Stuffed Southwest Turkey Burgers with Pepper Jack & Guacamole

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If you’re the kind of person who thinks turkey burgers are impossibly boring, I’m happy to inform you that your turkey burger world is about to be flipped upside down.

Stuffed Southwest turkey burgers are the ultimate turkey burgers. Seriously.

I mean, how could we ever go wrong with these beauts? Thick & juicy turkey burgers (char-grilled to perfection, obvi), filled with the zesty & spicy Southwest-inspired flavor of ground cumin & green chiles, & topped with a big fat schmear of guac & salsa & whatever else your burger-loving heart desires. 

…& as though that’s not enough to convince you, we’re STUFFING THE WHOLE SHEBANG WITH CHEESE.

You may recall my slightly controversial stance on Juicy Lucy-style burgers, but after having the opportunity to taste Juicy Lucys from top chefs in the Twin Cities by the likes of Justin Sutherland (Handsome Hog), Carrie McCabe-Johnston (Nightingale), & Karyn Tomlinson (Corner Table), I couldn’t help but feel inspired to create another epic stuffed burger recipe. 

I chose to use Tillamook’s pepper jack cheese since it melts beeeautifully (crucial!). Every bite is filled with good peppery flavor & a pop of heat – but not so much so that it’s too spicy (…even if you are a “Minnesota-spicy” type of person!).

Rather than using a big piece of cheese – Juicy Lucy-style – I make these stuffed turkey burgers by dicing the cheese into small pieces, which then get mixed throughout the turkey burger patties. The small pieces of cheese melt as the burgers grill, creating pools of melted cheesy goodness throughout the burger.

Hey, if there’s anything better than a pool of melted cheese, it’s tons of pools of melty cheese!

(…& I mean, are we turkey burger people yet, or what?!)

How to make turkey burgers with pepper jack and guacamole:

One of my favorite things about these pepper jack turkey burgers is that they take just 10 minutes to prep! (Told ya they are totally weeknight dinner material, didn’t I!?!) You can whip them up any night of the week, or even meal prep the turkey burger patties in advance. Either way, they come together in 3 really simple steps:

• Form the stuffed burgers patties. Mix together the ground turkey with diced pepper jack cheese, green chiles, ground cumin, and a little bit of garlic powder. I like to get my hands in there & really feel the mixture come together since it’s important to be careful to not overmix (…more on that in a sec!)
• Grill. With the patties formed, it’s time to grill your green chile turkey burgers. I have some grilled turkey burger tips & tricks below, but you’ll want to preheat your grill to medium heat (about 550 degrees F). If you don’t have a grill, you can always use a grill pan or cast-iron skillet on your stove. Grilling the burgers will take about 10 minutes, start to finish! 
• Make the smashed avocado. These are guacamole turkey burgers after all! Simply mash avocado with lemon and lime juice, & salt. You can add in other spices & herbs (ground cumin, crushed red pepper, fresh cilantro, etc.), but I like to keep this smashed avo really simple. You can do this right as the burgers grill up – multi-tasking queen! ?
• & lastly…serve! Your gourmet turkey burgers are ready for a toasted bun, avocado mash, salsa, lettuce, and any other toppings or condiments your fancy AF heart desires. YUM!!!

(…seriously, can you believe that took less than 25 minutes, start to finish??)

I hope you give this Stuffed Southwest Turkey Burger recipe a try very soon – I know you’ll love them!

If you make this recipe, be sure to snap a photo & tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. One of my favorite things is seeing your pwwb creations!

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Stuffed Southwest Turkey Burgers with Pepper Jack & Guacamole

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Jess Larson
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: serves 4
• Category: mains, burgers, sandwiches
• Method: grill
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Stuffed Southwest Turkey Burgers are mega juicy, mega cheesy, & mega flavorful, with bursts of spicy chiles & creamy guacamole in every single bite.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

for the Stuffed Southwest Turkey Burgers:

• 1 pound 90% lean ground turkey or chicken (see Recipe Notes)
• 6 ounces pepper jack cheese, diced into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles (mild or hot as preferred)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• optional: 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• vegetable oil, for brushing the grill
• for serving, as desired: toasted burger buns, avocado mash (below), salsa, lettuce, etc.

for the avocado mash: 

• 2 medium avocados, halved & pitted
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• optional: 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• optional: 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• optional: 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

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Instructions

1. Preheat the grill or a grill pan to medium heat, about 500 degrees F. 
2. Form the stuffed Southwest turkey burger patties: Add the ground turkey to a large bowl with the diced pepper jack cheese, diced green chiles, cumin, & garlic powder. Season with salt & ground black pepper, adding cayenne pepper as desired. Using your hands, combine the mixture until the pepper jack & chiles are evenly dispersed. Be careful not to overmix. Using a burger press or mold, form into 4 equally sized burger patties (see Recipe Notes).
3. Grill the stuffed burgers: Just before throwing the burgers on the grill, use grill tongs to swipe a piece of paper towel that’s been drizzled with vegetable oil over the grates to prevent sticking. Grill the burgers over direct heat for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until a thermometer inserted into the center of the burger registers 165 degrees F. The burgers should have beautiful grill marks & tons of melty cheese oozing out!
4. Prep the avocado mash: Meanwhile, as the burgers grill, prep the avocado mash. Add the avocado to a medium bowl with the lemon juice, lime juice, and salt, seasoning with cilantro, garlic powder &/or cayenne pepper as desired. Mash to your desired consistency. Set aside. 
5. Serve as desired, on toasted buns with the avocado mash, salsa, lettuce, & condiments. Enjoy! 

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Notes

• Choosing the right meat for your turkey burgers: Now’s not the time to use ground turkey breast or chicken breast meat, which is so lean that it will absolutely dry out by the time its cooked through on the grill. I always look for 93% lean ground turkey or chicken, or if the butcher counter sells ground “breast” vs “thighs, I opt for thighs. 
• Burger press or ring mold: As someone who isn’t into keeping tons of kitchen gadgets on hand, use of a burger press or mold is key for taking your homemade burger game to the next level. The press/mold will help you be able to pack each patty very compactly, making for a much more enjoyable texture in your burgers. 
• Meal prep tip! These burgers are super meal prep friendly & take just 10 minutes to prep. To meal prep: form the burger patties according to Step 2 of Recipe Directions. Store, layered with parchment, in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. At dinnertime, all you have to do is toss them on the grill & prep your avocado mash – easy! 

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