My husband and I have a Monday-evening ritual that involves cooking up the same thing each week and tuning in to the latest episode of House. It’s not exciting. In fact, it is completely comfortable and relaxed – a way of easing back into the week. But, it is something we both look forward to.
One of the things I enjoy most about Monday evenings is that we tag-team the cooking and catch up on the day while we do.
What’s on Monday’s menu? Green chile garlic turkey burger patties and roasted vegetables – usually sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and/or cauliflower. The whole thing is quick and easy to make, especially when we make a batch of burgers in advance and freeze them.
Green Chile Garlic Burger Patties
Ingredients
- • 1½ pound lean ground turkey
- • 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
- • ⅓ cup red onion, minced
- • ½ of 4-oz can diced green chiles (use whole can if you like chiles)
- • ½ tsp Mexican oregano
- • ½ tsp cumin powder
- • ½ tsp chile powder (optional)
- • salt to taste
- Optional Ingredients: Because lean turkey has very little fat, your burger patties will shrink quite a bit in the oven. If you want to add fat, wrap the patty in a slice or two of bacon before cooking it OR add ⅓ cup almond meal to the ground turkey mixture with the other ingredients.
Instructions
- 1. Using your hands (gloves might be helpful), combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- 2. Make 6 to 8 equal-sized balls. Form each ball into a ½” patty. Cook or freeze.
- To Cook: Place frozen patties directly on a hot grill or on a roasting tray in the oven. Cook until done. To Freeze: Lay a sheet of freezer paper on a clean cookie sheet or cutting board, slick side up. Place each patty on the freezer paper. Place the whole cookie sheet in the freezer until patties are frozen through. Wrap patties and place in an airtight container or freezer bag until you need them.
Eat with Sweet Potato Fries
The burgers are great with oven-baked sweet potatoes fries. Cut a large sweet potato into fries, toss with a Tbsp of olive oil and Cajun seasoning to taste (or a bit of chile powder, oregano, thyme, and black pepper), and bake them on a baking sheet for 25 minutes at 450 degrees – until soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.