Spanakopita Burgers Recipes

SPANAKOPITA BURGERS

Steps:

• Make the tzatziki sauce first so the flavors have a chance to meld. If you drain the yogurt first, your sauce will be super thick and delicious. Combine all sauce ingredients, stir well and refrigerate.
• You can either buy drained yogurt (known as Greek, Hungarian or Bulgarian yogurt, and maybe you can find it under other names, it's all the same, and it's very thick) or drain your own. I drain mine by putting it into a coffee filter over a deep container and popping it into the refrigerator for about 24 hours. All of the liquid will drain out and the yogurt will be super thick. I start with 16 ounces and it drains down to about 8 or 10 ounces, which is perfect for the 4 patties the recipe makes. Discard the liquid.
• To paste the garlic, mince it finely then add a bit of salt to the pile. Lay your blade flat on top of the pile and, with the heel of your hand, apply pressure and push down and away. The salt will act as an abrasive and break the bits of garlic down. After a couple of minutes of this, the garlic will be a paste. Once the garlic is a paste, it will go all through the yogurt smoothly without leaving chunks.
• Now, to the patties. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, onion, and garlic. Squeeze all the water out of the spinach and separate it as you add it to the bowl. Crumble the feta cheese into the bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, egg, steak seasoning, salt and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Mix it all together so that all the ingredients are evenly distributed, but don't overwork it.
• Form the mixture into 4 patties and drizzle each with the remaining olive oil, turning to coat both sides.
• Brown the patties in a medium hot skillet, about 6 minutes on the first side, and about 4 minutes on the 2nd side. You're looking for a nice brown color on each side. To get the best color, once you put them in the skillet, don't move them until you're ready to flip. Your nose will tell you when they're ready.
• If you use a non-stick skillet, the olive oil you've drizzled over the patties will be sufficient and there will be no need to add more oil to the skillet.
• Warning! Your house will smell phenomenal!
• Serve the patties with a Greek salad, some warm pita bread, and the tzatziki on the side.

RACHAEL RAY'S SPANAKOPITA BURGERS

Steps:

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• To one side, add a little extra-virgin olive oil and a tablespoon of butter.
• When butter melts, add the chopped garlic and chopped red onion and cook 5 minutes. Transfer the onions and garlic to a bowl to cool.
• Return pan to heat.
• Squeeze all the water out of the thawed spinach.
• Separate the spinach as you add it to the bowl with cool onions, garlic and season with 1 teaspoon of oregano.
• Add in feta crumbles then chicken or turkey, grill seasoning and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
• Mix and form into 4 patties, 1-inch thick.
• Raise heat on pan to medium-high.
• Add patties and cook 6 minutes on each side.

CHICKEN OR TURKEY SPANAKOPITA BURGERS AND FRIES WITH YOGURT DIP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to directions on the package and bake fries until crisp.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. To one side, add a little extra-virgin olive oil and a tablespoon of butter. When butter melts, add the chopped garlic and chopped red onion and cook 5 minutes. Transfer the onions and garlic to a bowl to cool. Return pan to heat.
• Wring the defrosted spinach dry buy twisting it in a clean kitchen towel over your sink. Separate the spinach as you add it to the bowl with cool onions, garlic and season with 1 teaspoon of oregano. Add in feta crumbles then chicken or turkey, grill seasoning and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Mix and form into 4 patties, 1-inch thick. Raise heat on pan to medium-high. Add patties and cook 6 inches on each side.
• Season the sliced cucumbers and tomatoes with salt and pepper. Toast rolls, if you prefer.
• Place remaining chopped cucumber, the crushed clove of garlic, yogurt, 1 teaspoon oregano and juice of 1/2 lemon in a food processor. Add a little salt and process the sauce until smooth. Transfer to a small dish and serve with the fries as a dipping sauce. Rinse out the processor bowl and return to base.
• Place red peppers, parsley and olives in food processor, season with salt and pepper and process until a paste forms. Place cooked burgers on roll bottoms. Top the burgers with sliced cucumber, tomato, reserved red onions, shredded arugula and hot peppers, if using. Slather roll tops with red pepper and olive paste and serve with chips of choice.

TURKEY SPANAKOPITA BURGER

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds, stirring frequently. (You don't want the garlic to burn. By the way, if you like garlic like I do, use the 4 cloves.)
• On a cutting board, chop spinach quickly. I grab a fistful, roll it, and cut it into ribbons. You don't get points for finesse with this recipe, so don't overthink it. Add spinach to skillet and cook and stir for another 1-2minutes, just to wilt. Remove mixture from pan to a bowl and allow to cool.
• In a large mixing bowl, place turkey, oregano, pepper, paprika, coriander, thyme and red pepper flakes. (If you have a low stock of herbs and spices, just use the oregano and paprika and call it a day.) Blend, using hands. Add olives, cheese and cooled spinach mixture and blend lightly, using hands, until ingredients are relatively evenly distributed.
• Using hands, form mixture into 4-5 patties, place in a flat covered container and refrigerate for an hour and up to overnight. This allows the burgers to firm up a bit, otherwise they are very soft from all the add-ins.
• When ready to cook, heat a skillet over medium heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, add patties and cook for about 5 minutes on each side. (Internal temperature should be 160F degrees, which you can check with an instant-read thermometer if you like.)
• Serves 4-5.