3-Ingredient Pesto Turkey Burger Recipe

This 3-ingredient pesto turkey burger takes the perfectly matched ingredients of a traditional Caprese salad and turns it into a burger. Turkey is an often-overlooked meat mince, but in this burger, it becomes the star event. Juicy, flavorful, and oozing with cheese, this turkey burger might change your mind about turkey burgers.

As a recipe developer and blogger who loves turkey, I'll be the first to admit that turkey burgers have a reputation problem. The issue isn't the meat, which actually tastes good and has more flavor than ground chicken. The problem is that ground turkey is so lean, it dries out fast, and most recipes don't add enough fat and flavor to compensate for this. The result is that people hear "turkey burger" and immediately think dry and bland — and I think this recipe will change that misconception.

This recipe solves both problems at once. We mix basil pesto directly into the meat before shaping, which adds fat, moisture, and a full hit of garlic and herb flavor throughout the patty rather than just on top. Then we insert a cube of fresh mozzarella in the middle, which melts as the burger cooks, so you get a pocket of soft, milky cheese in the center. Best of all, this recipe is easy, fast, and tastes great, and I guarantee it'll change your mind about turkey burgers.

To make these easy turkey burgers, you'll need ground turkey, basil pesto, and fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes. Your turkey can be lean or medium. Optionally, if you want to serve it like a burger, I like to pair it with buns, tomatoes, and fresh arugula, for serving, plus a bit more pesto spread on the buns.

Combine the ground turkey and pesto in a bowl. Mix gently until just combined.

Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions. Flatten each portion into a thin round.

Place a mozzarella cube in the center of each, and fold the meat around it, sealing the edges completely so the cheese won't leak out.

Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and add a burger.

Cook the patties for 5 to 6 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 F.

Serve immediately, dressed up with a bun or toppings as per your liking.

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The pesto and mozzarella already do a lot of the flavor work here, so the best toppings are ones that complement rather than compete with it. In my basic serving of this 3-ingredient turkey burger, I like to pair it with a little extra pesto on a brioche bun, along with arugula and tomatoes. Arugula has a nice fresh peppery bitterness that works with the richness of the cheesy filling, while a fresh tomato adds acidity, juiciness, and completes the Caprese profile. If you really want to add more flourish, a drizzle of balsamic glaze over the top adds a touch of sweetness that works with the pesto's natural bitterness.

If you're going to play with toppings, sundried tomatoes also help intensify the flavors here. They work when mixed in a pesto and spread on the bun, or chopped finely with kalamata olives as a tapenade and placed on top of the burger. Roasted red pepper slices work similarly due to their sweet, smoky flavor. According to Martha Stewart, the toppings matter in a turkey burger even more than they do in a traditional one, so don't skimp on the flavors.

If you want to avoid a bun, I often have this burger on a lettuce leaf or inside a spinach wrap. It's light and lets the burgers' flavors speak for themselves, without masking them with too much dough. Generally, I recommend avoiding very dense breads like focaccia with this burger, but a ciabatta could work well here.

Because this is such a simple recipe, you have a lot of options for additions if you want to go further with the flavors in these turkey burgers. One of the main things I like to do with turkey burgers is to make them out of an equal mix of chicken and turkey. I find that it adds a bit more fat back into the meat, and also mellows out the flavors slightly. They cook in the same time and using the same method, so it's an easy swap.

If you want to try a different pesto, using sun-dried tomato pesto in the mix works very well and adds a concentrated, sweet-savory flavor. You can also make your own homemade mixed herb or arugula pesto, both of which add a peppery, slightly bitter note to the burger. It can also be storebought if you find it! I always think that turkey and pesto are a match made in culinary heaven, so there's really no wrong way to go about it here.

For the filling, you can stuff the burgers with another cheese in place of mozzarella. Goat cheese gives it a tangier, creamier center. Provolone will melt even more nicely than mozzarella, or you can go with smoked mozzarella to add a subtle smoky flavor.

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