Teriyaki Pineapple Turkey Burgers

My sister made these delicious burgers for our family this past summer. Her and her fiance are very health conscious and are always looking for new recipes that are both healthy and flavorful. I'll admit that I was skeptical because I had never had what I would describe as a "good" turkey burger - it is usually just used as substitute for beef.  This recipe, however, actually highlights the flavor of the turkey (instead of trying to just pretend it's something else). It is so simple and SO tasty that it quickly made it's way into our regular meal rotation.


















 
Teriyaki Pineapple Turkey Burgers
1 can (20 oz.) Pineapple Slices
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
2 lbs. ground turkey or chicken
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
8 hamburger buns (I like potato buns)


Drain pineapple; reserving 1/2 cup juice.Stir together soy sauce and reserved pineapple juice in
small bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the turkey, ginger, bread crumbs and 1/4 cup teriyaki mixture. Shape into 8 burgers and grill, brushing with remaining teriyaki mixture, until thoroughly cooked. Place pineapple slices on grill and cook until light golden brown. Serve burgers topped with grilled pineapple slices and enjoy!

Notes/Substitutions: The recipe makes 8, but I usually cut it in half - then we have enough for dinner and lunch the next day! If you plan to keep these as leftovers, just store the burgers/pineapple separate from the buns.Fresh ginger really is key to this scrumptious dinner! It kicks this burger up to "super-delicious" status. I like to drizzle a little Soy Vay "Veri, Veri Teriyaki" sauce on top of these burgers - it's a nice little extra flavor and it can even help save burgers that get dried out from over-cooking.

A general burger tip - when forming patties, get them into the desired size and then make an indent in the center (top and bottom, so it looks like a little dimple almost) This keeps burgers relatively flat when they cook -i.e. they retain the "patty" shape instead of turning into little footballs. This means that they cook more evenly and fit better on the bun!