Shawarma turkey burgers with tahini yogurt fennel cabbage slaw feature wholesome, simple shawarma-spiced turkey patties topped with fried halloumi and a simple cabbage fennel slaw dressed with lemon tahini yogurt sauce. An awesome summer burger that’s just a touch more special than the average turkey burger, but surprisingly easy to make. So skip those store-bought, pre-made patties and make these instead!
Happy Wednesday! With Canada Day tomorrow, and Independence Day just a few days after that, I thought I would share a tasty burger recipe with you. It would pair beautifully with the lentil quinoa tabbouleh recipe that I shared yesterday if you want to go all out and prepare an outrageous Middle Eastern-inspired spread.
shawarma turkey burgers: the details
There was summer cabbage, dill, fennel, and green onions in my CSA basket this week, so making a slaw with all four ingredients was a no-brainer. The idea for the lemon tahini yogurt dressing popped into my head as I was making the slaw, and it goes so well with the shawarma spiced turkey burgers as well as the halloumi.
I opted to make a homemade shawarma spice mix for the burgers; it’s very similar to the one used in my chickpea cauliflower shawarma. It makes about double the amount that you need, but store the rest in an airtight jar and use it the next time you make this recipe. Which, if you’re anything like us, will be soon!
ingredients you’ll need
For the burgers, you’ll need lean or extra lean organic ground turkey or chicken, egg, rolled oats, sea salt, pepper, mint, red onion, garlic, and the shawarma spice, which is made with black pepper, allspice, garlic powder, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, chili powder, oregano, and sea salt.
For the cabbage fennel dill slaw, you’ll need cabbage, fennel, dill, green onions, Greek yogurt, tahini, lemon, garlic, salt, pepper, honey, and water.
For serving, you’ll need your favourite buns (I love sourdough burger buns), quick pickled onions, and halloumi. Instructions for making pickled onions and fried halloumi are in the “notes” section of the recipe card.
the method
Make the burgers: In a large bowl, mix together the ground turkey or chicken, egg, oat flour, salt, pepper, mint, onion, garlic, and shawarma spice. Form into 4 or 5 patties. Warm ½ a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 2 or 3 patties, being careful not to over-crowd them in the skillet. Cook for 5-7 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the patties, until cooked through. Add the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil to the skillet and cook the last two or three patties. Right before serving, return them to the skillet, top each with a couple slices of fried halloumi, and warm over low heat.
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Make the slaw: Combine the cabbage, fennel, dill, and green onions in a bowl. In a food processor (or simply in a bowl), combine the Greek yogurt, tahini, lemon juice and zest, garlic, salt, pepper, honey, and water. Process or whisk until smooth and pour over the vegetables. Toss so that everything gets coated with dressing.
Assemble the burgers: Toast the buns, if desired. Add a halloumi-topped turkey patty, sliced radishes and cucumber, slaw, and any other condiments (I like dijon mustard). Eat!
more middle eastern-inspired recipes
- Cauliflower Chickpea Shawarma with Herb Yogurt Tahini Sauce
- Mediterranean Lentil Veggie Wraps
- Moroccan Chicken Pitas with Garlicky Feta Honey Sauce
Last but not least, I hope that you love these shawarma turkey burgers! If you make them, let me know how you liked them with a comment and review below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I love seeing what you’ve made!
Enjoy!
Shawarma Turkey Burgers with Fried Halloumi + Tahini Yogurt Fennel Slaw
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 servings 1x
Description
Shawarma turkey burgers with tahini yogurt fennel cabbage slaw feature wholesome, simple shawarma-spiced turkey patties topped with fried halloumi and a simple cabbage fennel slaw dressed with lemon tahini yogurt sauce. An awesome summer burger that’s just a touch more special than the average turkey burger, but surprisingly easy to make. So skip those store-bought, pre-made patties and make these instead!
Ingredients
Shawarma Turkey Burgers
- 1 pound (454 grams) lean or extra lean organic ground turkey or chicken
- 1 large organic egg, lightly beaten
- ⅔ cup rolled oats, ground into a coarse flour
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup fresh mint or cilantro, finely chopped
- ½ cup finely chopped red onion
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons shawarma spice (recipe follows, or use store-bought)
Cabbage Fennel Dill Slaw
- 1 medium head of green cabbage, shredded (I use the grater attachment on my food processor)
- 1 medium fennel bulb, finely chopped (use only the bulb, not the stems)
- 2 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
- ½ cup dill, finely chopped
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup tahini
- Juice and zest of 1 large organic lemon (¼ cup lemon juice)
- 1–2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1–3 teaspoons raw honey, to taste
- 3 tablespoons water
For Serving
- Fried halloumi (see note for instructions)
- Quick pickled onions (see note)
- Sliced radishes and cucumber
- Microgreens
- Your favourite burger buns, sliced in half (I recommend something good quality here; I like the organic sourdough buns from Whole Foods)
- Any other condiments you like, such as dijon mustard
Instructions
- Make the burgers: In a large bowl, mix together the ground turkey or chicken, egg, oat flour, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, mint, onion, garlic, and shawarma spice. Form into 4 or 5 patties. Warm ½ a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 2 or 3 patties, being careful not to over-crowd them in the skillet. Cook for 5-7 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the patties, until cooked through. Add the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil to the skillet and cook the last two or three patties. Right before serving, return them to the skillet, top each with a couple slices of fried halloumi, and warm over low heat.
- Make the slaw: Combine the cabbage, fennel, dill, and green onions in a bowl. In a food processor (or simply in a bowl), combine the Greek yogurt, tahini, lemon juice and zest, garlic, salt, pepper, honey, and water. Process or whisk until smooth and pour over the vegetables. Toss so that everything gets coated with dressing.
- Assemble the burgers: Toast the buns, if desired. Add a turkey patty, sliced radishes and cucumber, slaw, and any other condiments (I like dijon mustard). Enjoy more slaw on the side; it makes quite a lot! Eat!
Notes
Shawarma Spice: Mix together 1 tablespoon ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon allspice, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, ½ tablespoon cloves, ½ tablespoon cinnamon, ½ tablespoon nutmeg, ½ tablespoon cardamom, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt. Store leftover spice mix in an airtight jar.
Fried Halloumi: Slice a 250-gram block of halloumi cheese into ¼-inch slices. Warm a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the halloumi, being careful not to over-crowd, and fry for 2-3 minutes per side, until browned. You’ll have extra fried halloumi; store in a container in the fridge and enjoy as a snack- it’s even delicious cold!
Quick Pickled Onions: Slice a red onion and place in a 16-oz heatproof glass jar. Combine ½ cup water, ½ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon cane sugar, and ¾ teaspoon sea salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over the sliced onion and wait at least 30 minutes before enjoying. Quick pickled onions keep in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for at least a week.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
A big thank you to Ottawa Farm Fresh and their Summer Abundance CSA for supplying the beautiful veggies you see in this recipe, including the cabbage, fennel, dill, radishes, cucumber, and micro greens!
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