Skinny BBQ Turkey Burger

Updated OnAugust 11, 2014
Written by
Nancy Fox

Let's face it, most turkey burgers taste, well, rather forgettable. They're dry, flavorless and unremarkable. Yet we eat them because we want a healthier alternative to a decadent beef burger.

More: Healthy Bacon Barbecue Beef Burger Recipe

Great news! Our BBQ Turkey Burger is nothing short of wonderful: It's juicy, satisfying and packed with a dreamy barbecue flavor. The trick is to make it moist—we add chopped onions, an egg white and barbecue sauce. It's amazing how well it binds the turkey meat and keeps it from drying out—and talk about flavor! Top it with saut?ed onions, romaine lettuce and tomato on a whole wheat bun.

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The skinny on our restaurant style BBQ Turkey Burger is 353 calories and 11 grams of fat. Chili's BBQ Ranch Burger has 1110 calories and 71 grams of fat. Ouch!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Grill Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 large red onions cut into slices
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1/4 pound package ground turkey
  • 1 cup yellow or red onion, chopped fine
  • 1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce, or your favorite
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Fresh ground pepper to taste
  • 6 whole wheat buns (we love Trader Joe's Honey Whole Wheat Buns)
  • Romaine lettuce
  • Tomato slices
  • Ketchup
  • Mustard
  • Barbecue sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat grill to medium-high.
  2. Place the sliced onions on a microwave-safe plate. Cook for 5-6 minutes in the microwave until onions are soft.
  3. In a large nonstick pan add the olive oil, and heat. Add the cooked sliced onions and 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce. Saut? on medium to high heat until onions are very soft and browned, about 8 minutes. Stir often. 
  4. In a large bowl add the ground turkey, chopped onions, barbecue sauce, egg white, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Mix until well blended.
  5. Shape mixture into 6 patties. Form the patties as large as the bun since they shrink when cooked.  Coat both sides of each patty with a little cooking spray to avoid them sticking to the grill. Grill burgers covered until cooked through about 4-5 minutes per side. 
  6. Serve burgers topped with warm saut?ed onions, lettuce and tomato. Serve ketchup, mustard and barbecue sauce on the side.

Makes 6 burgers

Shopping Tip: Most large supermarkets sell Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce.  

Substitution Tip: You can substitute lean ground beef for ground turkey, if desired.

Prep Tip: This burger can also be made using a Panini grill or George Forman grill.  It only takes 4-5 minutes total because both sides of the burger are cooked at once.

Skinny Facts for our BBQ Turkey Burger (including saut?ed onions): 353 calories, 11g fat, 24g protein, 41g carbs, 6g fiber, 596mg sodium, 7g sugar

Fat Facts for Chili's BBQ Ranch Burger: 1,110 calories, 71g fat, 56g protein, 60g carbs, 3g fiber, 1,920mg sodium

More: How to Make Your Own Healthy Condiments

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