Lean meats like ground beef or turkey are a Foods of the Month in November! With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we had turkey on our mind, but we wanted to make a quick weeknight meal. Enter … Italian burgers! We admit, our Italian burgers were created as part of a refrigerator clean-out but it was a huge hit! And best of all, you can use either lean ground beef or lean ground turkey. Picture it tasting sort of like a big meatball on a whole wheat bun. Make sure to use 90% or more lean ground turkey or beef in this Italian burger recipe. Anything with more fat takes away the health benefits of this lean meat. With about 30 grams of protein per serving in these burgers, the 90% lean meat still has delicious flavor and also provides the body with lots of protein, an important building block for our bones, muscles, and more.
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef or turkey
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp. parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp. parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1 tomato, sliced thin
- 1/2 cup low-fat mozzarella cheese
- 4 whole wheat hamburger buns
- Using a large mixing bowl, combine the lean ground meat with the chopped onion, parmesan and parsley.
- Divide the meat mixture into 4 equal parts. Form into hamburger patty shapes and set aside.
- Set the stovetop to medium high heat. Using a nonstick skillet (or cooking spray), add the burger patties and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until they are browned and crispy and the center reaches 165 degrees (there will be no visible pink in the middle of the patty).
- Remove skillet from heat. Leaving the burgers in the skillet, pour the tomato sauce over the patties, then top with mozzarella and a tomato slice.
- Toast the whole wheat buns, then use a spatula to transfer the burger patties to the buns.
- Serve immediately with a side salad. Enjoy!
