Smashed Turkey Burger with Special Sauce
4 servings · 10 min prep · 10 min cook
Macros per serving
↓ 37% fewer calories · 202 kcal saved
Smart swaps
- 80/20 ground beef→93% lean ground turkey
Saves roughly 12 g of fat per patty while adding 3 g more protein; turkey is also lower in saturated fat, supporting heart health.
- Mayonnaise-based Big Mac sauce→Greek yogurt special sauce
Cuts the sauce calories by more than half while adding 6 g of protein per serving from the yogurt.
- White sesame seed bun→Whole-wheat thin bun
Provides 3 g more fiber per bun and a lower glycemic index, helping to keep blood sugar stable after the meal.
- American cheese (2 slices)→Reduced-fat sharp cheddar (1 slice)
Sharp cheddar delivers more flavor per ounce so you need less; the reduced-fat version saves about 5 g of fat per slice.
Original
- 80/20 ground beef
- 4 slices American cheese slices
- 4 sesame seed hamburger buns
- 1 cup iceberg lettuce, shredded
- 0.5 cup dill pickles, sliced
- 0.25 cup white onion, finely diced
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 tbsp sweet pickle relish
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 0.5 tsp garlic powder
- 0.25 tsp paprika
Healthy version
- •93% lean ground turkey
- •4 whole-wheat thin burger buns
- •2 tbsp plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- •1 tbsp yellow mustard
- •1 tbsp dill pickle relish
- •1 tsp white vinegar
- •0.5 tsp garlic powder
- •0.25 tsp smoked paprika
- •4 slices reduced-fat sharp cheddar slices
- •4 leaves green leaf lettuce
- •1 roma tomato, sliced
- •0.5 cup dill pickles, sliced
- •0.25 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- •1 spray avocado oil cooking spray
Method
- 1
Make the special sauce: combine Greek yogurt, mustard, pickle relish, white vinegar, garlic powder, and smoked paprika in a small bowl. Stir well, cover, and refrigerate while you prepare the burgers.
- 2
Divide the ground turkey into 4 equal portions (about 4 oz each). Season both sides with salt and black pepper.
- 3
Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over high heat until very hot. Lightly coat with avocado oil cooking spray.
- 4
Place turkey portions on the skillet and immediately smash flat with a sturdy spatula or burger press to about 1/4-inch thick. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the edges are crispy and browned.
2–3 minutes - 5
Flip the patties, place one slice of reduced-fat cheddar on each, and cook for another 2 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 F and the cheese is melted.
2 minutes - 6
While the patties cook, lightly toast the whole-wheat buns cut-side down in a separate dry pan for about 1 minute.
1 minute - 7
Assemble each burger: spread special sauce on both bun halves, layer lettuce, tomato slice, smashed patty with cheese, pickles, and red onion.
- 8
Serve immediately alongside a side salad or baked sweet potato fries.