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Turkey Chili Cheeseburgers

Serves 4

Try serving these burgers with Red, White and Blue Grilled Barbecue Potato Salad.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground turkey breast
  • 1/4 cup cilantro (about a handful), chopped
  • 1/4 cup parsley (about a handful), chopped
  • 1 small onion, grated
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • A few dashes of hot sauce (add more if you like it spicy)
  • 8 slices plus 1/2 cup grated pepper Jack cheese
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 ripe avocados
  • 3 tablespoons sour cream
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 4 Kaiser rolls, cut in half

Directions

  1. Pre-heat a grill pan or outdoor grill.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, use your hands to combine the ground turkey, cilantro, parsley, onion, chopped jalapeño, the tomato paste, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, hot sauce, grated cheese, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pat the meat down gently in the bowl and use the side of your hand to divide it into four portions. Scoop out one portion and shape it into a patty, pressing the burger together more in the middle to allow it to expand during cooking. Repeat with the remaining three portions.
  3. Wash your hands after handling the raw meat. Place the burgers onto the grill and cook until they are marked and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes per side.
  4. While the burgers are on the grill, remove the pits from the avocados and scoop the flesh into a medium size mixing bowl. Lightly smash them up with a fork to break up the large pieces, then add the sour cream, garlic, lemon juice, salt and freshly ground pepper to the bowl. Mix everything up with a fork, smashing the larger pieces of avocado up as needed. Set the smashed avocado aside until the burgers have finished cooking.
  5. When the burgers have about 3 minutes of cooking time left, place the Kaiser rolls, split side down, onto the grill to toast. Place two slices of the pepper Jack cheese on each burger and let them melt as they finish cooking.
  6. Once the buns are toasted and the burgers are cooked through, place one burger on each toasted bun bottom, top it with some of the avocado smash, then cap each burger off with a bun top.