Spicy Brunch Bloody Mary Turkey Burgers

*This post is sponsored by Butterball and was written for their Turketarian program… but all opinions are my own!

It takes a special kind of cocktail to be turned into a burger. After all, strawberry daiquiris, watermelon mojitos, and piña coladas just don’t work in burger form. But a Bloody Mary? A Bloody Mary is just dying to be made into a burger. It’s practically begging for it. Tomatoes, olives, celery, Tabasco, horseradish, and bacon: all ingredients that are heavenly in a glass, but way more nourishing when served in burger form. Since a Bloody Mary is the perfect brunch cocktail, I'm going to go ahead and say this is the perfect brunch burger.

I’ve been a big fan of Butterball’s frozen turkey burgers since I was introduced to them last year, but it wasn’t until this year I became aware of how many different varieties they have. I can’t pick a favorite between the Original Seasoned, Cheddar, All Natural White, and Sweet Onion. For my Bloody Mary burgers, I opted for the Original Seasoned and Cheddar. I know, I know, Bloody Marys rarely involve cheese (unless it’s blue cheese-stuffed olives), but I couldn’t resist. And I highly recommend you don’t resist either.

Spicy Brunch Bloody Mary Turkey Burgers (makes 4):
Print this recipe!

• 10 large green Manzanillo olives
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 2 stalks celery
• ½ t Tabasco sauce
• 4 Butterball Turkey Burgers (variety of your choice)
• 4 hamburger buns
• ¼ C horseradish sauce
• 8 strips bacon, cooked (I recommend Butterball’s Turkey Bacon)

One of the things I love best about Butterball’s Turkey Burgers is that they can go right from the freezer to the grill, which means I can make a last-minute game time decision when I get home from work late and am craving a burger (which is, um… basically every night). You can cook the burgers in the broiler or a skillet, too, but if you have access to a grill, I think it’s the very best method.

While these Bloody Mary Burgers involve a little bit more prep work than your typical cheeseburger, they’re simple enough to make and so, so worth it.

It’s mostly a little bit of chopping. To start, chop the olives, tomatoes, and celery and put them in a medium bowl. Mix with Tabasco sauce.

Put your burgers on the grill over medium heat (or in the oven or in a skillet)! They only take about 8 minutes on one side and 7 on the other.

While they’re grilling, toast the buns a bit and then spread a little horseradish sauce on each side, with some cracked black pepper.

Place the burger on the bun and then spoon the olive, tomato, and celery mixture over the top. Layer on two slices of bacon and then top with the other half of the bun.

This is my dream burger. A) Because it involves everything that represents the perfect Bloody Mary to me (OK fine, minus the vodka), B) because I’m obsessed with fresh summer tomatoes and green olives, and C) because it’s all in turkey burger form. Does it get any better?

I think it would be a really smart idea to keep a little bowl of chopped tomatoes, olives, and celery in your fridge at all times. Then, when you get home from work late and don’t feel like slaving over a hot stove, you can simply put some turkey burgers on the grill and have this dinner ready again in no time at all.

Hopefully, the sun will still be semi-out and you can eat this meal outside. After all, we’re starting to reach that time of year when the days are going to get shorter… and before long, the sun will set while we’re still sitting at the office finishing our work for the day. Noooo. Sorry I brought that up.

Since it will be our first winter in our new house, I’m interested to see how much we end up using our grill when the weather starts to get cold and snowy. Hopefully a lot… I guess it all depends on just how bad this next New England winter is. And how much I’m craving these burgers and willing to battle the snow banks that will likely build up on our deck.

But for now, there’s still summer. And plenty of grilling weather left (fingers crossed). So, let’s all take advantage of it. Bloody Marys and burgers for all! Or just combine the two and get prepared to be in burger bliss.

What cocktail would you turn into a turkey burger?

[Sues]