Up your game day fare with these turkey feta burgers with kale and apple cabbage slaw! Totally satisfying and completely irresisitble.
Okay, STOP EVERYTHING. Bold claim about to be made: turkey burgers no longer suck! You might be rolling your eyes, but when have you ever thought a turkey burger was down right delicious? Once? Twice? Never? That changes today. Like, now. Because these moist turkey burgers with apple cabbage slaw are game changers.
First of all, they contain feta. Feta is salty and makes pretty much everything it touches a whole lot tastier. You on board? Excellent.
Second, they have kale! AKA these are now considered healthy! We’re on a roll here! (FYI, I have a strong preference for lacinato or “Tuscan” kale — the texture is softer and the flavor is a little less bitter or harsh than curly kale.)
Most importantly, these turkey feta burgers are topped with a crunchy, acidic, fresh slaw made from thinly sliced cabbage and matchstick apples, tossed with vinegar and a bunch of fresh herbs, and piled up high to keep your burgers packin’ a punch.
What’s in these turkey feta burgers?
For the turkey feta burgers themselves, you’ll need ground turkey, kale, feta, scallions, Worcestershire sauce, fresh garlic, salt and pepper. I wanted to keep these homemade turkey burgers simple but flavorful, because I hate when burger recipes call for a million ingredients just to make them taste good.
For the apple cabbage slaw, you’ll need green cabbage, apple, celery, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper. The fresh herbs are key here. If you don’t have fresh, don’t substitute dried! Dried herbs will make the apple cabbage slaw awkwardly crunchy and won’t impart a lot of flavor.
How to make turkey feta burgers
First make the apple cabbage slaw. Literally all you have to do is chop up the veggies as instructed and then mix everything together in a big bowl. Let the slaw refrigerate until you’re ready to serve it (the flavor intensifies as it chills and the flavors have time to come together).
To make the turkey feta burgers, do the same thing! Throw everything into a bowl, mix it up with your hands, and then form the burger patties. I cooked my turkey feta burgers in a cast iron skillet, but you can use a griddle as well.
How long to cook turkey burgers?
You want to preheat your skillet or griddle to medium-high heat and then coat it with cooking spray. Cook the moist turkey burgers for about 5 minutes on either side (or until the internal temperature of the burgers is 165ºF).
How will I know when the burgers are cooked through?
It can be tricky to tell when burgers are cooked through all the way, especially if you’re not willing to slice one open to check the color of the meat inside. If you cook burgers a lot, I think it’s worth investing in a meat thermometer. It really is the easiest way to tell when these burgers are safe to eat!
If you don’t want to buy special equipment, poke the center of one burger to see if the juices run clear. If so, the burgers are probably done. This isn’t a surefire way to tell if the turkey feta burgers are finished cooking, but it helps!
My go-to turkey burger toppings
If you’re not feeling the apple cabbage slaw or simply want to switch things up, feel free to top these turkey feta burgers with your favorite veggies. Not sure what to try? A few of my favorite turkey burger toppings are:
- Thinly sliced tomato
- Mashed avocado
- Parmesan peppercorn sauce (you can find this at the grocery store)
- Chopped fresh herbs
- Arugula
- Caramelized onions
- Tangy yogurt sauce
If you make these easy turkey burgers and come up with a topping combo that you like even more than the apple cabbage slaw, leave me a comment below so I can try it out myself!
Tips for making turkey feta burgers
Try not to over cook these homemade turkey burgers, as ground turkey has a tendency to dry out (which is a guaranteed way to wind up hating these turkey feta burgers). If you don’t cook burgers very often, I recommend setting a timer once the burgers are on the griddle, just to be safe.
For the apple cabbage slaw, you really want all the ingredients to be sliced thinly. Cabbage is fairly hearty, and if you don’t shred it finely enough it’ll be tough to chew.
Lastly, if you don’t have kale on hand, you can sub spinach in these turkey feta burgers. I still recommend roughly chopping the spinach, as you don’t want to bite into huge chunks of it.
Brought my A game for the game day!! Homemade wedge fries and beer completely optional. Turkey feta burgers with apple cabbage slaw, however, are completely mandatory.
If you make my turkey feta burgers with apple cabbage slaw, please let me know by leaving a review below!
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For additional poultry recipes, check out the following:
Southern fried chicken and waffles
Sun-dried tomato chicken with white wine sauce
Apricot-glazed chicken with couscous
Turkey Burgers with Apple Cabbage Slaw
Ingredients
For the burgers
- 1 lb ground turkey
- ½ cup lacinato kale (stems removed and roughly chopped)
- ⅓ cup feta (crumbled)
- 2 scallions (thinly sliced)
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the apple cabbage slaw
- 1 cup green cabbage (shredded)
- 1 medium apple (peeled, cored, and cut into matchsticks)
- 1 stalk celery (thinly sliced)
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp dill (chopped)
- 1 tsp mint (chopped)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Optional toppings
- parmesan peppercorn sauce (store bought)
Instructions
To make the burgers
- Combine all burger ingredients in a medium bowl, then gently mix. Form into 4 burgers. Set aside
To make the apple cabbage slaw
- Combine all slaw ingredients in a large bowl, then toss to thoroughly coat. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, or vinegar as desired. Refrigerate until needed.
- When ready to eat, heat a large cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat, then coat with cooking spray. When hot, add burgers and cook for about ~5 minutes on each side, or until internal temperature reaches 165 F.
- To assemble burgers, place any sauce or additional condiments you want on the bottom bun (highly recommend something creamy like a parmesan peppercorn sauce!), then add the burger. Top with about ¼+ cup of slaw, the top bun, and serve immediately.
