Grill Season Special: Pesto Burgers

Serving size: 1 burger

What You Need

For the Burgers:

• 3 pounds ground turkey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Your cheese of choice, my favorites for burgers are Havarti or Muenster as they melt evenly don’t overpower the dish
• Eight 3-inch-square pieces of tomato cut 1/4in thick
• Your bread of choice, or 8 hamburger buns

For the Pesto Mayonnaise:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (or sour cream or Greek yogurt if you like a thicker consistency)
• 1/4 cup fresh pesto

For the Pesto:

• 2 packed cups fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

What You Will Do

For the Burgers:

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. In a large bowl, knead the salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and chili powder into the turkey burger. Form eight 4-inch-diameter patties, each about 3/4-inch thick. Grill for 5 minutes. Flip the burgers and grill for about 5 more minutes until the burgers are cooked through. Muenster and Havarti melt quickly, so put the cheese on only about a minute before pulling burgers off the grill. Allow the burgers to rest for 5 minutes.

For the Pesto:

Please see previous week’s post.

For the Pesto Mayonnaise:

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise (or again you can substitute sour cream or Greek yogurt) and pesto until smooth.

To assemble the Burgers:

Drizzle the cut side of the bread with olive oil and grill until lightly toasted (I do this for the adult burgers- however not for the children’s), 1 to 2 minutes. Plate the buns then place the burgers on top of the bread and add tomato slices. Add 1 dollop of pesto or pesto mayonnaise on top. Add the top halves of the bread and serve.