If there’s one thing I’ve learned during my 28 years on this earth, it’s that some things are simply worth paying more for, to get a better quality product or overall experience. Things like…
Workout clothes (the cheap stuff never fits right,) name brand chunky canned soup (my brother learned this the hard way,) beer (’nuff said,) and direct flights (I can’t even mentally go back here.)
Oh yeah, and grill covers.
Ben and I thought we scored a sweet deal when we snagged a $15 no-name grill cover on clearance at a home improvement store last Fall, until the first hint of a winter wind came along and tore this thing apart like it was made of tissue paper! FAIL.
I’m afraid to open the lid and find out what the grates look like underneath, which I should probably do sooner rather than later as grilling season will seriously be here before we know it (whee!) Until that bright and shiny day though, I’m getting my grilling food fix in the form of burgers that are better cooked indoors than out.
Thai Turkey Burgers with Peanut Sauce!
Made with lean ground turkey breast, fresh veggies, and a savory peanut sauce, these burgers are hearty, filling and ultra-tasty, but are best “grilled” in a skillet indoors. Perfect! 
Start the Thai Turkey Burgers by making the peanut sauce that goes into the burger patties AND on top once they’re cooked. Just throw flavorful ingredients like soy sauce, peanut butter, garlic, chili-garlic sauce and ground ginger into a food processor and let ‘er rip.
Save part of the sauce to slather on top of the cooked burgers, and use the rest of it to mix into the burger patties.
Which is what we move to next! Start with 1lb 99% fat-free ground turkey breast (I use Jennie-O brand,) then add in shredded carrot and finely chopped broccoli. Since they’re finely shredded/chopped, the veggies will cook perfectly with the burgers.
Add in a sliced green onion, 3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro, and the remaining peanut sauce.
Top with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and red chili pepper flakes, then put your rings somewhere safe and mix it all up with yer mitts.
See?
Form the mixture into 4 patties and place on a hot skillet sprayed with non-stick spray. Cook for 3-4 minutes then spray the top with more non-stick spray and flip, cooking for another 3 minutes, or until the turkey is no longer pink in the middle. You could cook these on an outdoor grill, but ground turkey is a little more “wet” than ground beef, so there’s a bigger risk of them falling through the grates.
Toast up some buns – or Sandwich Thins if you’re lookin’ for 100 calories or less – and top with a cooked burger patty, 2 teaspoons of the reserved peanut sauce, and some crunchy baby spinach, then dig into the deliciousness!
Thai Turkey Burgers with Peanut Sauce
Makes 4 burgers
Ingredients:
1 lb 99% fat-free lean ground turkey breast (I used Jennie-O)
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli
3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 green onion, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 buns (I toasted Arnold Sandwich Thins)
baby spinach leaves
For the peanut sauce:
3 Tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon water
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (could use siracha)
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Directions:
- Create peanut sauce by combining peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, water, garlic, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, honey and ground ginger in a food processor or blender. Blend until very smooth. Reserve 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons and set aside.
- Combine remaining peanut sauce with turkey, carrots, broccoli, green onion, cilantro, salt and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Mix well and form into 4 patties. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and spray with non-stick spray. Cook patties for 3-4 minutes on one side, then spray the top with more non-stick spray. Flip and cook for 3-4 more minutes or until burgers are no longer pink in the middle.
- Place a burger patty on each bun and top with 2 teaspoons of the reserved peanut sauce. Add baby spinach for crunch and serve.
I HEART this peanut sauce. It is incredibly rich and savory, and goes so well with the light turkey burger which is super moist from the carrots and broccoli added directly into the patty.
As delish as the sauce is, the thing that tickles me the most is the fact that the whole Thai Turkey Burger, including a Sandwich Thin, clocks in at just 350 calories and 10 grams of fat, AND has nearly 40 grams of protein!
Add in freshly steamed broccoli on the side, and you’ve got yourself a winner of a dinner, my friends.
PS the peanut sauce is the same sauce I use in my Thai Tofu Pizza and P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wraps. I’m thinking about adding more rice vinegar and maybe even lime juice and ginger into the mix and making a Thai Ginger Vinaigrette out of it sometime. YUM!
