Healthier Turkey Patty Melt

This healthier Turkey Patty Melt is moist, delicious, and every bit as satisfying as the beef alternative, but with fewer calories!

*Disclaimer - This recipe was originally published in 2013. I'm working hard to update all my older recipes with recipe cards, new photos, and additional recipe information. But, getting to all of them will take time. Please bear with me. In the meantime let me assure you that this recipe is still a winner and one I'm sure you'll be well pleased with when you make it at home.

I was recently watching an episode of "America's Test Kitchen" where they were perfecting the traditional patty melt. 

It made me so hungry watching that episode that I decided I'd like to take the patty melt and try and make it a little bit lower in calories by using ground turkey in place of the ground beef.

This Healthier Turkey Patty Melt is the result.

The flavor of this burger is amazing. It isn't dry like turkey burgers can sometimes be, and the addition of the rye bread and Dijon mustard inside the burger were just what is needed for that extra zip of flavor that turkey burgers sometimes lack.

Here is my recipe and the steps I used for making these yummy burgers...

TURKEY PATTY MELT - Makes 6 sandwiches     
1 pound ground turkey
4 slices of rye bread, toasted
¾ cup 1% milk
½ medium red onion, grated
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 additional onions (I used red), sliced
3 tablespoons water
12 slices of additional rye bread, 2 per sandwich
olive oil cooking spray
12 slices of low-fat cheese, 2 per sandwich

-In a small dish, pour the milk over the toasted rye bread and allow to soak in a few minutes.
-In a large bowl, add the ground turkey, grated onion, thyme, garlic, Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper.
-Working over the dish, squeeze the milk out of the rye bread and add the bread to the meat mixture.
-Combine all the ingredients thoroughly but be careful not to over mix.
-In a large skillet over medium/high heat, add the sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally until they're completely wilted down and caramelized. This will take about 15 minutes.
-Add the water to the onions and scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Continue to cook for a few additional minutes until the water has completely evaporated.
-Remove from heat and set aside until you're ready to build your sandwich.
-Divide the meat into 6 equal portions.
-Make turkey patties in roughly the same size and shape as the rye bread you'll be using as the top and bottom of your sandwich.
-In a large grill pan or large skillet over medium/high heat, cook the turkey patties on both sides until completely cooked through and nicely browned.  This will take approximately 12 minutes on the first side and roughly 8-9 minutes on the second side.
-On a foil-lined baking sheet, spray one side of each piece of rye bread lightly with the olive oil spray.
-Place 1 bread slice, oil side down, on the foil, and top with 1 slice of cheese. Complete the same steps for the additional sandwiches
-Place a heaping mound of the caramelized onions on top of the cheese.
-Place one turkey burger on top of the onions.
-Top each burger with an additional slice of cheese.
-Top each slice of cheese with an additional slice of rye bread and lightly spray the top with the olive oil.
-Using a panini press or in a skillet, brown the sandwiches on both sides, pressing a little to ensure the cheese has sufficiently "glued" the sandwiches together.
-Now you're ready to slice and eat 🙂

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