These burgers are for all those people who think turkey/chicken burgers aren’t burgers, (that used to be me)! They’re packed with flavor, juicy, and stuffed with avocado. If that’s not enough, there’s melted cheese, topped with fresh corn salsa heady with farmer’s market cilantro, and placed on top of a grilled portabello! I’ve been seeing all sorts of avocado stuffed deliciousness, and I knew I had to try it out because… well… I have a slight addiction to all things avocado! I’m not sure who’s genius idea it was to use avocado as a stuffing, but I think the original belongs to the Civilized Caveman? Now I’m stuck on this idea of stuffed burgers – what’s next, maybe caramelized onions and cheese!?!? I haven’t even finished telling you about this burger, and I’m already off creating another one in my head! Caramelized onion cheese stuffed burger with roasted red peppers and rosemary garlic aioli… hmmm… what do you think? This may be on the docket for next week!
I quartered my cherry tomatoes for the salsa, if your tomatoes are a bit larger simply cut them into bite-sized pieces.
To mince the jalapeno, cut off the top and slice it in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and white veins, (this is what makes peppers so hot) and cut it into thin strips lengthwise. Cut the strips crosswise very thinly to make a mince, (above left hand photo). Roughly chop the cilantro until there are no longer any big pieces.
Toss all the salsa ingredients together in a bowl and mix to combine. I find it’s best to make the salsa before you start the grilling process because it’s less hectic and the salsa tastes better after it sits for 15 minutes. The best corn to use for this salsa would be organic corn fresh from your garden or from a farmer’s market. If neither option is available, look for organic frozen sweet corn at your local grocery store – let it thaw in a colander for an hour and then toss it with the rest of the salsa ingredients.
To prep the portabello mushroom caps, remove the stems and scrape the gills out with a spoon. Run each mushroom under water to clean it, (it doesn’t matter if the mushroom soaks up a bit of water while washing in this case because it looses it on the grill).
For the burgers, start by thoroughly mixing in the spices to the ground turkey. Next, portion the meat in half – using the first half, form 4 patties with a slight rim on the edge. Fill each patty evenly with the roughly mashed avocado. Divide the remaining ground meat mixture amongst the 4 burgers to seal in the avocado. I found for the top part of the patty, it was easiest to pat out the portion in my hand, lay it over the top of the avocado and then use my fingers to seal the edge.
Once you’ve turned the burgers, it’s time to add the cheese so it has time to melt during the final cooking. Depending on the thickness of your mushrooms, they may be done sooner than the burgers. If the mushrooms get done first, simply place them on your serving plates or platter – you won’t notice if they’re at room temperature once the rest of the burger comes together.
Top the burger abundantly with salsa – the more the better! 5 from 1 review
