Ground Turkey Salisbury Steaks
A robust recipe to brighten up that boring old pound of ground turkey. Ready in about 45 minutes these ground turkey Salisbury steaks bathed in mushroom sauce are the perfect weeknight dinner to feed a family of four.
Back in the day, when my girls were younger, I was always looking for lightening fast but healthy dinners to get on the table. Inevitably, I turned to the reliable boneless, skinless chicken breasts time and time again becuase I had one child who only ate chicken.
But, the others want beef!
I needed to find a burger recipe with turkey that wasn’t dry or bland.
I stumbled years and years ago across a recipe for a lighter Salisbury Steak made from turkey but the sauce base was a can of high sodium condensed French onion soup.
We can do better.
I have developed a Salisbury/turkey burger/ steak- (whatever you want to call it) that is loaded with the meatiness of a hambuger, but I pair it with a silky sauce packed with mushrooms, onions and garlic. It’s ready in a flash and everyone in your family will love it.
Sauce is everything- really- isn’t it?
Ingredients in Ground Turkey Salisbury Steaks
- ground turkey- use dark meat- not the ground white meat
- eggs
- yellow onion
- mushrooms
- garlic
- butter
- panko bread crumbs
- Djion Mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
- beef broth
- white wine
- olive oil
- salt, pepper, smoked paprika
Special Equipment needed for this recipe:
- large skillet or cast iron pan
- spatula
- sharp chef’s knife
- mixing bowl
Pro-tips for a great salisbury steak turkey burger:
- Buy whole mushrooms- they hold up better in the sauce than pre-sliced mushrooms. I like to cut my mushrooms a bit on the thick side for this recipe.
- Use ground turkey- not ground “white” turkey. The dark meat has much more flavor.
- If you do not have white wine, you can add more broth or water.
- Do not use jarred garlic- it tastes claggy and is not as bright as fresh garlic
- Use two spatulas to turn the burgers over. If they fall apart- do not worry- they’ll be just as delicious.
- You can make a turkey meatloaf using this same recipe. Just shape into a loaf, place on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 350 until the internal temperature registers 175 degrees F- about 1 hour. Baste with tomato sauce or BBQ sauce and serve the mushroom sauce on the side.
Other great weeknight turkey recipes to try:
- Ground turkey meatballs in creamy orzo
- Turkey and vegetable meatloaf
- Turkey meatballs with Sriracha mayo
- One pot- turkey chili
Commons Questions about this recipe:
Yes, use lean ground beef to keep the recipe from becoming too greasy.
The simple answer is yes, but I tend to avoid ground chicken. It is often recalled because of food safety issues.
Use extra broth if you have it, then water if not.
Cover the pan once you add the steaks back to the sauce. The steam and moisture will keep the sauce from evaporating. Add more water or wine if needed.
The burgers will finish cooking in the sauce. Just set them aside and then follow the recipe card.
Ground Turkey Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients
For the Burgers:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 large egg beaten
- 2 TBSP Dijon mustard
- 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- ½ medium yellow onion finely chopped ( about 1/2 cup)
For the sauce
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup sliced onion
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 3 TBSP butter
- 4 TBSP olive oil
- 15 oz chicken or beef broth
- 2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the turkey, panko, egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, garlic salt and onions. Mix well- but do not compact the mixture or else you will have a tough burger.
- Form the mixture into patties. Set aside on a plate.
- In a large pan, over medium high heat, add 2 TBSP of oil. Add the turkey patties to the pan and brown on each side for 1 minute. The burgers will not be cooked through. Remove from the pan once browned on both sides. Set aside.
- For the sauce- In the same pan, add the remaining oil and 2 TBSP of butter. Add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes over medium high until softened. Add the mushrooms. Coat the mushrooms with the oil and butter and reduce heat to medium. The mushrooms will brown around the edges. Add garlic. Do not stir or move the mushrooms. Let them get crispy on the edges. After 3 minutes stir the entire mixture well and finish sautéing.
- Add to the cooked mushrooms: the broth, Worcestershire sauce, wine and salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
- Nestle the burgers into the sauce. Cover tightly, reduce heat to low and let simmer 15-17 minutes until burgers are cooked through. Add more broth or water if pan dries out too quickly. Remove the burgers, keep warm, add in final tablespoon of butter to the sauce.
- Serve burgers with generous spoonfuls of sauce.
