High Protein Turkey Burger Bowls
High Protein Turkey Burger Bowls are a healthy and delicious meal idea, of a deconstructed turkey burger! The burger bowls are complete with a cottage cheese based burger sauce that is so good drizzled on top.
I love a good turkey burger with a side of sweet potato fries, but sometimes I'm not in the mood to grill burgers. Especially during the colder months, this Turkey Burger Bowl satisfies my cravings for a burger, while keeping things on the healthier side.
My family loves bowl meals, because they can add what they want and skip what they don't want. Personally, I add it all but of course some of the kids don't love onions and one doesn't prefer cheese, which I'll never understand. The star of the show however is the burger sauce. I have another version of it in my Smash Burger Taco recipe, but this one is special because it uses cottage cheese. Cottage cheese adds flavor and creaminess to the sauce, along with a lot of protein.
For when I'm in the mood to grill, my Blue Cheese Burgers and Turkey Burgers with Blueberry Compote are my favorites!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Healthy - this recipe is made with lean protein and is packed with protein from the turkey and cottage cheese. It is also packed with veggies!
- Flavorful - this tastes just like a turkey burger and the burger sauce gives it a ton of flavor!
- Great for Meal Prep - you can prep all of the ingredients in this recipe ahead of time for lunches throughout the week, or an easy dinner.
Ingredients
Ground Turkey - I use 93/7 lean ground turkey, which is lean but still has great flavor. I don't recommend using 99/1 ground turkey.
Dried Herbs - paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder are all used to give these burger bowls flavor.
Olive Oil - this is used for the turkey and the sweet potatoes to facilitate cooking.
Cottage Cheese - as the base of the burger sauce, this adds a ton of protein to the burger bowls. I also have recipes for Cottage Cheese Taco Dip and Cottage Cheese Overnight Oats.
Mayonnaise - a couple of tablespoons help keep the burger sauce creamy!
Ketchup and Mustard - these are in the burger sauce to add burger sauce flavor.
Pickles - there are diced pickles and pickle juice in the burger sauce, and then sliced pickles in the burger bowls.
Shredded Cheese - I use cheddar cheese but you could use Colby jack, or really any shredded cheese you like.
Red Onions - you can use regular raw red onion that is thinly sliced or (my favorite) pickled red onion.
Variations
Different Meat - you can definitely use ground beef instead of ground turkey, if you prefer. Ground chicken and pork would also work.
Greek Yogurt - instead of cottage cheese, you could use plain Greek yogurt, which would still add protein and keep it healthy.
Fresh Herbs - some fresh dill would be a delicious complement to the burger sauce in these bowls.
Different Potatoes - you could definitely use some baby red or Yukon gold potatoes instead of sweet potatoes.
Use Frozen Fries - you can use frozen fries instead of the sweet potatoes to cut some prep time.
Make Burger Patties - instead of doing loose meat, you can form the meat into slider sized patties, cook on the grill or stovetop, and place on top of the bowls.
Step by Step Instructions
Photo 1. Combine the diced sweet potatoes, olive oil, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and toss to combine.
Photo 2. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are cooked through and a little crispy.
Photo 3. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, add the burger sauce ingredients except the pickles to a small food processor and blend to puree.
Photo 4. Stir in the pickles.
Photo 5. Add the olive oil and turkey to a large skillet and cook until browned. Add the spices and stir to combine.
Photo 6. Lastly, assemble the bowls! Enjoy!
Expert Tips
Storage - you can store the components of these burger bowls in airtight containers in the refrigerator. You could store the turkey and sweet potatoes together, as they will both need to be reheated, but I could store the burger sauce and vegetable toppings separately.
Other Topping Ideas - you could also top these turkey burger bowls with beans, avocado, corn, pickled jalapeños, cucumbers, bacon, chipotle sauce, sautéed mushrooms, guacamole, or any other burger topping you could imagine.
Recipe FAQs
You can definitely make the components in advance! The burger sauce is the easiest to make in advance. You can cook the turkey burger mixture and roast the sweet potatoes, and then just reheat in the microwaves.
Yes. You could definitely add some spice by adding red pepper flakes to the turkey mixture, or top the burger bowls with pickled jalapeños, fresh jalapeños, or hot sauce.
Other Bowl Recipes to Consider
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #greensnchocolate.
Turkey Burger Bowls
Ingredients
Turkey Burger Mixture
- 1 lb 93/7 ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Sweet Potatoes
- 3 sweet potatoes peeled and diced into ½" pieces
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Cottage Cheese Burger Sauce
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 2 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon dill pickle juice
- 2 tablespoon diced dill pickles
Toppings
- sliced raw red onions or pickled red onions
- cherry tomatoes, halved
- shredded romaine lettuce
Instructions
- Add the olive oil and turkey to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cook the turkey until it is cooked through and browned, breaking it into smaller pieces as it cooks.
- Add the spices and stir to combine.
Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a medium to large bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, olive oil, and spices and toss to combine.
- Spread out on a prepared baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. They should be softened and a little crispy.
Burger Sauce
- To a small food processor, add all of the burger sauce ingredients except for the diced pickles
- Pulse until well blended.
- Stir in the pickles.
- Now, assemble the bowls! Divide the sweet potatoes and turkey mixture between 4 bowls.
- Top with diced tomatoes, red onions, pickles, lettuce, and burger sauce.
- Enjoy!
