Haute Box

Don’t you love it when you’re suddenly ignited with inspiration? Perhaps it’s inspiration to buy a new pair of running shoes and train for a 5K, learn how to speak French or take your first yoga class despite the fact that you can barely touch your toes.

My recent inspiration? Turkey burger sliders! Here’s the story…

Flashback to March 4, 2010 20 hours 12 minutes (i.e. 8:12 pm). I was at Trader Joe’s making a routine grocery trip. I was suddenly drawn to the display of slider buns. I thought to myself, “Sheesh! It’s been forever since I’ve had a slider! Sliders are good; I need one in my life!” My pilot light ignited and before I could blink, there were slider buns in my basket. I could not wait! I ate sliders every so often as a kid and I was looking forward to this inspired nostalgic project!

The plan was to make this simple and quick. Not McDonald’s quick, but timely enough that I didn’t have to wait 45 minutes from start to finish. Juicy, flavorful, low maintenance and keeps you wanting more. You’ll enjoy these one-pan turkey burger sliders!

The one-pan method works for many variations on the slider. Try ground chicken or beef or even a combo of beef and pork. The call is yours. Topping options is a whole other story, but I decided to go with lean ground turkey, sauteed onions soaked in my favorite barbeque sauce, low fat swiss cheese and yellow mustard.

Nutritional perks -

Ground turkey breast – a good source of niacin. a very good source of protein and selenium.
Onion – a good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin B6, folate and potassium. a very good source of Vitamin C.
Low fat swiss cheese – a good source of protein, riboflavin, Vitamin B12 and zinc. a very good source of calcium.

One-Pan Turkey Burger Sliders
Makes 4 sliders. You can double the recipe to make more sliders. The more the merrier!

- 1/2 to 3/4 lb lean ground turkey breast
- 1/2 white onion, sliced
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup of your favorite barbeque sauce. Mine is Gayle’s Extra Sassy Barbeque Sauce
- 1 slice of Jarlsburg low fat swiss cheese; quartered
- Yellow mustard
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Butter
- 4 slider buns

In a medium saute pan, over medium heat, add the olive oil and saute the onion until soft and a little browned. Remove from pan and place in bowl. Pour the barbeque sauce over the onion and mix well. Allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the ground turkey meat to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix well but make sure not to over-mix. Over-mixing will make the burger tough, which is no bueno! Divide the meat into four patties about the size of small discs.

Spray a little bit of non-stick cooking spray in the pan. I used non-stick extra virgin olive oil spray.

Over medium heat and in the same pan the onion was sauteed, add the patties and cook five to six minutes on each side or until desired doneness. When cooking the second side of the patty, place the swiss cheese on top so it becomes melty.

Allow the patties to rest on a plate. This will ensure the meat stays juicy!

Lower the heat under the pan. Meanwhile, lightly butter the underside of each side of the slider bun. Place buttered side down over low heat in the same pan. Remove from pan when the underside is toasted to your liking.

Time to build! Add mustard to the bottom bun, top with a turkey patty, the barbecued onion mixture and top it off with the bun.