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Southwest Turkey Burgers

Southwest Turkey Burgers are juicy, flavorful burgers loaded with black beans, corn, bell pepper, herbs and spices in every bite! You can bake them in the oven or grill for a fun year-round burger dinner!

Nut Free, Gluten Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free

Southwest Turkey Burgers

Burger season is here!!! To be honest, burger season is year-round in our house, but grilling season is here, so you’ve gotta try my newest creation…

These Southwest Turkey Burgers are SO FREAKIN’ GOOD!!!

I created this recipe on a complete whim. You see, I was planning on making my Spinach Turkey Burgers that evening but I had some leftover black beans and corn from my Southwestern Cobb Salad and started throwing them in, plus some extra spices, and voila created these! I didn’t even measure that first night, but knew I had to recreate them to share with you…

Southwest Turkey Burgers are…

  • Easy to make
  • Freakin’ delicious
  • So flavorful
  • Packed with protein and fiber
  • Great to meal prep

I love making these burgers for dinner because they’re versatile. You can serve on a bun or over a salad.

Ingredients to Make Southwest Turkey Burgers

You’ll need less than 10 ingredients to make these Southwest Turkey Burgers… including a bunch of spices.

The base of these burgers is made from:

  • Ground turkey
  • Black beans
  • Corn kernels
  • Bell pepper

Then it’s flavored with…

  • Cilantro
  • Chili powder
  • Smoked paprika
  • Garlic powder
  • Cumin

Of course you’ll also need salt and pepper, but those don’t count!

Ingredients to make southwestern-inspired turkey burgers

How to Make Southwest Turkey Burgers

It’s quite simple to make these Southwest Turkey Burgers. First, mix together the base of the burgers, including the ground turkey, black beans, corn kernels and chopped bell pepper, plus the spices and cilantro.

Form into patties, and let’s get cooking. There are three ways you can cook these burgers:

  1. On the grill – be sure to spray with nonstick oil spray to ensure for easy flipping!
  2. In a cast iron pan – this is the one I have.
  3. Baked in the oven – great for hands-off cooking if that pre-dinner hour in your house looks like mine 😉
Southwest Turkey Burgers

How to Serve Southwest Turkey Burgers

Burgers are one of my favorite foods to meal prep because they’re incredible versatile in the way you serve them. That versatility = you won’t get bored and more satisfaction! And remember, satisfaction is key to stop looking for more food!

You can serve these any way you wish, but here are some of my favorite ideas…

  • Classic burger style – on a bun. Top with guacamole and salsa!
  • Over a salad – I particularly like a crunchy green, like romaine or iceberg lettuce. A bit like a burger salad, but southwestern-inspired.
  • In a wrap – sometimes you just don’t want a bun and a wrap is a great substitution. Look for a whole wheat wrap (if you can) with at least 3-5g fiber per wrap.
  • On a “snack” plate – think outside the box and enjoy your burger with a bunch of other finger foods… perhaps some cheddar cheese, watermelon slices, and tortilla chips?
Southwest Turkey Burgers

Can you meal prep these turkey burgers?

Of course! Burgers are one of my favorite foods to meal prep because you can easily repurpose leftovers. Or let’s be honest, we don’t have leftovers so I have to double the recipe just to stretch one batch cooking into another meal!

Change up the way you serve these burgers (see the list above) so you don’t get bored.

How to Store Leftover Turkey Burgers

In the fridge: Wrap the burgers or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.

In the freezer: Once the burgers cool, wrap each individual burger in plastic wrap, then place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat on the stove or oven for best results.

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need to Make These Burgers

You don’t really need anything aside from some basic kitchen tools to make these southwest turkey burgers.

You’ll need:

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Southwest Turkey Burgers

Southwest Turkey Burgers are juicy, flavorful burgers loaded with black beans, corn, bell pepper, herbs and spices in every bite! You can bake them in the oven or grill for a fun year-round burger dinner!

  • Author: Chelsey
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10-25 minutes
  • Total Time: 0 hours
  • Yield: 4 burgers 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 lb ground turkey (may substitute chicken or beef)
  • ½ cup black beans
  • ½ cup corn kernels
  • ¼ cup chopped red bell pepper
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin 
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • Optional for serving: burger buns, guacamole/avocado, salsa, cheese, lettuce, tomato

Instructions

To cook in the oven:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Add ground turkey, black beans, corn kernels, bell pepper, cilantro, and spices to a large bowl. Mix together until ingredients are evenly distributed. Form into 4 patties and place on the baking sheet.
  3. Bake for 25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Serve on buns with lettuce, tomato, guacamole and salsa or over a salad. Enjoy!

To cook stovetop in a cast iron pan:

  1. Heat cast iron pan with 1 tablespoon avocado oil over medium-high heat.
  2. Form patties as described above.
  3. Cook patties for approximately 5 minutes on one side, until cooked halfway through. Carefully flip and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

To cook on an outdoor grill:

  1. Heat grill and spray with nonstick oil spray.
  2. Form patties as described above.
  3. Cook patties for approximately 5 minutes on one side, until cooked halfway through. Carefully flip and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

Keywords: turkey burgers, healthy dinner, southwest

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Southwest Turkey Burgers for an Easy Weeknight Dinner

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