Best Southwest Burgers Recipes

SOUTHWEST TURKEY BURGERS

Steps:

• Chop your garlic and veggies.
• Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until crisp. Wipe excess grease from pan and return skillet to heat.
• While bacon cooks, combine turkey meat, garlic, shallot or onion, thyme, cilantro or parsley, bell pepper, serrano or jalapeno pepper, cumin, hot pepper sauce, grill seasoning or salt and pepper. Divide mixture into 4 equal mounds then form meat into patties. Drizzle patties with vegetable oil to coat. Cook in skillet over medium high heat for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Place sliced cheese over the patties in the last 2 minutes of cooking, use 1 or 2 slices for each patty, as you like.
• Pile cooked cheeseburgers into buns. Spread sweet relish or jelly on bun tops and set red leaf lettuce into place, using the relish or jelly as glue. Top cheeseburgers with 2 slices of cooked, crisp bacon or turkey bacon and lettluce. Then serve with tortilla chips, tossed salad and/or spicy o-nuts.

SOUTHWEST TURKEY BURGERS

Steps:

• Combine turkey, eggs, onion, bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons oil, jalapenos, Worcestershire, mustard, paprika, chili powder, and cumin in a bowl. Form into 8 patties. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Heat remaining olive oil in a saute pan over medium to medium-high heat. Place patties in the hot pan and cover partially to help retain moisture, but not so much that the patties braise (boil). Cook until browned and halfway cooked through, about 4 minutes. Continue to cook until no longer pink and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 3 minutes more.
• Serve patties on toasted buns with guacamole and salsa.

SOUTHWEST TURKEY BURGERS

Steps:

• Preheat broiler. Mix first 4 ingredients. Add turkey; mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape into six 1/2-in.-thick patties., In a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat. Cook burgers in batches, adding more oil as needed, until a thermometer reads 165°, 4-6 minutes per side. Keep warm., Meanwhile, place buns on a baking sheet, cut side up. Broil 3-4 in. from heat until toasted, about 30 seconds. Spread tops with cheese. Serve burgers in buns with lettuce, if desired.Freeze option: Place uncooked patties on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet; cover and freeze until firm. Remove from pan and transfer to a large freezer container; return to freezer. To use, cook frozen patties in a nonstick skillet in 2 tsp. oil over medium-low heat until a thermometer reads 165°, 6-8 minutes per side.

SIZZLING SOUTHWEST BURGERS

Steps:

• Preheat grill for high heat.
• In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, taco seasoning mix, bell pepper and onion using your hands. Form into 6 patties.
• Lightly oil the grill grate. Cook burger patties for 5 minutes per side, or until well done. Place buns cut side down onto the grill to toast during the last minute or so. Top each burger with a slice of cheese before removing from the grill. Serve burgers on toasted buns topped with salsa and sour cream.

SPICY SOUTHWEST TURKEY BURGERS WITH GARLIC AIOLI

Steps:

• Chop your garlic and veggies.
• Sauté garlic and onion in olive oil on low heat for 7-10 minutes until soft and very light golden brown.
• Then combine turkey meat, garlic, onion, oil that you cooked garlic and onion in (very important), thyme, chipotle powder (or you could use one chipotle in adobo diced), roasted pepper, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, hot pepper sauce, or salt and pepper. Be careful not to overmix!
• Divide mixture into 4 equal mounds then form meat into patties. Drizzle patties with a little olive oil to coat. Cook in skillet over medium high heat for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Place sliced cheese over the patties in the last 2 minutes of cooking, use 1 or 2 slices for each patty, as you like. slather buns with Garlic Aioli.
• If you want to decrease the heat use plain old chili powder instead of chipotle and cut it back to 1/2 teaspoon.
• For Garlic Aioli.
• Mince garlic very fine, I like to sprinkle mine with salt and mash it but totally optional. Mix all ingredients together in small bowl, this will taste even better if it sits a while and will keep in the fridge for almost a week.
• Pile cooked cheeseburgers into buns. Serve and enjoy!

SOUTHWEST TURKEY BURGERS

Steps:

• Gently mix turkey, 1/2 cup green onions, 4 tablespoons cilantro, chipotle chilies, and cumin in medium bowl. Form into two 7-inch-long by 21/2-inch-wide patties. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill burgers until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Wrap tortillas in foil; grill until heated through. Unwrap tortillas; transfer to 2 plates. Spread 2 tablespoons guacamole down center of each tortilla. Place burgers atop guacamole. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons green onions and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Fold each tortilla to partially enclose burger. Serve with salsa.

