Mediterranean Turkey Burgers

Directions

1. 1
   Place ground turkey in a medium mixing bowl along with the basil, onion, egg, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper and applesauce. Stir ingredients with a fork and/or clean hands until the spices and herbs are well blended with the meat.
2. 2
   Divide the meat into 4 patties (or 6-7 patties if you are making slider-sized burgers). The patties may initially seem overly soft, but will firm up as they cook.
3. 3
   If cooking on stovetop in a nonstick skillet or grill pan, grease the pan with 2 tbsp olive oil, reserving 1 tbsp olive oil for basting.
4. 4
   Heat the oil over medium until hot.
5. 5
   Place the patties gently in the pan.
6. 6
   Cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, flipping every 3 or 4 minutes and basting with olive oil periodically.
7. 7
   You may need to adjust the heat a little lower once the burgers are browned to your liking, to avoid overcooking the outside of the patties. Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness (165 degrees F in the center of the thickest part of the patty).  As soon as they reach 165 or higher, remove from heat to avoid overcooking - you don't want your burgers to turn out dry.
8. 8
   If grilling, grease the preheated grill well before you start cooking. Grill over medium flame using the same instructions as above. Whether cooking on the stovetop or the grill, I like to baste the burgers with olive oil periodically to keep them nice and moist.
9. 9
   Serve these Mediterranean Turkey Burgers with or without buns. We usually enjoy these without bread, and serve them with side salads and mezze instead.