We all need quick dinner ideas for busy weeknights. Solution? Turkey burgers!

It’s that time of year. The holidays aren’t quite here yet and there’s so much to do at work and at home. The daily commute feels more tedious than usual. For me, it means standing on a freezing cold sidewalk until I can squeeze on to a crowded New York City bus at rush hour. If you’re a student, you’re likely deep into the semester and gearing up for final exams and assignments. If you’re a working parent, you need as many healthy shortcuts as possible to get dinner on the table. When I’m super busy, I need super fast recipes. This is one of them: Curried Turkey & Green Apple Burgers with Caramelized Onion & Mango Chutney. Having a handful of go-to burger recipes is always smart — no wonder Rachael Ray has something like 100 different burger recipes — you can get burgers on the table in 30 minutes. Moreover, there are plenty of ways you can make them tasty and healthy.

The flavor of combination of rosemary with mango is unique…and works really well!

You can put together this turkey burger mixture 30 minutes before you want to eat (or the night before and keep in the fridge). The only labor-intensive thing will be grating/food processing the Granny Smith apple and slicing one large onion into thin rings. Most turkey burgers are often dry; the moistness of this burger comes from adding the apple. I adapted this recipe from two recipes I found almost 10 years ago; the turkey burger came from Shape magazine and the caramelized onion & mango chutney was suggested as a topping for baked brie from a Better Homes and Gardens ‘Holiday Appetizers’ issue. I combined the two recipes with a few small changes and voila! We usually serve it with some oven-roasted potatoes or a simple green salad.

Curried Turkey & Green Apple Burgers with Caramelized Onion & Mango Chutney (adapted)

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 large Granny Smith apple, cored and grated/food-processed (no need to peel it)
• 1 teaspoon poultry season
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

 For chutney

• 1 large onion, sliced into thin rings
• 4 teaspoons butter
• 2/3 cup mango chutney (I usually get Patak’s “Sweet Mango Chutney” but you can use any generic Mango Chutney or Major Grey’s Chutney you can find; be sure to look for one that doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup)
• 1 teaspoon snipped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon red chilli flakes

For serving

• 4 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
• 4 whole-grain hamburger buns
• 4 large lettuce leaves

Preparation

1. First make the caramelized onion & mango chutney: caramelize the onions by heating butter slowly in small saucepan (just get the butter hot and melted, don’t let it turn brown or bubble). Add onion slices then cook covered over low heat for about 15 minutes or until tender and golden, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, stir together mango chutney (cut up any large pieces of chutney), rosemary, and red chilli flakes in a small bowl. Once your onions are golden and brownish, turn off the heat and add the mango chutney mixture, combining well. Set aside, you won’t need it until you’re ready to plate the burgers and eat.
2. In a large bowl, combine turkey, grated apple, poultry seasoning, curry powder, and salt.
3. Mix well and shape mixture into 4 patties, each about 1-inch thick. Heat oiled grill pan or oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Add burgers and cook around 4 minutes per side, until cooked through. All poultry must reach an internal temperature of 165F.
5. Pop the hamburger buns into the toaster and lightly toast them.
6. To serve, spread 1 tablespoon mayonnaise on the bottom of each burger bun. Place patty on top. Top with onion-mango chutney mixture, then with lettuce. Finish with the top bun.

In a small bowl, combine the mango chutney, red chilli flakes, and snipped rosemary

Combine mango chutney mixture with caramelized onions

Take it off the heat; it should look something like this when you’re done. Set aside, you won’t need it until you’re ready to plate the burgers.

Combine ground turkey, grated/shredded green apple, poultry seasoning, curry powder, and salt

Place the patties down on a medium-high grill for 4-5 minutes

Turn each patty over and grill for another 4 minutes

Turn it over again if you’re not convinced it’s cooked through. Any poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165F.

Caramelized onion & mango chutney recipe from Better Homes and Gardens