In other news, I put the pedal to the medal this weekend and got ALL our tax stuff together for our accountant (which is also worth paying more for, imo) but my parents still hold a few pieces to the puzzle (college loan interest stuff) so I’m paying them a visit this evening to collect, and snag some cereal for dessert in the process.
Parents always have the best cereal, and I am this close to polishing off my box of Whole Hearts in ohhhh, less than 5 days. I will not have another repeat of Nature’s Path Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise-gate where I demolished an entire Costco-sized box in less than two weeks. Why’s it so hard to stop at one bowl of cereal I ASK YOU!?
Toodles!
~~~~~
“My favorite cereal right now is _________, but my favorite cereal of all time is _________.”
“I think paying more for _________ is worth the extra money!”
My favorite cereal right now is Quaker Whole Hearts, but my favorite cereal of all time is Cinnamon Toast Crunch. By the way, does anyone have any great gluten free cereal recommendations?
Also, I think paying more for Australian licorice is definitely worth the extra money.
Well first of all,my favorite cereal of all time is Quaker Cinnamon Oatmeal squares. I love to take it to work too for a snack.
Second of all ,I just bought some ground turkey and cilantro with no recipe in mind.Now I know what I am making for dinner tonight. I love your Thai peanut sauce.The burgers look great.
those burgers look sooooooooooooo good. i must try! i wish i could have a live-in Thai chef but these look easy enough
my favorite cereal (but i never buy bc it’s too expensive) is Kashi heart to heart oat and blueberry clusters. I don’t think expensive cereal is worth the extra money!
Have you checked Walmart? Kashi cereal is waaaay cheaper at our Walmart than our grocery store.
Cereal might be my favorite thing on earth…right now I am into Mini Wheats with a touch of fruit and Maple Brown Sugar Life…favorite of all times..I think would be Captian Crunch PB…though i havent had it in years.
Something not to skimp on would be noname cereal…its just gross.
It’s worth it to spend more on garbage bags! The cheapo ones rip so easily!
I definitely agree on spending more on running clothes – luckily once my mom found me some Nike running tights at a thrift store and paid 2 bucks for ‘em!
Burgers look delicious… I’m vegetarian and wondering if I can do something similar by mashing up some chickpeas or black beans. I think a kitchen experiment is in order!
You’ve definitely hit on some big ones–so worth it to pay more for workout clothes, beer and direct flights (we had a terrible experience last year when we took a non-chartered flight to Punta Cana–never again!) Another thing? Kitchen gadgets, definitely. Sure that lemon juicer for two dollars looks appealing, but don’t do it. And spring for the $12 cherry pitter over the $5 one, unless you enjoy mushed up cherries making a huge mess all over your counter.
My favorite cereal of all time is Lucky Charms. Unfortunately the sugar doesn’t make my tummy feel all that great, but sometimes it’s just worth it. Love the thai turkey burgers!!
Cocoa Pebbles are Gluten Free!! And now they make GF Rice Krispies, so that’s great for Rice Krispie Treats!
Chex is gluten free and the chocolate chex as a dessert is amazing! I think it’s totally important to spend more on running clothes and shoes. The cheap stuff just doesn’t hold up for very long!
That sauce looks amazing! And I totally hear you on the cereal-Kashi Crunch cereal is like that for me-I think there are two servings in the whole box. Or at least that’s how I treat it
I am loving Cinnamon Burst Cherrios right now! So good.
Favorite cereal has to be Cinnamon Toast Crunch…but I NEVER buy it because I could seriously eat the whole box in one day!
My favorite cereal right now is the quaker oatmeal cinnamon squares with UVAB. The best! I think it’s better to spend a little more on fresh/local produce as well as organic grass fed meats. It’s so much better for you and not packed with funky preservatives or a ton of sodium.
My favorite cereal right now is Kashi Cinnamon Harvest & my son’s Cookie Crisp, but my favorite cereal of all time is Cap’n Crunch.”
“I think paying more for running shoes is worth the extra money!
I have a stupid question… how do you shred carrots?
you can use a box grater to grate them, which is what i do. they have a few different sizes, so you can choose which one works for what you are making
You can buy shredded carrots (Dole sells a bag) or just use a grater!
these burgers look AH MAY ZING!
