Grilled Blue Cheese and Bacon Basil Turkey Burgers

I got the idea of making these turkey burgers from a combination of two of my favorite burger restaurants.

One place has the best turkey burgers ever.  They make the burger with a lot of basil and for some reason it’s so good.

The other restaurant serves the best combination of 1/2 ground bacon and 1/2 ground beef burgers in the whole world, and it’s so fun because you get to choose your toppings from this long list of options.

One of the things I add to my burger are grilled red bell peppers which come in big delicious pieces.

In the recipe below I added crumbled blue cheese and real crumbled bacon to the ground turkey before making it into patties.

It’s so handy to add to all kinds of things like baked potatoes, salads, scrambled eggs, and you name it.

Maybe because I was a bit lazy and didn’t want to walk back and forth from the BBQ grill to the kitchen, I decided to make the whole sandwich on the grill…including the bread.

I used basil leaves instead of lettuce to top the sandwich, and the flavor works so well with all of the other ingredients.

Instead of basil, maybe you would prefer arugula, lettuce or even fresh spinach.

Let’s check out the ingredients.

Red onions, blue cheese, Hormel Real Crumbled Bacon, red bell peppers, salt, pepper, garlic powder……..

…ground turkey, and basil.

…sliced bread and olive oil.

Here’s how to make it.

In a medium size bowl, add the ground turkey, bacon, and just 2 tablespoons of the crumbled blue cheese (reserving the remaining 2 tablespoons to top the burgers before serving).

Add about 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and 3 dashes of salt.  Reserve the remaining pepper, garlic powder, and salt for the vegetables and bread.

Mix all of the ground turkey ingredients together and make into 2 patties.  Add a couple dashes of pepper to each side of the patties.  Set aside.

Cut the bell pepper lengthwise into 4 pieces.

Brush the olive oil over both sides of the red bell pepper, onions, and the bread.

Add the remaining pepper, salt, and garlic powder to both sides of the bell peppers, onions, and bread.

Place the turkey patties, veggies, and bread over medium heat on the BBQ grill.

Grill the veggies, and the bread until they form nice grill marks on each side (about 4 minutes per side for the vegetables and a bit less for the bread).

After removing the red bell pepper from the grill, the skin can be easily removed if you like.

Grill the turkey burgers until fully cooked (about 6 minutes per side).

After removing the turkey burgers from the grill, top them with the remaining 2 tablespoons of crumbled blue cheese.

Add the mayonnaise to each slice of bread.

Top the bottom slice of bread with the turkey burger, then the red bell pepper, onion, and the basil leaves.  I added a bit more blue cheese to the top of this sandwich.

Add the top piece of bread to the burger….

…and enjoy.

Print Recipe

Grilled Blue Cheese and Bacon Basil Turkey Burgers

Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients:

¾ pound ground turkey
1 whole red bell pepper
2 thick slices of red onion
2 tablespoons Hormel Real Crumbled Bacon
4 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
6 dashes salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 slices of sour dough wheat bread (or the bread of your choice)
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 sprigs of fresh basil - the leaves only

Directions:

In a medium size bowl, add the ground turkey, bacon, and just 2 tablespoons of the crumbled blue cheese (reserving the remaining 2 tablespoons to top the burgers before serving). Add about 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and 3 dashes of salt. Reserve the remaining pepper, garlic powder, and salt for the vegetables and bread.

Mix all of the ground turkey ingredients together and make into 2 patties. Add a couple dashes of pepper to each side of the patties. Set aside. Cut the bell pepper lengthwise into 4 pieces. Brush the olive oil over both sides of the red bell pepper, onions, and the bread.

Add the remaining salt, pepper, and garlic powder to each side of the bell peppers, onions, and the bread. Place the turkey patties, veggies, and bread over medium heat on the BBQ grill. Grill the veggies, and the bread until they form nice grill marks on each side (about 4 minutes per side for the vegetables and a bit less for the bread). After removing the red bell pepper from the grill, the skin can be easily removed if you like.

Grill the turkey burgers until fully cooked (about 6 minutes per side). After removing the turkey burgers from the grill, top them with the remaining 2 tablespoons of crumbled blue cheese. Add the mayonnaise to each slice of bread.

Top the bottom slice of bread with the turkey burger, then the red bell pepper, onion, and the basil leaves. Add the top piece of bread to the burger.