SOUTHWEST TURKEY BURGERS WITH CORN SALSA

Steps:

• Oil grill rack. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Combine turkey, crushed chips, 4 tablespoons cilantro, chili powder, salt, cumin, and pepper in large bowl. Using fork, mix together. Form 6 patties, each about 3 1/2 inches in diameter.
• Mix together salsa, corn, and remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro in small bowl. Set aside. Grill burgers until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Divide among plates. Spoon salsa over burgers and serve.

SOUTHWEST RANCH BURGERS

Steps:

• Shape meat into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) patties.
• Cook in skillet on medium heat 5 min. on each side or until done (160°F). Top with cheese; cook 1 min. or until melted.
• Fill rolls with cheeseburgers; top with bacon, dressing and salsa.

SOUTHWEST "CHILI" BURGERS WITH AVOCADO CREMA AND LIME-MARINATED SLAW

Steps:

• To make the slaw: mix all the slaw ingredients together. Set aside for at least 30 minutes to let flavors meld.
• Prepare charcoal grill for medium-hot direct-heat cooking.
• To make the Chili Rojo: add all chili ingredients, except extra wine, to a blender or food processor. Puree thoroughly, using extra wine if necessary to make a thick, smooth sauce.
• To make the burger patties: take 6 tablespoons ground beef and mix with 6 tablespoons Chile Rojo. Make 6 equal hand-formed patties with the remaining ground beef. Place 2 tablespoons of the chile mixture onto the center of each patty. Carefully enclose each patty around the chile mixture to form a ball. Carefully flatten each ball back into a thick patty, keeping the chile mixture inside. Season the patties liberally with salt and pepper.
• To make the Crema: mash the avocados in a food processor or with a potato masher. Add the rest of the ingredients and fold gently until thoroughly mixed.
• When the grill is hot, oil the grill rack and cook the burgers over a medium-high flame until done, about 3 minutes per side for medium rare. If the exterior of the patties begins to burn, move them to a cooler side of the grill until the centers have had a chance to cook. Add a slice of cheese to each patty about 1 minute before they are done. Let patties rest off the heat for 1 or 2 minutes after cooking, and meanwhile toast the buns on a cooler side of the grill.
• To assemble the burgers: spread each bun bottom with a layer of Avocado Crema. Add about 1/3 cup slaw, a patty with melted cheese, then a tablespoon of chili ketchup, and finally the bun top.

SOUTHWEST BLACK BEAN BURGERS

Steps:

• Mash beans with the back of a fork to desired consistency (I like to leave some chunks, but the more chunks the more likely they are to fall apart after cooking).
• Add in the remaining ingredients and stir well.
• Form into 6 burgers, separate them with wax paper, and then place in the fridge to cool completely before trying to cook (they will stay together better this way).
• Turn frying pan to med-high (closer to medium than to high) and add 1 T oil. Cook each burger for about 2-3 minutes on each side (turning ONLY once, otherwise you increase the risk of them falling apart).
• NOTE: Feel free to bake these on a greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for approximately 7 minutes per side or until heated through.
• Serve on a bun with a slice of tomato and some guacamole.

SOUTHWEST RANCH TURKEY BURGERS

Steps:

• Heat gas or charcoal grill. In large bowl, mix turkey, ranch dressing and taco seasoning mix. Shape mixture into 4 patties, about 4 inches wide and 3/4 inch thick.
• Place patties on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 13 to 15 minutes, carefully turning once, until meat thermometer inserted in center of patties reads at least 165°F. Top each burger with 1 slice cheese and place buns, cut sides down, on grill; cover grill and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted and buns are lightly toasted.
• Place burgers on bun bottoms. Cover with bun tops.

SOUTHWEST CHICKEN BURGERS WITH SWEET CORN SALSA

Steps:

• Cook sweet corn until just crisp and place in a bowl with the remaining salsa ingredients; stir to mix well; chill before serving.
• Combine ingredients for burgers and form into 4 patties; cook about 4-5 minutes per side over med-high heat or until cooked through.
• Serve on toasted kaiser rolls with lettuce, cheese and salsa; additional salsa may be served along side.

SOUTHWEST TURKEY BURGERS

Steps:

• Chop your garlic and veggies. I throw all mine in my food processor and it makes easy work of this step.
• Combine all ingredients through grill seasoning.
• Divide mixture into 4 equal patties. Drizzle patties with olive oil to coat. Cook on grill or in skillet over med-high heat until done. (I've found that the veggies make this so moist that they're hard to overcook, although you'll still want to keep an eye on them).
• Place sliced cheese over the patties the last two minutes of cooking.
• OPTIONAL (but worth it): Slather with Black Bean Spread/Dip with Lime and Cilantro (recipe posted after this one). Enjoy the rest of the dip with tortilla chips with your burger.

