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Cheddar and Cholula Turkey Burgers With Grilled Summer Squash

Servings 2 double burgers, or 4 single burgers

Ingredients

For the burgers: 

  • 1 egg
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 4 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
  • 4 scallions (also called green onions) white and light green parts only, thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
  • 2 tbsp Cholula or other Mexican hot sauce
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder

For the squash: 

  • 4 or 5 summer squash (I used two yellow squash and two zucchini)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3/4 tsp salt, plus more for sprinkling
  • 1/4 tspp garlic powder

For the Cholula sauce:

  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 2 tbsp cholula 
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • Pinch of salt

To assemble:

  • 2 to 4 burger buns (preferably potato buns) 
  • Cooking spray 
  • 4 to 8 leaves of butter lettuce 
  • 1 avocado, sliced

Instructions

  • Preheat outdoor grill to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
  • Place egg in a large bowl and whisk lightly. Add turkey, cheese, scallions, Cholula, salt, and garlic powder and use clean hands to combine. Divide into four 1/2-inch thick patties – for reference, the patties should be slightly wider than the buns. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate while you prepare the squash, at least 10 minutes.
  • Cut each squash in half lengthwise, then cut each half into four spears. Place in a large bowl with oil and salt and toss to combine. 
  • To make the Cholula sauce, stir the mayonnaise, ketchup, Cholula, garlic powder, and salt together in a small bowl. 
  • Get ready to head out to the grill! Grab the baking sheet with the turkey patties on it out of the fridge and place the bowl of squash on it. Open the burger buns and spray them on all sides with cooking spray. Add them to the sheet tray. You’ll need a set of tongs and a spatula for grilling, so throw those on your sheet tray, too, along with some cooking spray.
  • First, add the burgers to the grill. Spray the tops of the turkey patties with cooking spray and use the spatula to place them, sprayed-side down, on the grill. Throw away the parchment paper that they were on top of (now you have a safe, clean surface to put the cooked burgers back onto!). 
  • Next, add the squash. It doesn’t need quite as much time as the burgers, so it’s OK for it to go on second. Close the lid and cook everything for 4 minutes. 
  • Spray the tops of the turkey burgers with cooking spray, flip them using the spatula, then flip the squash and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Yes, cheese and turkey fat will drip and make your grill a mess—don’t worry, it’ll burn off the next time you preheat your grill. The squash will get nice and charred, but if they seem to be getting too burnt, go ahead and take them off the grill. 
  • Pull the burgers off the grill first (after cooking for exactly 8 minutes!), then the squash. Sprinkle the squash with more salt. 
  • With the lid open, grill the buns for about 30 seconds per side, or until they’re a nice light golden brown. Don’t grill them for too long or they’ll be hard to eat!
  • To build a burger, spread a bit of Cholula sauce on the bottom half of the bun, add a couple of lettuce leaves, a burger patty, more sauce, a second patty, avocado slices, and more sauce on the top bun. 
  • Serve the burger with squash.

Notes

This recipe easily doubles for a crowd. Try using 1 pound of ground turkey and 1 pound of ground pork.
Make a simple side salad with the any leftover butter lettuce by tossing it with equal parts extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice.  
Like your burgers extra cheesy? Add more cheddar on top during the last two minutes of cooking.
Make a summery “burger salad” by tearing up a bowl full of butter lettuce and placing a burger on top, along with avocado, some red onion slices, and sliced peaches.
 
 
Author: Caroline Chambers