Gyro Burgers

You should see the home screen on my computer right now, it’s littered with screenshots of recipe ideas and inspiration for upcoming posts. You should also take a look at the notes section on my phone. There’s a long list of recipe ideas that are both reasonable and maybe a little too crazy, but you know me well enough by now to know that I sometimes can’t do simple. Whenever I think of something to make for the blog, I write it down in the notes on my phone. Sometimes it’s while I’m at the grocery store, or while I’m driving, or working out, or even lying in bed about to go to sleep. It’s always when I least expect it and so I immediately jot it down because if I don’t, believe you me, I’ll forget it. I can’t even tell you how many times that has happened to me over the years. Half the time, I spend it thinking to myself, “What was that recipe idea you had the other day?” At times, if I really think about it, I’ll remember. Other times, not so much. So now I’ve made a conscious effort to stop that as best I can. The same thing occurs when I’m looking online either on Pinterest or scrolling through Instagram and I’ll come across an image or a recipe inspiration that strikes me, so I take a screenshot of it and look back to it later on when I’m stuck and don’t know what to make next for this site.

All of this only to say that these Gyro Burgers were one of those ideas that I came across online a while ago. I found the image for this on Tumblr with no title or recipe itself. I had nothing to go on other than the picture itself, but the idea was so interesting to me that I was determined to create something out of it. So here we are now, these Gyro Burgers staring us right in the face. All this also to say that the constant brainstorming and struggle for the next recipe is all worth it, if it means that it makes your life a little bit easier. Nothing is worse than having to figure out what to make for dinner, especially after a long day at work. So don’t think about it anymore and just make these burgers ASAP. Don’t worry I have your back, and whenever you’re in need of some recipe inspiration, you won’t have to look all over the internet or wrack your brain over it because this site is here for you.

Let’s start by mixing together the ground turkey for the burger patties. I’m flavoring these with as much as I can to get that traditional gyro taste and flavor.

**Note: If you’re a lamb lover, feel free to use ground lamb for a more authentic flavor! Of course, you can also make these burgers with ground beef as well!**

Mix them until just incorporated and then shape them into about 8 even patties. You want them to stay similar in size so that they cook at the same time. Also, shape them more oblong so that they fit inside of the pita pocket later on when we go to assemble the burgers.

Drizzle the patties with olive oil and then grill for about 10 to 12 minutes on a hot grill, flipping over halfway through cooking. Just to be sure they’re fully cooked, because this is poultry after all, I recommend checking the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer. It should register 165 degrees F.

**Note: You can cook these burgers on the outdoor grill, or indoors with a stove-top grill pan. I have on and I use it all the time!**

Transfer the grilled patties onto a plate or platter and let rest for about 10 minutes before assembling. This will allow the juices of the turkey burger to stay in the patties. Meanwhile, let’s make a tzatziki sauce to go in these burgers. Every sauce needs a burger.

**Tip: This is a really easy sauce to put together, which I use on almost everything, but if you don’t have the time to make it from scratch, store-bought is totally cool! Hummus would also be a great spread in these burgers as well.** 

In a medium bowl, combine Greek yogurt together with lime juice, garlic, cucumber, parsley dill, salt and pepper. You can make the tzatziki a day or two in advance and keep it in the fridge until ready to use. The longer it sits, the better it’ll taste so keep that in mind.

Once you’re ready to assemble the burgers, warm the pita and cut in half. Carefully split each half open and fill with lettuce, tomato, grilled turkey patty, red onion, sauce and crumbled feta.

 
Now look at this and go ahead and tell me that this isn’t the best looking burgers you’ve ever seen?! If you’ve been wanting to switch up those boring ol’ cheeseburgers, now is the time. These are it. They’re calling your name. Can you hear them? I definitely can.

If you want to keep these vegetarian, let’s talk about that because these would be great with veggie burgers. Now I don’t really know how to make veggie patties, but I’m sure store-bought would be great. Or these would also be great with these Falafel Waffles!

Serve these gyro burgers with pita chips and hummus on the side for the perfect dinner combo, or give this great Mediterranean Couscous Salad a try. It’s light and refreshing and amazing with these burgers. I like to keep with the theme whenever I cook something specific like this for dinner.

 
These burgers would also be great with regular burger buns instead of pita. Just assemble all of the ingredients in a burger bun, like you normally would. It would still be great!

Don’t let summer sneak up on you without having this recipe ready to go up your sleeve at a moment’s notice. Go ahead and start practicing now so that once summer starts, you’ll be the burger star I know you are. Serve these at your next dinner party or outdoor BBQ, and I guarantee you that people will go nuts. NUTS. Or just be really be really excited, which is just as good.

Gyro Burgers

Switch up your hamburger routine with these Gyro Burgers! They're packed with so much flavor and easy to make, making them perfect for a weeknight dinner!

Servings 8 burgers

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Ingredients

Burgers

• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup minced red onion
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 pita breads
• 8 green leaf lettuce leaves
• 2 vine- ripe tomatoes sliced
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onions for topping

Tzatziki Sauce

• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 small Persian cucumbers thinly sliced
• 1 medium lime juiced
• 2 garlic cloves grated
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, egg, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, basil, thyme, red pepper flakes, parsley, mint, and oregano until evenly mixed. Divide into 8 even portions and shape into oblong patties, placing them on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil.
• Heat an outdoor grill or stove-top grill pan to medium-high. Once hot, grill the patties for about 10 to 12 minutes, flipping them over halfway through cooking. The patties should have an internal temperature of 165 degrees (check with an instant read thermometer). Remove from the grill onto a plate or platter and let rest for about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, to make the tzatziki sauce, stir the yogurt, cucumbers, lime juice, garlic, parsley, dill, salt and pepper until evenly combined. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly, adding more salt and pepper as needed. This can be made a day or two in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to use.
• To assemble the burgers, warm the pita bread in a hot oven or on a dry skillet. Cut in half and carefully split open. Fill each half with lettuce, tomato, grilled turkey patty, sliced red onion, feta, and sauce. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Author: The Candid Appetite