My favorite cereal right now is Special K Fruit & Yogurt. My favorite cereal of all time is Cinnamon Life
I think paying more for good bread is totally worth it. I’m a carboholic.
My favorite cereal is Cocoa Pebbles in chocolate milk, right now I am enjoying the Kashi version of shredded wheat.
I think paying more for a really good haircut is definitely worth it.
These look fabulous! I can’t wait to make them. My favorite cereal right now is Honey Nut Cheerios (we just bought a huge box at Sam’s club), but my favorite cereal of all time is Quaker Oatmeal Squares.
Sold! These look incredible!
I haven’t been eating much cereal lately (I cannot be controlled around it), but my all time fav is Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I love Kashi, too, but CTC will always have my heart.
I think paying more for almond butter is definitely worth the money. I’m out right now and eating regular PB and it’s just not the same.
agree. there is just something about Cinnamon Toast Crunch that makes it so addicting and delicious.
Does anyone else remember Scooby Doo cereal? It must have come out about 10 years ago, but it was great! Like a combo of Lucky Charms marshmallows meets Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Fantastic!
I love Kix cereal!!
We never skimp on Heinz Ketchup and Charmin TP!
For some reason I am weary of a thai peanut burger, but it HAS to be good.
Cinnamon toast crunch is one of my all-time faves! Right now I am loving peanut butter cheerios. MMMM.
This recipe looks fantastic and I can’t wait to try it
My favorite cereal right now is quaker oatmeal squares!
I couldn’t agree more with you on paying extra for the direct flights! One too many airport escapades has led me on the path to no more connections!
My favorite cereal right now is Kashi Oat and Blueberry Clusters but my favorite cereal of all time is Lucky Charms – of which I never buy.
I think it is worth it to pay more for many food items (organic milk, bread, cereal, etc.) as well as clothing (running shoes, bras and jeans) and last but not least…my hair. I do not use grocery store products of ANY kind on my hair ANYMORE…I have a total wasteland of “oh try this product – it really works and it’s CHEAP!” grocery store crap that the added expense of salon brands will never catch up! 
The peanut sauce sounds delic! I bet it also would be great tossed over a bowl of noodles
My favorite cereal right now is a tie between Peanut Butter Puffins and Kashi Go Lean but my favorite cereal of all time is Cheerios [classic]!
I think paying more for jeans is worth the extra money! It’s hard to find a pair of jeans that are long enough!
Favorite cereal now is Peanut Butter Cherios, but my favorite cereal of all time is Blueberry Muffin Top.
It’s worth paying more for laundry detergent and fabric softener!
Now this looks like a turkey burger worth having!
My favorite cereal right now is Kashi Go Lean Crunch, but my favorite “guilty” cereal is Reese’s Puffs. I think paying more for make-up is worth the extra money!
Oh, how I yearn for grill season! But we are bit further away from that season around these parts…
My favorite cereal right now is Kashi Go Lean with Vanilly Soy Milk! My all time favorite is Smacks!!! So much sugar though, so I hardly ever eat it!
I find paying more for professional hair products (yes, I’m a hairstylist- but I truely believe it) is worth it! Oh, and diapers! Definitely worth paying more for Pampers!
My favorite cereal is Kashi heart to heart. When I was growing up I used to love cocoa krispies so I could drink the chocolate milk after. My mom rarely bought them though.
I think paying more for good, healthy food is worth the money. I also think paying more for a good haircut is worth it (at least for my strange hair type which is very fine and wavy.
Oh man those burgers looks amazing! I LOVE peanut sauce but my bf hates it
My favorite cereal of ALLL time is Cinnamon Toast Crunch, too and right now I’ve been enjoying Kashi Strawberry Fields. I’m looking for some good GF cereals too, since I’m beginning to notice a bit of a gluten intolerance. Oh, and it’s worth it to splurge on razors! Buying the cheap ones just leave my legs all kinds of nicked up and it’s just terrible.
I think paying extra for a great pair of running shoes, a tube of mascara that actually does what it claims to do on the tube, and fresh produce/fish is always worth it in the long run!
