Not long ago, I made a seasoned turkey burger for the first time, and I really liked it! A little later, I came across several different Greek-style turkey burger recipes. Since I love most Greek food, I definitely wanted to try this idea out! I created my own recipe, inspired by the other recipes I had found. These turkey burgers are yummy and healthy. Chopped black olives, feta cheese, and some herbs and spices are mixed in with the ground turkey, adding to the juiciness and savory flavor of these burgers. They taste great topped with Tzatziki (which I made about a week ago as a veggie dip), red onion slices, and tomato slices. You can also top the burger with mayo instead of Tzatziki.

They’re easy to make, and you can make the Tzatziki ahead of time, even the day before, to save time. I also served the burgers with a simple Tomato-Feta Salad, and that recipe is included below.

GREEK-STYLE TURKEY BURGERS by NancyCreative

Makes 4-6 burgers

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped black olives
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• dash of black pepper
• Tzatziki (or mayo), tomato slices, red onion slices, and lettuce, if desired, for toppings

If you want to top the burgers with Tzatziki, make it before preparing the burgers so the flavors in the Tzatziki can blend together…get the recipe here. Or use mayonnaise as a topping instead of Tzatziki.

Combine all ingredients above in a large bowl. Blend them together well (using your hands is easiest) and form into four patties, a little more than 1 inch thick. These make four big patties, so if you want smaller ones, divide the mixture into 5 or 6 patties.

Grill burgers in a non-stick or oiled pan or rack (the cheese will make the burgers stick to your cooking surface, so be sure to oil your surface). Grill until burgers are desired doneness–depending on the size of your burgers, grilling time will be about 8-12 minutes.

Serve on whole wheat rolls or buns and top with Tzatziki (or mayo), tomato slices, and red onion slices. Add some lettuce too, if you want. Or serve the burgers in a pita pocket with Tzatziki, tomatoes, onions, and lettuce. One recipe suggested using Tahini instead of Tzatziki, and I think that would be a good topping on these burgers, too.

TOMATO-FETA SALAD WITH OLIVES by NancyCreative (pictured in large photo at the beginning of this post)

Makes 1 serving; multiply recipe by number of servings needed

• 1 medium to large-sized tomato, sliced
• 1 Tablespoon chopped black olives
• 1-2 Tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
• dash of Balsamic vinegar

Arrange tomato slices on plate and sprinkle with olives and crumbled feta cheese. Add a dash or two of Balsamic vinegar. That’s it! It’s a super-easy, delicious tomato salad! If you don’t like Balsamic vinegar, you can drizzle some lemon juice or olive oil (or both) over the tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese.

Enjoy these turkey burgers! Do you like Greek food, too? What’s your favorite Greek dish?