Butterball Turkey Burgers: Mix it Up!

If you missed our Butterball Canada #SchoolLunchIdeas Twitter Party last night – you missed a ton of great tips and tricks for making delicious packed lunches. But don’t fear! You can always tweet @Butterball_CA if you’re looking for fresh ideas that are quick on time – and easy on the waistline.

(BTW, they also happen to have an awesome “Mix it Up!” Contest happening right now on Facebook – simply submit your child’s favourite lunch ideas – and recipe – using Butterball products, and you’ll be entered to win $500 in Butterball gift certificates. That’s a whole lotta turkey!)

Now you may remember my recent post “Because Every Night is a Special Occasion”. In it, I featured Butterball Lean Turkey Burgers that my family simply adored (when Reid asks for seconds, I know it’s good!).

The thing is, the burgers come in a package of 6, and since there are four of us, I was hanging on to two lonely burgers for the longest time. At first I thought I would simply grill up the burgers for the two little guys, or heck – just go buy another pack – but then inspiration struck. Reading the ingredients on the box, I realized that the Lean Turkey Burgers were pretty much ground Butterball turkey shaped into patties. Since the meat was uncooked, and had no fillers or by-products, I concluded that I could easily incorporate the burgers into my favourite chili recipe! And, since I’d be swapping ground beef for ground turkey, I’d be saving over 50% of the fat and calories!

So, I added a little olive oil in a deep, non-stick pot and threw in the frozen turkey burgers. Within minutes, I was able to break them up and proceeded to brown the entire works before adding my chili fixin’s. Here’s the recipe and method:

Mix it Up Tukey Chili

2 frozen Butterball Lean Turkey Burgers
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup chili powder
shredded Monterey Jack cheese, optional

Place frozen turkey burgers in a large pot. Cook over medium-high heat until meat crumbles and is evenly browned. Add all remaining ingredients (except cheese). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese. Serves 6.

Easy peasy! The prep work took under 10 minutes and I actually caught up on a PVR’ed episode of Big Brother as the chili simmered away. When it was done, we enjoyed it with tortilla chips on the side. YUM!

I froze two portions of the chili but reserved some in the fridge for a few days later. Then, I mixed it up again with a mid-afternoon snack of epic proportions: Turkey Chili with Spicy Fries! No secret recipe here – heated up frozen spicy fries in the toaster oven, and then layered with warm chili, diced green onions and tomato (I skipped the cheese this time, reasoning that the fries were already providing the fat and calories). Double YUM!

So there you have it – ONE box of Butterball Lean Turkey Burgers yielded two separate meals and a scrumptious snack. I love mixing it up in the kitchen, and love the versatility of turkey!

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This post is sponsored by Butterball Canada. All opinions on this blog are my own.