Smoky Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki

These smoky turkey burgers with tzatziki are an interesting and flavorful take on burgers! Juicy burgers packed with feta and topped with a healthy scoop of creamy tzatziki, finished with the cool crisp crunch of fresh romaine, butter lettuce, or sprouts. Delicious!

this recipe

I love making different kinds of burgers to get some variety into summer grilling season! Enter these incredibly juicy and flavorful turkey burgers seasoned with smoked paprika and stuffed with chunks of salty, creamy feta. They're such a dream when paired with the creamy, cooling flavors of freshly made tzatziki, served atop a hearty bun with crunch from crisp lettuce (think butter or romaine).

Serve these up with a summery pasta salad (like my fruity caprese pasta salad), a simple greens salad, roasted veggies (like these simple roasted radishes), or vinegar cucumber salad.

This flavor and texture combo is such a refreshing take on burgers. Let's make them!

Ingredients

• Greek yogurt - For the tzatziki base. I recommend 2% or whole milk Greek yogurt for the richest flavor.
• Cucumbers - To be grated for tzatziki.
• Garlic
• Fresh mint
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Ground turkey - We'll use ground turkey for our burger meat. I tend to prefer a 93% lean turkey for juicy and delicious burgers!
• Feta - Feta will be crumbled and added to the burgers for amazing salty, creamy chunks in every bite.
• Egg - Helps bind the burger together and provides richness.
• Smoked paprika - Key ingredient for the smokiness of these burgers.
• Onion
• Buns
• Lettuce - I recommend a crisp lettuce here for texture contrast, such as butter or romaine lettuce.

Instructions

First, we'll make the tzatziki so it can chill in the fridge and the flavors get a chance to mingle.

Step 1: We'll start with the tzatziki! Grate cucumbers using a grater or food processor and transfer to a cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve to drain. If using a cheesecloth, wrap it around the grated cucumbers and squeeze out excess water. If using a fine mesh sieve, use the back of a spoon to push excess water through.

Step 2: Add the grated cucumbers, Greek yogurt, minced garlic, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine, then taste and adjust ingredients if desired. Cover and chill in the fridge while you cook the burgers.

Step 3: Now for the turkey burgers! Preheat olive oil in a skillet or grill pan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 5-7 minutes to soften. Remove onions from pan to cool.

Step 4: Combine ground turkey, egg, feta, sautéed onions (cooled), smoked paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix together using a fork or clean hands to get a uniform mixture. Form into four large patties that are thick but flat.

Step 5: Add more olive oil to the pan used for the onions (reduce heat or temporarily remove from heat if the pan is getting too hot). Sauté or grill patties in grill pan for 4-5 minutes on each side. No pink should remain in the middle, but we also want to be careful not to overcook them. Since burgers continue to cook for a bit after being removed from heat, I like to take them off of the grill pan at 160 degrees (if using a meat thermometer) and allow them to reach 165 degrees by resting. This ensures juicy burgers!

Step 6: If desired, toast burger buns for 1-2 minutes face down in the same grill pan used for the burgers. Assemble by layering tzatziki on the bottom bun, burger patty, more tzatziki, and your crunchy lettuce on top.