Highly adaptable, these lean Turkey Burgers take minutes to make, only 15 minutes to cook and make enough to stock your freezer.
There’s nothing better than an easy recipe that comes together quickly and makes enough to stock the freezer. (Can you tell that I’m doing everything possible to make busy weeknights easier for myself this school year?) This recipe is it.
My mom and I have been eating these Turkey Burgers for years. The recipe can certainly be halved, but honestly, the ease of scaling it is one of the best parts. In just 15 minutes, you can have the turkey burgers made and assembled – enough for a meal to serve immediately with at least a meal leftover to stock in the freezer. Mom used to store them in individual baggies, so that she could pull one out whenever she wanted and cook to order. I freeze in baggies of 3-4, enough for my husband and I for a meal, with a little leftover.
Serving Suggestions & Deviations:
Serve on a toasted English muffin as a sandwich, or on top of a salad for a low-carb lunch.
Mom likes to top hers with a little honey mustard salad dressing. I like a little sliced or smashed avocado.
Like spicy? I’ve been known to add a hefty pinch of Emeril’s Creole Seasoning to the mixture or on top of the burger patty before cooking for a little extra kick.
Highly adaptable, these lean Turkey Burgers take minutes to make, only 15 minutes to cook and make enough to stock your freezer.
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
American
Prep Time15minutes
Cook Time15minutes
Total Time30minutes
Servings154-oz. burgers
AuthorLiz
Ingredients
1/2red onionfinely chopped
1bell pepperany color, finely chopped
4Tbs.minced fresh parsley
2Tbs.minced fresh thyme
2garlic clovesminced
3Tbs.low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/4c.plain breadcrumbs
40oz.ground turkey
cooking spray
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, using clean hands to gently mix until ingredients are evenly combined.
Shape into 4-oz. patties, indenting the center with your thumb just slightly.
Spray a skillet (preferably non-stick) with cooking spray. When hot, add turkey burgers so that there's an inch or so in between each (you'll probably need to cook in batches). Cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Flip. Cover skillet and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until cooked throughout.
Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Freezing Instructions: Uncooked turkey burgers may be frozen in an airtight container of freezer bag to be used later. Simply add a piece of parchment or wax paper in between layers before freezing.
Cooking from Freezer: Turkey burgers can be defrosted and cooked as directed or cooked straight from freezer. To cook frozen burgers, cover immediately. Allow to cook for 10 minutes before flipping, recovering, and cooking until cooked throughout, another 10-15 minutes.
This recipe was adapted from a super old issue of Prevention magazine.
This Crunchy Asian Salad gets its amazing crunch from crisp veggies, slivered almonds and ramen noodles. Tossed with a lightly sweet dressing, it makes for a fun and bright lunch.
Salads for lunch – yay or nay?
I really enjoy a salad for lunch, but have two problems with it. First, it’s got to be rich in protein and have a little carbs thrown in there, otherwise I’m hungry a couple hours later. Secondly, I like my salads fresh. Like – make it and then eat it fresh. Even if I assemble the salad in the morning before heading to work… by the time lunch rolls around, it just doesn’t look and feel as fresh to me. Does that make me crazy?
This recipe is a little different. Because it’s made with cabbage and not lettuce, I found that it not only held its structure better (making me feel like it was fresher) but it was also more filling. Not a fan of cabbage? Then go ahead and use iceberg lettuce. Like the salad but want to serve it as a side dish? Skip the chicken. (Or skip the chicken anyway – it’s still delicious and filling, even without it.) While I love the salad as is, the ingredients and portions can be easily adjusted to suit your taste and the contents of your fridge.
This Crunchy Asian Salad gets its amazing crunch from crisp veggies, slivered almonds and ramen noodles. Tossed with a lightly sweet dressing, it makes for a fun and bright lunch.
Course
Lunch, Salad
Cuisine
Asian-Inspired
Prep Time15minutes
Total Time15minutes
AuthorLiz
Ingredients
For the Salad:
6c.thinly sliced or shredded cabbagefrom 1 small head of green cabbage
1/3.c.thinly sliced scallions
1/2c.shredded carrots
2c.shredded or diced rotisserie chicken
1/2c.slivered almondstoasted
2Tbs.sesame seedstoasted
1 3-oz.package chicken-flavored ramenseasoning packet set aside for the dressing
Toast the almonds and sesame seeds, if not already done, while cutting/shredding the veggies and chicken.
Make the Salad:
Chop ramen noodles into small pieces. Set aside.
Combine all ingredients for the dressing in an airtight container (i.e. a mason jar). Cover and shake well.
In a large bowl, toss cabbage, chicken, scallions, carrots, toasted almonds, toasted sesame seeds, and chopped ramen noodles. Pour dressing (shake again if the dressing has started to settle) on top of salad and toss to coat.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to a couple of hours) before serving.
Recipe Notes
Don't like cabbage? Use iceberg lettuce. Make this a side dish by omitting the chicken. This will serve 8 as a side dish Although this salad is best within the first 4 hours of making, I have enjoyed it 24+ hours later. It looses some of the crunch - particularly in the almonds - but still has wonderful flavor.
Sun dried tomato pesto gives a standard chicken sandwich a HUGE flavor boost.
This post is sponsored in conjunction with #BrunchWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the #Brunchweek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.
