Until I became a personal chef I never really liked meatloaf. It just wasn't one of those meals that "inspired" me. Too boring. Then I discovered that many of the people who hired me to cook for them were really into comfort food, and one of those comfort foods was meatloaf. I tweaked and tested and was finally able to come up with a classic meatloaf recipe that was flavorful, moist, and passed my taste tests. I played around with different versions--an Italian meatloaf with sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, and provolone cheese, a barbecued turkey meatloaf for those who wouldn't or couldn't eat beef and pork, a Southwestern meatloaf with corn and peppers--flavors that truly inspired me. These became some of my favorite recipes.
But I also had some clients who wouldn't touch meatloaf. They said they didn't like it, and I completely understood. I realized that I could take my favorite meatloaf recipes and turn them into "burgers". Those people who didn't like meatloaf LOVED my bunless Italian Burgers, Barbequed Turkey Burgers, and Southwestern Turkey Burgers!! It's the same recipe, shaped into a patty! Just don't tell them it's really meatloaf.
Southwestern Turkey Burgers
1.25 pounds ground turkey (85/15)
1 tsp olive oil
1 corn on the cob
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1-2 minced jalapeno peppers
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the kernels off of the corn cob into a medium sized bowl. Add red bell pepper, onion, and jalapeno peppers. In a large non-stick skillet heat the olive oil and saute the corn kernels, bell pepper, onion, and jalapeno until tender. Allow to cool slightly. Add the vegetables to the ground turkey along with the bread crumbs, cilantro and egg. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands. Shape into 4 patties.
Brown the patties on both sides over medium high heat in the non-stick skillet (about 3 minutes per side). Transfer the patties to a foil lined baking pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the patties reaches 170 degrees.
Servings 4
Optional: Add 1/4 cup of diced Monterrey Jack Cheese to the burger mix. Pepper Jack would be awesome!
