This is one of our favorite meals- my Asian Turkey Burger and Slaw Recipe. Now that the weather is a little nicer, we find ourselves craving burgers, but also some lighter fare, so this is perfect. You can serve it with salad, or splurge and serve it with sweet potato fries.

You will find that toasting the sesame seeds for the slaw makes them extra flavorful- just be careful they don’t burn. Because sesame seeds have a lot of oil, and sesame oil also tends to get rancid (spoiled) easily, I keep both my sesame seeds and sesame oil in the refrigerator. The oil will get cloudy in the fridge, but it will clear up as soon as it comes back to room temperature.

Asian Turkey Burgers with Slaw Recipe

For the slaw

• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1/3 cup ranch dressing
• 1/2 cup peeled and finely chopped cucumber (about 1/2 cucumber)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions or scallions (white and green part)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons thawed orange juice concentrate (undiluted)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 14 oz package shredded cabbage/cole slaw mix

For the burgers

• 20 oz package ground turkey or chicken
• 1/4 cup Asian flavored dressing (toasted sesame, ginger, etc.)
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon McCormick Gourmet Collection Szechuwan Seasoning
• 4 Kaiser rolls (or other sturdy bun- this is a messy burger!)

In a nonstick, dry (no oil) pan over medium heat, toast the sesame seeds, stirring frequently and being careful not to burn. Toast for about 3 minutes until golden and fragrant. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, combine all of the slaw ingredients except cabbage. Stir well, then toss in cabbage. Refrigerate 30 minutes to overnight.

To make the burgers, combine all ingredients except turkey and buns in a large bowl. Gently stir in the ground turkey until combined- you don’t want to overwork the mixture, because that will create a tough burger. Shape mixture into 4 patties (about 3/4″ thick).

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Cook burgers about 6 minutes on each side until thoroughly cooked through.

Place a burger on each bottom bun; top with slaw and tops of buns.

Makes 4 servings.