Up your burger game with these Greek Style Turkey Burgers! Topped with a fresh cucumber relish and whipped feta cheese, these pita pockets are bursting with flavor and are constantly being requested for dinner at my house!
These greek style turkey burger patties are so moist and flavorful– and are especially fantastic when paired with the cool cucumber and tomato relish and whipped feta cheese.
Our favorite way to make these burgers is by making “mini” patties using a meatball-sized amount of meat. Making them this small gives each one nice crusty edges and makes it easy to stuff a couple inside a pita to make the sandwich.
The turkey patties are absolutely delicious on their own, but the thing that really puts these burgers over the top is the condiments! We’ve got a cool cucumber and tomato relish and some whipped feta here that just tie the whole thing together so nicely.
And, for the record, if you have never tried whipped feta, today is the day to change that, my friend! If you like feta cheese, you are going to be blown away by how good it is whipped with a few other ingredients and slathered on pita bread.
Tips for making these Greek Style Turkey Burgers with Whipped Feta:
- The turkey burger recipe calls for “2 pita bread halves, soaked in milk”. Weird request? Not really. This is called a “panade” or a starch and liquid added to ground meat to keep it tender, moist, and flavor. It’s the same concept as adding bread crumbs and milk to your meatloaf recipe, but a panade breaks down into the meat better, creating a juicier, more tender product.
- Easy to find 80% turkey/20% fat ground turkey works best in this recipe. Ground turkey breast can be used but will create a drier hamburger patty.
- Don’t forget to toast your pita bread before assembling your burger. It adds such nice texture and helps the burger to be a little more sturdy against the juices from the burger and relish.
Want more scrumptious sandwich recipes?
- Garlic Parmesan Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
- Caesar Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches
- One Pan BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
- Banh Mi-Style Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- Saucy Slow-Cooker BBQ Beef Sandwiches
Tools used for making Greek Style Turkey Burgers
- Get it Right Silicone Spatulas: I have waaaaay too many of these spatulas floating around in my kitchen, but I just love them! They are heat-resistance and can be used for both baking and cooking, so they are my go-to kitchen tool. I love that they come in lots of vibrant colors and are easy to clean. Most of the spatulas I have are at least four years old and still look new!
- Lodge Reversible Cast Iron Griddle: This rectangular pan fits over two of my burners and has a flat griddle side and a grill side. I love that I can use it to make pancakes and griddled burgers, like these turkey burgers, or flip it to make steaks or anything else that I want grill marks on. You can take it camping, too!
Greek Style Turkey Burgers with Whipped Feta
Ingredients
For the burger patties
- 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 /4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3/4 cup sweet onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley chopped
- 1 egg
- 2 pita bread halves soaked in milk
For the relish
- 1 whole tomato diced
- 1/2 whole seedless cucumber diced
- 1 whole small bell pepper diced
- 1 /2 cup sweet onion diced
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives diced
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For the whipped feta cheese spread
- 4 ounces greek yogurt
- 6 ounces feta cheese crumbled
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 8 pita bread halves
Instructions
- Combine tomatoes, cucumber, yellow bell pepper, sweet onion, dill, parsley, kalamata olives, lemon juice and olive oil. Stir and set aside.
- Combine Greek yogurt, feta cheese, garlic, olive oil and dill in a food processor or blender. Mix until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Combine ground turkey with smoked paprika, cardamom, dill, cumin, salt, pepper, and oregano. Soak 2 pita bread halves in milk until very soft and pliable. Using your hands, wring the extra milk out of the moist dough and add to the meat. Add an egg, finely chopped onion, and flat leaf parsley; stir well but don’t overwork the meat.
- Scoop your meat into small balls using a cookie scoop and flatten into patties.
- Cook the patties in a bit of olive oil on the stove-top until they are browned on both sides and cooked through- about 4-5 minutes. Brush pitas with a bit of olive oil and heat on the stove-top until warm and slightly toasted.
- Stuff each pita with a few turkey patties, a big spoonful of veggie salsa and a dollop of whipped feta cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition and Food Safety Disclosure
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