalem

NEW FEATURE! Click here to add your own private notes.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: burgers, healthy, turkey, zucchini

Nutrition

Calories: 114 kcal · Carbohydrates: 3 g · Protein: 14 g · Fat: 5 g · Saturated Fat: 2 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g · Trans Fat: 0.01 g · Cholesterol: 56 mg · Sodium: 435 mg · Potassium: 280 mg · Fiber: 0.4 g · Sugar: 2 g · Vitamin A: 269 IU · Vitamin C: 6 mg · Calcium: 49 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

Did You Make This?We love seeing what you’ve made! Tag us on social media at @theviewfromgreatisland for a chance to be featured.