Super Juicy Turkey Burgers with Italian Sausage
A juicy, moist turkey burger is possible with a couple of secret ingredients and a flavor boost from Italian sausage. These oh-so-good turkey burgers are easy to throw on the grill or cook in the air fryer...so many options!
Servings 4 burgers
Equipment
- gas grill
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs ground turkey
- ½ lb ground Italian sweet or mild sausage or two links, casings removed
- 1 apple peeled, cored and grated
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 6 slices sharp white cheddar I use Dubliner Irish Cheddar or Cabot Extra Sharp White Cheddar
- 6 brioche burger buns or pretzel or your favorite bun - and of course, buns are optional!
Sweet Caramelized Onion
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion halved, quartered and sliced thin
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp ground sage
- ½ tsp dried thyme
Topping Ideas
- spinach
- mustard
- barbecue sauce
- grilled onions
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Shape into 1/3-1/2 lb patties and set aside. Can be frozen at this point. See below.
- On a medium high grill (400°), cook for approximately 6-8minutes per side or until internal temperature registers 165°. Flip the burgers once during grilling.
For Caramelized Onions
- Heat butter in medium skillet on medium heat.
- Add the onions and seasonings and cook slowly until caramelized about 20 minutes. See note below.
Stovetop to Oven Version
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Heat a cast-iron or oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 T of oil to pan and heat until shimmering.
- Add turkey burgers one at a time and sear for 3 minutes. Cover with a splatter screen to avoid a big mess.
- Flip burgers and move the pan to preheated oven to finish cooking for up to 7-10 minutes more (depending on your burger's thickness) until burgers reach 165°F.
Grill Instructions
- Preheat gas or charcoal grill to medium high. Grill for 6-7 minutes per side until burgers reach 165°F.
- Top with cheese for last minute or so of cooking time.
Air Fryer
- Preheat air fryer according to manufacturer's instructions.
- Set air fryer to 370° and place burgers in air fryer and cook for 13 minutes or until internal temperature of 165°F is reached.
Notes
Freezing Instructions:
- Mix burgers and shape into patties.
- Cut out one 5" square piece of parchment paper per burger.
- Spray parchment paper with cooking spray before placing each patty on each piece of parchment.
- Stack burgers in three's or four's (depending on the thickness of your burgers) and place as many stacks as your can fit into freezer bags.
- Freeze for up to 3 months
- Cooking the onions low and slow is an excercise in patience. These can be made a day ahead or the morning of and heated quickly in the microwave for about 15 seconds to loosen them up.
- 20 minutes is definitely on the shorter side for these onions. Cooking them longer will deepen the color and the flavor. The pictures above were shoot with 20 minutes cooking time because I know how life rolls 😀.
