Grilled Turkey and Quinoa Burgers are a fantastic healthier alternative to enjoying a delicious juicy burger.
True story, I spent almost 15 years of my life without having a burger. Crazy right?! What makes it crazy is that a burger is now one of my favorite foods. Ever. My first burger of adulthood was after I spent a year deployed to Iraq. I re-introduced several foods that I had not eaten in ages and a juicy burger was one. When I became pregnant later that year, I craved them like CRAZY. I wanted no chicken, nothing sweet, just meat. My body was craving the iron and protein. My craving for these burgers led me to experiment with a healthier alternative. Certainly eating a quarter pound of ground beef everyday could not be good for me. Insert Turkey Burger with Quinoa. Since then, they have been a regular part of my diet. I could seriously eat them every day.
A grilled burger is one of my favorite things about warm months! Sometimes I want to enjoy a juicy burger without feeling the heaviness of ground beef. I use ground turkey and quinoa to replicate a juicy beef burger, and throw in some “extras”. I add worcestershire sauce, red onion, crushed garlic, and some fresh herbs:
Once the mixture is ready, I put inside the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. This helps to keep the burgers in tact (I also hear that it can help them to become even juicier?) To save time you can also make the meat mixture in the morning, and be ready to go by dinner time. It only takes a few minutes to mix together the ingredients and shape them into patties:
Turkey burgers are so simple because they cook very quickly: about 5-7 minutes per side. Dress them up with your favorite fix ins! I often eat burgers without any bread, just over some greens. I love to top with avocado or my Easy 1 Minute Guacamole (that recipe comes in handy for just about everything). My Paleo friends can easily omit the quinoa. I like to add the grains; especially when I’m enjoying it over salad. This recipe can also be made on the stovetop during the cold months. It will take about the same amount of time per side.
- 1.5 lbs ground turkey
- 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
- 3/4 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/3 cup chopped red onion
- 3 cloves crushed garlic
- 2 tbsp of fresh herbs (I used thyme in this recipe)
- Prepare and heat up your grill.
- Add all the ingredients together in a large bowl, mix well.
- Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, or stick in the freezer for 5 minutes.
- Remove and begin to form burger patties.
- Using approximately 2/3-3/4 cup of meat mixture, shape into a ball first, than flatten into a patty.
- Grill for approximately 5-7 minutes on each side, or until turkey is no longer pink.
- Garnish with your favorite sauce and veggies.
Katie says
May 11, 2015 at 11:03 amThis look absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe. i’ll have to try this myself sometime soon!
The point of the Paleo diet is, and I feel some people forget this, to not only diet, but to eat delicious foods at the same time. It’s the only diet I’ve come across that cuts out food groups, yet still focusses on everyone’s need to eat great food.
I’m a real foodie, and would not survive on any other diet, but Paleo has been very good for me. I’ve written about one of my favourite cookbooks: http://cookbook-reviews.net/review-the-paleo-recipe-book/