GRILLED SOUTHWEST STUFFED BURGERS

Steps:

• Preheat greased grill to medium-high heat.
• Mix meat, 3 tablespoons of the Mayo and the seasoning mix; shape into 12 thin patties.
• Combine cheese with 2 tablespoons salsa.
• Spoon over 6 of the patties.
• Cover each with one of the remaining patties, making a 'sandwich', pinching edges together to seal.
• Grill approximately 7 minutes on each side, or until cooked through (160 degrees F).
• Meanwhile, combine remaining 2 tablespoons salsa with remaining 1 tablespoon Mayo.
• Place a lettuce leaf, tomato slice and burger on bottom half of bun.
• Top with salsa mixture; cover with top of bun.

SOUTHWEST PINTO BEAN BURGERS WITH CHIPOTLE MAYONNAISE

Steps:

• To prepare burgers, combine the first 10 ingredients in a large bowl. Add pinto beans and corn; partially mash with a fork. Divide bean mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each portion into a 3 1/2-inch patty, and refrigerate for 10 minutes. (I didn't like the idea of those whole corn kernels in the mixture, so I gave them a couple of pulses in the food processor. That made the mixture a bit softer, so I ended up adding a bit more bread crumbs to stiffen it up).
• To prepare chipotle mayonnaise, combine mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon chipotle in a small bowl; set aside. If you want it smoother, give it a whirl in the food processor.
• Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties to pan, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until thoroughly heated. Toast buns. Place patties on bottom halves of buns; top each patty with 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 lettuce leaf, and top half of bun.

SOUTHWEST CHIPOTLE BURGERS

Steps:

• Prepare medium hot fire for direct grilling. In a large bowl combine beef, pork, chipotles, egg, cilantro, brown sugar, adobo sauce, cumin, salt & pepper. Mix gently & shape into four patties. Place patties on prepared grill, cook 5 minutes per side, top each burger witth cheese, place buns cut side down on outer edge of grill to toast, about 2 minutes. To serve spread cut sides of buns with chipotle mayonnaise (see note). Top burgers with lettuce, tomato, avacado or onion if desired. Chipotle mayo-1/2 cup mayo 1 tsp adobo sauce(from canned chipotles)

SOUTHWEST PINTO BEAN BURGERS WITH CHIPOTLE MAYONNAISE

Steps:

• To prepare burgers, combine the first 10 ingredients in a large bowl. Add pinto beans and corn; partially mash with a fork. Divide bean mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each portion into a 3 1/2-inch patty, and refrigerate for 10 minutes. To prepare chipotle mayonnaise, combine mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon chipotle in a small bowl; set aside. Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties to pan, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until thoroughly heated. Place patties on bottom halves of buns; top each patty with 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 lettuce leaf, and top half of bun. NUTRITION PER SERVING CALORIES 411(23% from fat); FAT 10.7g (sat 1.9g,mono 3.2g,poly 3.2g); PROTEIN 15.2g; CHOLESTEROL 57mg; CALCIUM 153mg; SODIUM 837mg; FIBER 9.1g; IRON 3.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 63.1g

SOUTHWEST CHIPOTLE CHICKEN BURGERS

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 2 minutes, peppers and saute for 3 more minutes. Add black beans, chipotle and cumin, cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Place aside to cool. Combine chicken and vegetable mixture to form into a patty, season both sides with pepper.
• Shape into 5 patties. Can be individually frozen at this point, let thaw for 1 day in refrigerator before sauteing.
• Saute patties in small amount of olive oil about 4 minutes / side or until done. Place burger on bun and top with avocado slices and lettuce.
• **Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce- comes in a small can in the International foods aisle of the grocery. Fish out needed peppers with a little sauce, chop and add to recipe. Freeze the rest of the can contents in a freezer ziplock bag. Whenever you need some, you can just break off a chunk and add it to your recipe (like chili, tacos, etc).

SPICY SOUTHWEST BURGERS

Steps:

• 1. Combine meat, 2 tbsp. salsa and taco seasoning and mix well. Shape into 4 patties.
• 2. Heat grill and cook patties for 11-13 minutes total on medium heat or until meat is cooked through. Place one slice cheese on each patty and cook until cheese melts.
• 3. Grill buns, cut side down, on grill for 1-2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Place meat on buns and top with 1 tbsp. salsa and any other condiments you choose, onion, lettuce tomato.

SOUTHWEST BURGERS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, coarsely mash beans. Stir in the onion, corn, bread crumbs, chilies, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings. Crumble beef and turkey over mixture and mix well. Shape into eight patties. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Combine mayonnaise and salsa; refrigerate until serving., Lightly oil the grill rack. Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 165° and juices run clear., Top with cheese; cover and grill 1-2 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serve on buns with toppings if desired.