I don’t know if I’ve had cereal in years but my favorite of all time is either Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Honey Nut Cheerios.
I will definitely pay more for a Mac and good fresh produce.
I love the turkey burger recipe! yum!
Those look great. I think it’s worth paying more for great haircuts/color. My favorite cereal is probably life?
Favorite cereal of all time = Lucky Charms…but never get it. Just. Too. Tempting
Never skimp on hair care products or hotel rooms. Horror stories for both–lol!
Favorite cereal of all time is Captain Crunch with Berries.
In the recipe, is chili garlic powder the same thing as mixing chili powder and garlic powder, or is this something completely different?
It’s actually chili garlic sauce, which you can find in the Asian foods aisle!
Awesome! Thanks so much. I’m going to try the burgers for Sunday lunch!
I can’t wait to try this burgers, I love me a good turkey burger. Do you think these would freeze well? I was thinking of freezing a few of the raw patties.
Definitely! I froze two, then partially thawed them on the counter and cooked the next day.
[...] Thai Turkey Burgers and Peanut Sauce [...]
My favorite cereal currently is Kashi Go Lean Crisp in the cinnamon flavor. So delicious. My favorite cereal of all time is probably Cheerios, boring, I know, but I ate this almost every day in grade school.
I think paying more for tampons and quality clothes is worth the money. I’ve had way too many clothes shrink several sizes that didn’t even go through the dryer. Not worth the $10 I saved to only wear it twice.
Just made these. Yum-O! My fiance and I both agree we will be making these again, soon! Thanks for the delicious dinner!
what could you use instead of sesame oil?
Hmmm – I’m not sure of a replacement, but you could leave it out if you had to. The sauce won’t taste quite the same (as sesame oil is very strongly flavored) but it should still be tasty!
[...] Thai Turkey Burgers with Roasted [...]
[...] Pairing: I made Thai Turkey Burgers last week and this complemented them well. It would pair well with many Thai or Asian inspired [...]
Do you have the nutrition information for just the burger and sauce, by chance? (calories, fat, fiber, and protein would be great!)
You bet! (Without a bun): Cals: 252 Fat: 9g Fiber: 2g Protein: 35g
Thank you for this delicious recipe!!! I made it last night (tripled the recipe!!, but made 10 patties instead of 12) for my family of 5 and a guest. Rave reviews all of the way around. We have 4 leftover burgers that I am fairly certain will be gone by evening. I chopped the carrots in my Ninja with the cilantro and onion instead of shredding and it worked out perfectly. I am on Weight Watchers, too, and figured the points for this as 8 points plus, which includes the Sandwich Thin. Mine were 10 points plus, because I got greedy and made 1/3 lb. burgers!
So, my fave cereal now is Coach’s Steel Cut Oats, because I am trying to be healthy. All time? Golden Grahams! Tied for second is Oh’s! and Fruity Pebbles.
I think Caesar dressing is worth paying extra for…don’t like the discount, no-name dressings. ick!
Made these last night, and they were great! I made broccoli slaw to have with it, so I just used some slaw in place of the chopped broccoli. Can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch. Thanks for sharing!
I just made these with a few tweaks (I don’t care for cilantro), and MANNNN are they good! For the peanut sauce I used Crazy Richards peanut butter, a splash of soy sauce, ground ginger, juice of 1/2 a lime, little bit of brown sugar, and a splash of “Mae Ploy” sweet chili sauce. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
I made these for dinner tonight, and they were delish. I had one question though. My burgers were very crumbly, I was thinking there should have been an egg to hold things together. Have you ever had this issue with them?
I haven’t ever needed to add an egg, but you could certainly try it. I don’t think it would affect the flavor!
[...] recipe is for Thai Turkey Burgers with Peanut Sauce, another one from Iowa Girl Eats. She is seriously one of my favorite bloggers because all of her recipes are so flavorful, healthy, [...]
[...] Recipe adopted from Iowa Girl Eats [...]
[...] Active time: 30 minutes | Total time: 40 minutes | Serves: 4 Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats [...]
I found this recipe on pinterest and they are soooooooooo delicious! My husband and I absolutely loved the meal, especially the peanut sauce. Thank you!