Unfortunately, turkey burgers are often times a euphemism for a dry and cardboard-tasting poor substitute for a real burger. These Turkey Burgers with Tomato Jam, Olives, and Feta, however, are an exception.
They were perhaps the tastiest turkey burgers that I had every eaten, let alone made at home. The thick chunks of onion, bits of black olive, and nuggets of feta cheese added so much flavour, it was incredible. If you have a hankering for a burger, try grilling up one of these instead for a change. This recipe feeds 4 people at $1.38 per serving.
Turkey Burgers with Olives and Feta
1 pound ground turkey
2/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/3 cup (about 2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese plus additional for topping
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped pitted Kalamata olives (about 6)
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil plus additional for brushing
1 small garlic clove, pressed
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
coarse kosher salt
black pepper
4 crusty rolls, halved horizontally, or 4 pitas
Tomato Jam
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 tablespoon sugar
sprinkle of dried thyme
coarse kosher salt
black pepper
Turn on the barbecue at a medium-high heat, and brush or spray the grill rack with a bit of oil so the burgers don’t stick.
Gently mix the turkey, onion, feta, chopped olives, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and a generous amount of coarse salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Form the mixture into 4 patties, each about 1 inch thick. Spray them with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle them with more salt and pepper.
Grill the burgers until they are charred on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Grill the cut side of the rolls until they are toasted, about 2 minutes. If you are using pita bread like I did, they also taste good if you toast them up a bit on the grill.
I had to include this photo of my awesome looking burgers since this was the first thing that I had ever grilled by myself! I was very impressed that they had not crumbled up and fallen through the grate, or they weren’t burnt.
To make the tomato jam, heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic, and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add a can of diced tomatoes with the juice, sugar, thyme, salt, and black pepper to the saucepan.
Cook everything over medium-high heat until almost all of the liquid evaporates and the mixture is reduced to about 1 cup or so, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Cool.
If you can’t be bothered to make this tomato jam, you can skip this step and just use some good ketchup, but I can say that the sweetness of the jam did complement the burgers very nicely.
Take your toasted bun or pita bread and assemble your burger with some tomato jam, and additional feta and chopped olives to top for a delicious and fast summer dinner!
