Sheet Pan Suppers: Caprese Turkey Burgers w/ Wedges
Recipe By: Molly Gilbert, Sheet Pan Suppers, the Cookbook
Fun Fact: Sheet pan dinners exploded in American kitchens in the 2010s, proving dinner could be crispy, colorful, delicious, and gloriously light on dirty dishes.
What You’ll Need
2 sweet potatoes (about 1½ pounds total), peeled and cut lengthwise into 1-inch wedges
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground turkey (dark meat is best for the juiciest burgers)
¼ cup diced shallot (about 1 small shallot)
¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
1 small tomato, sliced into ½-inch-thick rounds, for serving Pesto Sauce (recipe follows), for serving
Step By Step
1️⃣ Get the oven hot.
Preheat to 450°F with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two sheet pans with foil or parchment, then set a wire rack on one of them.
2️⃣ Start the sweet potato fries.
Pile the sweet potatoes onto the sheet pan without the rack. Drizzle with canola oil, season with ½ teaspoon salt + ½ teaspoon pepper, and give everything a good toss.
Spread them into one layer and roast on the upper rack for about 15 minutes, until they’re starting to soften and pick up some color.
3️⃣ Build the burgers.
While the fries are doing their thing, add the turkey, shallot, basil, vinegar, olive oil, and remaining salt and pepper to a bowl.
Mix gently with your hands just until everything comes together. Don’t beat the life out of it. Overmixed turkey = sad, chewy burgers.
Divide into 4 patties, about ¾-inch thick, and place them on the wire rack.
4️⃣ Everybody into the oven.
Once the potatoes have roasted for 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 400°F.
Flip the fries, move them to the lower rack, and slide the turkey burgers onto the upper rack.
Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the fries are crisp and charred around the edges and the burgers are nearly cooked through.
You’re looking for the turkey to be approaching 165°F internally.
5️⃣ Cheese, please. 🧀
Pull both pans from the oven and set the fries aside.
Top each burger with a slice of cheese, then send them back into the oven for about 5 more minutes, until the cheese is gloriously melty and the burgers hit at least 165°F in the center.
6️⃣ Bring it home.
Top each burger with fresh tomato slices and a very generous spoonful of pesto.
Serve with those piping-hot sweet potato fries on the side and call dinner handled.
BRIGHT + EASY PESTO 🌿
You’ll need:
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 heaping cup shredded Parmesan
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper
1️⃣ Blend it.
Add the basil, Parmesan, olive oil, and lemon juice to a food processor and blend until smooth.
2️⃣ Season it.
Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
3️⃣ Make-ahead move.
The pesto can be made a day ahead and kept covered in the fridge. One less thing standing between you and dinner tomorrow.