Caprese Burgers

A couple of weeks ago I went to the local farmer's market with my mom and some sweet friends.  While I was there I picked up two HUGE bunches of basil for $2 each!  When I got home I made two batches of pesto (you can find my recipe here) and put them in the freezer because we were going out of town for the weekend.  Well, last week I made these INCREDIBLE burgers with one batch.  Oh. my. gosh.  These burgers will make you swoon.  Of course, I love the flavors of a caprese salad (basil, tomato, mozzarella) so anything with those components make me a happy girl.  I made these with ground turkey but you could use chicken or even lean ground beef.  The key is to make the pesto yourself and buy the freshest tomatoes you can find.  Summer at it's best!  Enjoy!

Caprese Burgers


1 (19.2 oz.) package ground turkey (I used 93/7)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 c. pesto, divided (please make your own)
1 large or 2 small tomatoes, cut into 8 slices
4 slices low fat mozzarella cheese
Bibb lettuce leaves for serving
4 hamburger buns (I used Sara Lee Wheat - 80 calories each!)

Place the turkey in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Add 1/4 c. of pesto and mix to combine.  Form 4 burger patties out of the mixture and put them on a plate to rest for 10 minutes before cooking.  Heat a large nonstick skillet (these can also be grilled if you choose) over medium high heat and place the burgers in the skillet.  Cook for 6-8 minutes on one side, flip and continue cooking for 6-8 more minutes on the other side.  You want the internal temperature of the burgers to be 165 degrees - do not undercook the turkey!  When the burgers are done place 2 tomatoes slices on top of each patty and top with a slice of cheese.  Cover for 1-2 minutes to allow the cheese to melt.  Place the burgers on the buns along with the bibb lettuce and top each one with an additional tablespoon of the pesto and serve!

4 servings (585 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com
*Note - you could easily make 6 burgers from this mixture and they would each be 390 calories - I wasn't feeling low cal the night I made these!