Spinach Artichoke Turkey Burgers

Hip hip hurray for longer days!

Earlier sunrise!!!  Yes, I'm a crazy early bird so the sun coming up at 5:20 when heading out makes me happy!

Later sunsets!!! So that we can sit on the deck and catch up in the glory of the outdoors before heading in for the night.  Oh, and see our neighbors again...that will be nice too!

All of this long awaited warmer weather has me so excited for burgers...because nothing says summer like burgers do!

Today I have one of my favorites for you...Spinach Artichoke Turkey Burgers.  Soooo yummy!  I'm an especially huge fan of artichokes.  Love, love, love their texture.  Love their salty, tangy flavor and everything to they bring to any dish.

Of course, one of my signature things is to incorporate at least one veggie into every dish.  This time it is spinach...they just go together!  Like salt and pepper, peanut butter and jelly...spinach and artichoke are a culinary pair.

Finally, these burgers wouldn't be complete without some creamy, cheesiness of their own, in the form of shredded Monterey Jack.

As far as the process, let's start with the spinach.  I am not a fan of frozen spinach...I don't like how stringy it is, nor do I like how much water is in the package that somehow has to be removed before using it for cooking.  Most importantly, I hate how my hands freeze when attempting to squeeze the excess moisture out of it.

I'd much, much rather sauté my own fresh spinach down to a perfect wilt.  So, tossed about 3 cups, or 2 handfuls of fresh spinach into a pan over medium heat with 1 cup of quartered artichokes, for a little moisture.  Also, a tablespoon of Italian seasoning was added to the pan to bring the flavors to life a bit faster.

And, since the spinach wilts to quickly, I think you'll find yourself ahead by sautéing instead of trying to wring out every last drop of moisture from the frozen stuff.  

The spinach artichoke mixture was combined with 1.25 lbs ground turkey.  

1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack was added and all of the amazing ingredients were mixed together well.

The final mixture was divided into patties and tossed into a preheated grill pan.

Equal sized patties would be ideal, but that is also so…boring and conventional.  

These would have been marvelous on a real, outdoor grill, but the winds we've had this spring have been crazy and I'm not sure the grill would have won the battle against the near gale force winds.  

Over medium heat, they were grilled for about 6 minutes on each side, and then longer, as necessary, as the thermometer indicated.  Seems like my home made patties are never as thin as the store bought ones (hence, mine are juicier and more delicious!), so sometimes they may take a few extra minutes.

The tasty turkey burgers were served on whole wheat sandwich flats with tater tots as a side as well as fresh fruit.  And, what can I say…I'm a closet ketchup lover.  

These home made with love burgers have summer lovin' written alllll over them!

RECIPE

Ingredients:
3 cups or 2 handfuls of fresh spinach
1 cup of quartered artichokes
1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
1.25 lbs ground turkey
1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack

Directions:
Sautee the fresh spinach in a pan with the artichokes, over medium heat, add 1 tbsp of Italian seasoning for good measure.  

Add the spinach and artichokes to the ground turkey, once mixed add the cheese. 

Divide into patties and grill to well done.