Name: Turkey Bruschetta Burgers
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 pound lean ground turkey; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, chopped; 2 teaspoons worcestershire; 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered; 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, chopped; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 1 clove garlic, grated or minced; 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil; Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste; 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar; 2 teaspoons honey, maple syrup or sugar; 4 slices French bread and shredded Parmesan cheese for serving

Turkey Bruschetta Burgers are a great way to turn the classic Italian appetizer into dinner! Juicy turkey burgers served on toasted french bread with parmesan cheese and topped with fresh tomato basil salad and balsamic glaze.

It’s a big day everyone! Today is the opening day for our local farmers market and I am so excited! Granted there probably won’t be a whole lot of fresh produce at the market, it’s still a little too early for that here, but the fact that it’s open again means summer is on the way along with all the local produce I love. Some of my favorite items to get at our farmers market are cucumbers, fresh melons, and tomatoes that are sweeter and juicier than anything you’ll ever find in the grocery store.

Basically between October and May I rarely use fresh tomatoes because the ones at the grocery store are so disgusting. If you find a good one it’s about as lucky as having a winning lottery ticket. I really don’t understand how grocery store tomatoes can be so mealy, dry, and flavorless and the ones you get at the farmers market or grow in your garden can be so sweet and juicy. What is happening between the farms and the stores that is making the tomatoes so gross?!

The only kind of tomatoes I will buy in the off season are grape or cherry tomatoes. You at least have a chance of them being juicy and sweet. Grape tomatoes were exactly what I used for the tomato basil salad on top of the turkey burgers. I absolutely love tomato basil salad and could just eat a whole bowl of it with a spoon, no need for bread, just a spoon. To make this bruschetta a more complete meal rather than just a delicious appetizer I decided to add a juicy turkey burger into the mix.

I grilled my burgers, but you could fry them in a pan if it’s more convenient or you don’t have a grill. Funny story, I grilled these turkey burgers outside at about 10 in the morning. I get my best lighting for photographs in the late morning and early afternoon. As if my neighbors don’t already think I’m weird, (I can only imagine what they think when they happen to walk by their windows and see me standing on a table or chair with a camera and tripod hovering over food) now they can add seeing me standing outside at 10 in the morning in my fuzzy slippers grilling burgers to their list. Despite their thoughts about the girl at the grill in her slippers, I can only imagine how hungry I was making them with the smells of burgers and garlic. These open faced burgers are everything a bruschetta lover like myself wants them to be. Toasty, cheesy bread, topped with a juicy burger, then piled high with the tomato basil salad and a drizzle of balsamic reduction. Add these burgers to your list of meals to grill this season, I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Turkey Bruschetta Burgers

Yield: 4 burgers

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Turkey Burgers

1 pound lean ground turkey
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, chopped
2 teaspoons worcestershire
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Tomato Basil Salad

2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, grated or minced
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Balsamic Drizzle

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons honey, maple syrup or sugar
4 slices French bread and shredded Parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions

Tomato Basil Salad

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is heated add in the garlic and cook it just until it starts to turn golden, about 30 seconds, be careful not to burn it. Pour the garlic oil mixture into a large bowl.
Add in the tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper and toss together. Set aside or cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Balsamic Drizzle

In a small saucepan over medium heat add the balsamic vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until it has reduced to 1/4 cup.

Turkey Burgers

In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients for the turkey burgers with your hands, careful not to overwork the meat. Form the meat mixture into 4 patties, place them on a plate and refrigerate until ready to grill.
Heat your grill to high heat and spray the grates with cooking spray or brush with oil to keep the burgers from sticking. Grill the burgers on each side for about 4-5 minutes or until they are no longer pink inside.
During the last couple minutes of grilling place the slices of french bread brushed with olive oil on the grill and toast them for about 30 seconds on each side. Remove the bread from the grill and sprinkle the tops with the grated parmesan cheese.

Assembling the Burgers

Place the grilled turkey burgers on top of the parmesan cheese toasts. Top the burgers with the tomato basil salad and some of the balsamic drizzle. Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese if desired.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 401Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 118mgSodium: 785mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 2gSugar: 15gProtein: 34g