Pumpkin and Spice

Personally, I'm a big fan of the turkey burger. Kyle and I don't eat much beef (we do eat it, on occasion, but we tend to eat a lot more seafood and poultry), plus turkey burgers tend to be much lower in fat and calories than their beef counterparts. The problem that turkey burgers sometimes run into is that they can be a little dry, and occasionally bland.

Well, I don't mean to brag, but I make a pretty wicked turkey burger- juicy, flavorful, and packed with yummy bits. Spinach, caramelized onions, herbs, parmesan cheese... these babies have it all! Oh, and they're totally kid-approved! We had a friend and her daughters over for dinner, and the 5 year-old ate a burger and a half!

Not only are these burgers delicious, moist, healthy, and bound to be a hit with adults and wee ones alike, they're easy to make. Sweet onion is sliced and sauteed until golden and caramelized, then fresh spinach is wilted. The veggies are mixed with ground turkey, parmesan cheese and herbs. I use herbs de provance, a traditional French herb blend containing rosemary, thyme, savory, basil, and other herbs. It's usually pretty easy to find, but if you don't want to buy some, you can use a homemade blend of the above herbs, or substitute italian seasoning.

These burgers are so tasty and moist, they barely need condiments (which is saying something coming from me, because I love condiments!)- just top them with some extra caramelized onions, and dive in! Another option is to form them into meatballs instead of patties and use them to make great meatball subs or spaghetti! So versitile.

Savory Spinach Turkey Burgers
Makes 6 large burgers

• 2 sweet onions, thinly sliced
• 9oz (1 bag) spinach leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 1/4lb ground lean turkey
• 1/2c grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4-1/2t garlic powder
• 1t herbs de provance
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper, to taste

In a sautee pan, heat a small amount of oil. Cook onions (without salt- it'll prevent caramelization) until soft and golden. Set aside to cool. In the same pan, cook spinach until wilted and soft, set aside to cool. In a large bowl, mix turkey, cheese, herbs, egg, salt and pepper. Add all the spinach, and about a 1/4 of the caramelized onions. Form into patties and cook in a sautee pan or on the grill. (Be sure to cook the burgers all the way through.)
Serve on buns with the remaining onions.