Thanksgiving Turkey Burgers

There’s more than one way to do Thanksgiving. In the past I’ve shown you how to roast a turkey and bake pumpkin pies on the stovetop, this year I’m going to show you the opposite end of the spectrum.

With these Thanksgiving turkey burgers and the pumpkin mousse recipe that I’ll share in a couple days you can whip up a Thanksgiving feast for four in under an hour and for about $20. And that means more time to explore the empty trails on turkey day.

Be sure to check back in a couple days for the mousse recipe and on Sunday for our full vanlife Thanksgiving guide, with recipes for both an epic buslife Thanksgiving and a quick feast with all those same wonderful flavors.

Thanksgiving Turkey Burger
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Burgers:
1 lb. ground turkey
½ tsp ground sage
½ tsp rosemary
½ tsp thyme
¼ tsp garlic powder
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Gravy:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups broth

Accoutrements:
1 box instant stuffing
1 bag instant potatoes
1 can cranberry sauce
4 buns

Directions:
Make the potatoes and stuffing and set them aside along with the cranberry sauce.

Combine the ground turkey with the herbs, garlic, and salt. Mix this well, and form it into ¼ lb. patties.

Add a small amount of oil to a skillet over medium heat. Put the burgers in and cook them until nicely browned. Flip, and do the same on the reverse side. Then remove them from heat.

Once the burgers are removed from the pan, add the butter. When melted, add the flour and mix into a nice roux, scraping any bits off the bottom of the pan in the process. Stir the roux regularly as it darkens. When it reaches a medium brown and nice, nutty aroma, add the hot broth in several increments, stirring each time until smooth. Cook down to your desired consistency, bearing in mind that it will thicken as it cools.

To plate the burgers, spread cranberry sauce on the bottom of each bun and top with a nice layer of stuffing. Place a burger on top of the stuffing. Smother the burger with mashed potatoes and pour over the gravy. Cap it off with the top bun.

There’s plenty of leftover potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and gravy with this recipe, so to feed a few more (or make sure everyone gets seconds) all you need to do is double the burgers.

Enjoy!