A Squash is a Squash is a Burger {Turkey & Zucchini Burgers with Green Onion and Cumin}

It's getting to be burger time.  I find it hard to resist a good, cheesy burger right off the grill.

But burgers don't really jive with the lower-carb, lower-cal meals we've been trying to focus on.

These Turkey and Zucchini Burgers with Green Onion and Cumin from Yotam Ottolenghi's Jerusalem (served with Sour Cream and Sumac Sauce) seemed like a smarter choice.

While I'll use ground turkey in place of beef in casseroles and chili, I'm not usually wild about turkey burgers since I find them dry.  Not the case here.  The grated zucchini helped keep the turkey moist.  Green onion, cumin, and mint gave great flavor to these burgers.

My sauce ended up lacking the sumac because I never could find it.  Instead, I decided to mimic  the cumin in the burgers by adding some to the sauce.  The cool, creamy, lemony, sauce was really nice.

These burgers were a smarter choice.  Genius, actually.

Thumbs up all around

The drawback to the zucchini adding moisture was that the turkey mixture was a bit wet to work with.  I ended up adding some breadcrumbs to the mixture to hold it together.

While these burgers would be great in pita with lettuce, tomato, and the tangy sauce, I served them as is with the sauce on top.

This post is part of "A Squash is a Squash, of Course of Course" week @ I Heart Cooking Clubs.
Visit my IHCC pals for more Ottolenghi squash recipes.


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Turkey and Zucchini Burgers with Green Onion and Cumin
Sour Cream and Cumin Sauce
slightly adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's Jerusalem

*Make the sauce first so the flavors can meld.

1/2 cup light sour cream
2/3 c plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp lemon zest plus more for garnish
juice of 1/2 large lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp ground cumin
salt & pepper to taste

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.  Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with lemon zest, and chill until ready to serve.

1 lb lean ground turkey
about 2 cups grated zucchini (roughly 1 large)
3 green onions, chopped
2 Tbsp mint, chopped
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs *see note
olive oil for cooking

Preheat oven to 425.

Mix all of the ingredients, except for the breadcrumbs and olive oil, in a large bowl.  Add in the breadcrumbs 1/4 cup at a time until the turkey mixture just holds together.  Wet your hands and shape the mixture into 18 patties.

Meanwhile, add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a large skillet, placed over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, place the patties in the skillet, but do not crowd.  Cook on one side until golden, about 2-3 minutes.  Carefully turn and cook on the second side for another 2-3 minutes.  Transfer to a baking sheet.  Repeat with more patties if needed.  Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook for about 7 minutes, or until burgers are cooked through.  Serve with the chilled sauce.  Serves 4.

*Note: you may not need all (or any) of the breadcrumbs.  It will depend on how much water is in your zucchini.