Pepper Jack Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Happy 09.09.09! I think it's a pretty cool day!

I made these turkey burgers several weeks ago, and we really liked them. I only had a 1 pound package of ground turkey, so I scaled the recipe back, expect for the soup mix - I used the entire packet. Needless to say, they were a bit salty. I suggest using only 2/3 of the packet if you have just 1 lb of ground turkey. These burgers were really flavorful and juicy. It was a little harder to tell when they were done because they were so moist!

The original recipe for these burgers does not include BBQ sauce or pepper jack cheese - I just jazzed them up a bit. Like I've said before, we typically have burgers without buns, which is what we did this time, but you can certainly serve them with buns and all the typical toppings.

Pepper Jack Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey

1 packet (1 ounce) dry French onion soup mix

1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten, optional

barbecue sauce, optional

3 slices pepper jack cheese

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix the soup mix, soy sauce, garlic powder, black pepper, and egg. Add turkey and mix until just incorporated. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. Cut each slice of cheese in half, then fold each of those pieces in half. Form the meat into 6 patties, while inserting the cheese in the center, making sure it's covered on all sides.

2. Preheat a grill pan lightly coated in olive oil (or a grill). Place patties on the grill. Cook until no longer pink inside. Add barbecue sauce while grilling if desired.

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com