Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce

Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce

These Greek turkey burgers are a nice way to switch up your regular burger routine. Olives and feta are mixed in with the turkey meat which is held between two thick slices of multi-grain bread, fried in a skillet. Zesty Tzatziki sauce makes the perfect spread for this burger, but can also be used as a great condiment for grilled meats or fish too.

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This recipe was sponsored by Nature’s Own® Bread which is a line of bakery style, thick-cut slices of bread.

Ingredients for Greek turkey burgers - ground turkey, bread, tomato, yogurt, cucumber, lemon, red onion and olives.

Years ago, when I lived in San Francisco, I used to visit a burger joint called Hamburger Mary’s. They served their burgers on slices of bread instead of buns, which honestly made them easier to bite into and eat. The reason it worked is because they used nice thick slices of bread. So, for this burger recipe I decided to do the same thing, but fry the bread in a skillet to give it even more flavor and some great crunch. Make sure you get nice thick-sliced bread so that it holds together nicely.

Large pieces of bread frying in a sauté pan.

The beauty of making your own burgers is not only that you can make them any size you like, but you can also make them any shape you like. If you’re serving your burger on bread that is more rectangular than round, why not shape your burger into a rectangle so that it fits properly? 

Greek turkey burgers ready to assemble - tomatoes, tzatziki sauce, burger patties, fried bread.

I’m a big fan of adding interesting flavors to burgers, so the olives, oregano and feta cheese are welcome additions to these turkey burgers, giving them the perfect Greek flavor. Slather a little Tzatziki sauce on top and you might as well be enjoying this on the Mediterranean coast! 😉

This recipe was written as part of a partnership with Nature’s Own® Bread.

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Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce

Nutrition Info Print Recipe
  • Prep Time: 15 m
  • Cook Time: 15 m
  • Total Time: 30 m
  • Servings:
    4

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • ¼ cup finely diced red onion
  • ¼ cup chopped Kalamata olives
  • ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 slices Nature’s Own® Perfectly Crafted Multigrain bread
  • olive oil
  • sliced tomatoes
Tzatziki Sauce:
  • ½ cup grated cucumber seeds removed
  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Combine the ground turkey, red onion, Kalamata olives, feta cheese, lemon zest, oregano, salt and freshly ground black pepper in a large bowl. Divide the mixture into 4 portions and shape it into rectangular patties, roughly the same size and shape as the bread slices. Let the shaped patties rest in the refrigerator.

  2. To make the tzatziki sauce, place the grated cucumber on a clean kitchen towel and twist to squeeze the out the excess liquid. Combine the cucumber, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, chopped dill and parsley in a bowl and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Chill the tzatziki sauce until you are ready to serve.
  3. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan and then cook the turkey burgers for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F on an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the burger. Transfer the cooked burgers to a plate and let them rest covered with foil.
  4. Add another drizzle of olive oil to the pan and toast both sides of each slice of bread until lightly browned. Add more olive oil to the pan as needed.
  5. Build the burgers by spreading some tzatziki sauce on each slice of bread, topping with a turkey burger and sliced tomatoes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and some chopped fresh oregano.
Enjoy,
If you made this recipe, please add your comments and ratings below.

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Comments (6)Post a Reply

  1. 5 stars
    Meredith, this recipe was fantastic! The flavor of the turkey is outstanding.

    I didn’t have any cucumber for the tzatziki sauce so I used finely minced celery. Worked like a charm.

    Thank you for another great recipe.

    Reply

  2. 4 stars
    Quite delicious! Made just a couple of alterations, adding minced garlic to both the tzatziki and the patties, along with a couple dashes of dried chili flakes to the patties. Definitely on rotation from now on – and can’t wait to make this with ground lamb. Thanks, Meredith!

    Reply

  3. I read the recipe for the patties a few times. How much lemon juice goes in them please?? The recipe only calls for zest in the patties with the lemon juice in the sauce mixture. Looking forward to trying them soon. Thank you for all your good works.

    Reply

    1. Hi Marie. That was a little typo – thanks for letting me know. The zest goes into the patty and the juice goes into the sauce.

      Reply

  4. 4 stars
    So good! The olives and feta were amazing in burgers. I was not big on the bread, but I think next time I would use a single slice of thick toasted garlic bread or maybe shepherds bread with tapenade on table. We enjoyed this overall!

    Reply

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