Spicy Turkey Burgers with Broiled Veggies

I have had a craving for hamburgers lately, but the 100-plus degree heat outside has kept me from grilling. So for dinner tonight, I decided to pan fry some turkey burgers and broil some fresh veggies--and they really hit the spot!

The ingredients:

6 strips of bacon--I used hickory smoked bacon
1 lb "85/15" turkey meat
2 eggs
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped bread crumbs--I used a "zesty" blend
1 tablespoonful Tony Chachere's seasoning (not pictured)--if you don't like spiciness, you can just add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, but I love the kick from the Tony's spice.
15 mushrooms, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
Asparagus

Turn on the broiler in your oven, then fry your bacon in a large skillet. Once they are cooked, put them to the side, but don't drain the fat out of the pan--this is what you'll use to cook your burgers in. If you want a lighter version, you can cook the turkey burgers in some olive oil.

 While your bacon is frying, finely chop your white onion and garlic. Combine your white onion, garlic, eggs, bread crumbs, and spices with your ground turkey, then form into patties.

Heat the bacon grease over medium-high heat, then add your patties and let them cook. Leave them alone until the bottoms are nice and brown--about 5 to 7 minutes--so they don't crumble or stick when you turn them over.

While those are cooking, slice up your red onion and mushrooms, then place your veggies on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil and add salt and pepper, then pop in the oven. Let them cook on the middle rack for about 7 minutes, or until your onions are caramelized.

After one side of your burger is cooked, flip it over and cook for about 4 to 6 minutes. Then add your cheese and cover the skillet while they finish cooking. If you want, you can add a layer of bacon and another slice of cheese (like I did for my husband's burger) on top of the first slice. Once the cheese is all melted and gooey, about 1 to 2 minutes, let the burgers rest on some paper towels for a couple of minutes.

Then put that delicious turkey burger between a sesame seed-covered bun, plate your veggies, and serve! You can add some lettuce and tomato if you want at this point, but this burger is so moist and flavor-packed that you won't need any extra condiments.

And that's it! It took about 30 minutes to cook, and it was super spicy and delicious--and my husband loved it. Enjoy!