Today is my last 2018 #BrunchWeek post, the end of my 3rd #BrunchWeek. And one of these years, I’ll finish all of my posts before the week officially starts. 🙂
April was busier than expected and nothing went according to plan. I’m so busy that I hate when I have to do things more than once. But several times during the month, I had to run the same errand twice, make phone calls multiple times… I even had a couple of recipes not go as planned, which was super annoying. But luckily, today’s recipe was one that worked out perfectly the first time. Because I really didn’t have time to make it again.
I couldn’t let #BrunchWeek pass without a hearty, savory dish for you. Last year, it was breakfast burritos (so good!) but this year, I went more on the lunch side of brunch. Simple but bursting with flavor. Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Chicken Sandwiches.
There are several things I like about this recipe – apart from the flavor. The pesto is full of bright flavors but it also takes just a few minutes to whip up, freezes well (freeze in an ice cube tray for single-serving portions, or in a mason jar for a larger portion), and can serve dual purpose as a sauce for pasta. The sandwich itself is great for using up leftover chicken or salad and it can be as easy or as complicated as you want. I went the semi-homemade route with store-bought rotisserie chicken and rolls this time around, but you could totally make all of the components from scratch and serve them fresh if you wanted to.
Finally, don’t forget to scroll down to enter our #BrunchWeek giveaway – you could win 1 of 7 prizes – as well as see what my blogging friends have created for you today.
Sun dried tomato pesto gives a standard chicken sandwich a HUGE flavor boost.
Course
Lunch
Cuisine
American
AuthorLiz
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Pesto:
1-10oz.jar Cento sun dried tomatoespacked in oil
1-2clovesgarliccoarsely chopped
1/2tsp.freshly ground pepper
Ingredients for the Sandwich:
Roll or breadI used ciabatta rolls
Lettuce or spinach
Cooked chicken breast - from a rotisserie chicken or deli counter
Instructions
Make the Pesto:
Separate sun dried tomatoes from the oil, but reserve the oil.
Place sun dried tomatoes, garlic and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until mostly chopped. Scrape down sides of bowl and add 3 Tbs. reserved oil, and pulse again.
Assemble the Sandwich:
Spread sun dried tomato pesto on top and bottom of roll. I used about a tablespoon for each. Add lettuce/spinach and chicken. Serve and enjoy.
Recipe Notes:
This recipe makes about 3/4 c. sun dried tomato pesto.
Pesto also makes a wonderful sauce for pasta. I’d just recommend adding a bit more oil if using it to coat pasta.
Take a look at what the #BrunchWeek Bloggers are creating today!
Disclaimer: Thank you to #BrunchWeek Sponsors: Dixie Crystals, Cabot Cheese, LorAnn Oils and Flavors, Cento Fine Foods, Michigan Asparagus, Cal-Organic and Eggland’s Best for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #BrunchWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. The #BrunchWeek giveaway is open to U.S. residents, age 18 & up. All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Seven (7) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. The#BrunchWeek Bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #Brunchweek posts or entry.
 Salty, spicy Italian antipasto fixings are paired with fresh veggies and whole wheat pasta to create an Italian Antipasto Pasta Salad, a delicious side that’s also hearty enough to enjoy for lunch.
One of my favorite things about spring and summer BBQs, picnics, and potlucks is getting to try out a variety of new dishes. I can sample a bit of everything, and have seconds of the things I love. One of the dishes I always enjoy is the Italian Antipasto Pasta Salads that tend to show up at those events. I love them every time, but until this month, had never made one myself.
Today is National Picnic Day, and it was the perfect excuse for me to make my own version of this potluck favorite. My version below has a good proportion of veggies, meat, and cheese to make this salad filling enough to be a meal in and of itself. But the nice part about this salad is that it’s easily customizable. Don’t like something in here? Swap it out, or skip it all together. Play with the proportions to add more of your favorite ingredients. Here are a few ideas for tweaking this recipe to your taste (or to what’s in your fridge/pantry):
Swap the rotini for tortellini
Skip the cheese or replace the mozzarella with provolone
Add marinated artichoke hearts (yum!)
Toss in some fresh spinach
Swap the pepperoncini for whatever olives you have on hand
Don’t forget to check out scroll down and check out the rest of the recipes our Festive Foodie bloggers have for you, for your upcoming picnics.
Salty, spicy Italian antipasto fixings are paired with fresh veggies and whole wheat pasta to create an Italian Antipasto Pasta Salad, a delicious side that’s also hearty enough to enjoy for lunch.
Course
Lunch, Side Dish
Prep Time15minutes
AuthorLiz
Ingredients
1lb.whole wheat rotini pastacooked according to package and cooled
1/2c.red onionsmall dice
3/4c.halved cherry or grape tomatoes
3/4c.bell pepperany color, small dice
3/4c.pepperoncinismall dice
3/4c.mozzarella pearlsor fresh mozzarella, cut into small pieces
9slicespepperonismall dice
9slicesgenoa salamismall dice
Italian dressing and/or extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine pasta, red onion, tomatoes, bell pepper, pepperoncini, mozzarella, pepperoni and salami. Toss to combine.
Drizzle with Italian dressing and/or olive oil to your liking. (See notes below).
Serve cold or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes:
I used half Italian dressing (I like Good Seasoning’s Italian Dressing and Newman’s Own) and half extra-virgin olive oil, as the antipasto gives the salad quite a bit of flavor. I add just enough dressing and oil to coat.
Big thanks to Ellen at Family Around the Table for hosting this event! Don’t forget to check out more spring/summer picnic (or BBQ or potluck) inspiration from the Festive Foodie bloggers:
