Hit your protein goal with these low-fat, high-protein turkey burgers, inspired by koftas

Few things annoy me more than a dry burger patty, and turkey burgers are terrible for it. I used to make plain turkey patties with no seasoning (I hear you gasping—I’m sorry) to top salads and they were drier than a sandpit.

One day, I decided that enough was enough and had a look in my fridge to see if I could improve matters.

I love koftas, but I won’t claim that this is what we’re making today. The spice palate is inspired by koftas, with paprika, mint, cumin, garlic and cayenne, but I went rogue with the ingredients I had access to, so they aren’t faithful to a traditional kofta recipe.

The main thing that makes these lovely and moist is the addition of grated cucumber.

I made them once with just the onion, and they were nice enough fresh, but got dry in the fridge, so they didn’t pass the meal prep test.

The moisture from the cucumbers means that they stay moist in the fridge and don’t get dry even when you reheat them (you can also eat them cold if you prefer).

High-protein turkey burger recipe

Ingredients

• 1lb turkey mince
• 1 egg
• ½ cucumber, grated
• ¼ cup breadcrumbs (ready-made panko breadcrumbs or put croutons in a blender)
• ½ onion, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1tsp mint
• 1tsp paprika
• 1tsp cayenne pepper
• 1tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste

Optional, to serve:

• Greek yogurt
• 1 pita pocket, toasted
• Handful of arugula

Method

1. Preheat your grill to medium, or your oven to 400℉ if you don’t have a grill.
2. Add all ingredients in a large bowl and, with clean hands (or wearing disposable food-grade plastic gloves), knead together using your hands.
3. When the ingredients are fully combined, the mixture should be easy to form into a ball. If they are too wet, add more breadcrumbs. If too dry, add some more grated cucumber.
4. Roll your mixture into eight balls and place them on a baking tray. Press down on the balls so they become round patties.
5. Put your patties under the grill for 10-15 minutes (or until cooked through), flipping halfway through. If you are using an oven rather than a grill, place them on the middle shelf for 15 minutes and don’t worry about flipping.
6. I serve these with arugula, a toasted pita pocket and some Greek yogurt, but they also go nicely with hummus, avocado or even a light drizzle of honey.