Spinach feta turkey burgers remind me so much of spanakopita, but instead of flaky phyllo, all that spinach-and-feta goodness is packed into a juicy, savory burger. And honestly? Feta in burgers is a revelation. Salty, tangy, and just melty enough, it takes ground turkey from basic to absolutely crave-worthy.
This meal prep brings together cozy Mediterranean flavors in a way that still feels familiar. Burgers are one of my favorite ways to try new flavor combinations because they’re easy, flexible, and weeknight-friendly. Paired with fluffy lemon dill rice and sweet, lightly charred bell peppers, this is the kind of meal you’ll actually look forward to reheating.
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How to make this meal prep
This recipe is all about simple components that come together smoothly.
The burgers are made by mixing ground turkey with feta cheese, thawed spinach (squeeze out as much liquid as you can), garlic, salt, and olive oil. While the burgers cook, the rice simmers away with dill and olive oil, making this a great multitasking meal prep.
The bell peppers cook quickly on the stovetop, but if it’s grilling season, you can absolutely grill both the burgers and peppers. That little bit of char adds flavor and color and ties everything together beautifully.
Ingredients
For the burgers
- 16 oz ground turkey (sub ground chicken)
- ½ cup feta cheese
- 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups water
- ¾ cup rice (sub farro or couscous)
- 2 teaspoons dried dill (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
- 1 lemon, washed well (for zest and juice)
For the bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large red bell pepper, sliced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Start the rice: Add rice and olive oil to a pot over medium heat. Toast for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add water and dill, stir once, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10–15 minutes.
- Turn off heat and let steam for 10 more minutes. Uncover and let cool slightly.
- Make the burgers: In a bowl, combine ground turkey, feta, spinach, garlic, and salt. Mix well.
- Chill briefly if needed, then form 6 small or 3 large patties.
- Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, then cook burgers 5–7 minutes per side, depending on size.
- Remove burgers and set aside.
- Cook the peppers: In the same pan, add olive oil and bell peppers with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high for about 10 minutes, until tender and lightly charred.
- Finish the rice: Stir in lemon zest and juice from half the lemon. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Assemble: Add rice to containers, top with burgers and peppers, and include a lemon wedge.
How to customize these spinach feta turkey burgers
- You can swap ground turkey for ground chicken or beef! A combination of pork and beef works well, too.
- Not into feta? Try gorgonzola, goat cheese or blue cheese. Keep in mind it’s going to change the flavors quite a bit, and that some of those cheeses are a little softer than feta, so it might melt faster.
- Don’t have spinach? Try Swiss chard or kale. Arugula would work, too, for a peppery kick instead of something a little sweeter and earthier like spinach. If you have greens from beets, those would work, too. Steam them a little bit beforehand. Or if you’re in a real pinch, use a big bunch of parsley instead of spinach..
- Dairy-free? Use chopped and pitted kalamata olives instead of feta cheese, about 1/2 cup. Or you can add 1/4 cup nutritional yeast for a cheesy taste.
- Not into bell peppers? Any vegetable will work in this meal. Really, any. My picks would be broccoli, cauliflower, broccolini, asparagus, green beans, or Brussels sprouts. Something colorful and quick!
- Don’t like rice? Use quinoa, farro or couscous instead. You can also swap white rice with brown if you’d rather. You could even serve this over orzo.
- Don’t like/don’t have dill? Swap it with parsley or cilantro in the rice.
- Out of lemon? Try lime instead, although orange would work, too.
And of course you can serve these on a bun, and so in that case, you might end up skipping the cooked starch altogether, or not! Use any kind you like, but we’re partial to brioche ones because they tend to hold up well, but I could see a multigrain roll being really delicious here, too.
See? There are so many ways you can tweak this recipe to make it your own without screwing it up at all.
Ingredient Notes and Tips
Feta is salty and tangy, so you may not need much extra salt in the burgers. Taste the mixture before cooking if you’re unsure. Chilling the burger mixture for a few minutes makes shaping much easier.
How to Store and Reheat
This meal prep keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days when stored in airtight containers.
We don’t recommend freezing the full meal, but the burgers themselves freeze beautifully, either raw or cooked. Thaw them in the fridge before cooking or reheating for best results.
To reheat, use the microwave or warm gently on the stovetop. If reheating burgers from frozen, always thaw first to avoid uneven cooking.
If you’re building out your weekly routine, our Weekly Meal Planner can help make it feel a lot more manageable.
One final tip . . .
Feta has a salty, tangy taste. You might not need much salt in these burgers.
FAQs
Yes. Freeze the burgers on their own, either cooked or uncooked. Thaw in the fridge before reheating or cooking.
Absolutely. Grill them over medium heat and cook until firm and cooked through. Grill the peppers alongside if you’d like.
Goat cheese, gorgonzola, or blue cheese all work, though they’ll change the flavor and texture slightly.
Yes. Cook it down first and squeeze out excess liquid before adding it to the burger mixture.
Definitely. These reheat well and stay satisfying for several days.
Find more burgers to love!
- Meal Prep Turkey Burgers with Crispy Fries
- Talia’s Favorite Homemade Shake Shack Burger
- Easy Freezer-Friendly White Bean Veggie Burgers
- Meal Prep Burger Bowl with Shake Shack Sauce
Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers With Lemon Dill Rice
Ingredients
For the burgers
- 16 oz ground turkey sub ground chicken
- 1/2 cup feta cheese sub blue cheese, gorgonzola, goat cheese
- 1 cup frozen spinach thawed, squeeze the water out
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 TBSP olive oil
For the rice
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1-1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cup rice sub farro or couscous
- 2 tsp dried dill sub 1 TBSP fresh dill if you have it
- 1 lemon wash it well (for zest)
For the bell peppers
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1 large red bell pepper chopped into strips
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start the rice: add the rice and olive oil to a pot over medium heat. Stir to combine and let the rice toast for 5 minutes. Then add the water and dill. Stir once, then bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer and let it cook for 10-15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice steam for an additional 10 minutes. Uncover it when it’s done and let it sit/cool a bit.
- In a bowl, add the ground turkey, feta, drained spinach, garlic and salt. Mix well to combine. Form 6 small or 3 large patties with your hands and place them on a plate. To make it easier, let the mixture chill for a few mins in the fridge (otherwise it’s pretty sticky) before forming the patties.
- Heat a nonstick skillet, cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add 1 TBSP olive oil (or a high heat oil if you have it, like coconut or avocado oil) and let it warm up for 2 minutes. Then add the patties to the pan. Cook on each side for 5-7 minutes over medium heat depending on the size. When they’re done, they should be pretty firm, but not hard, to the touch. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, add 1 TBSP over medium heat. Add the bell pepper strips with a little salt and pepper, then turn up the heat to medium-high. Stir/flip the peppers every few minutes until they’re done to your liking! I cooked mine for about 10 minutes.
- Finish the rice: to the rice, add 1 tsp of lemon zest (2 if you doubled the recipe) and juice from 1/2 a lemon. Mix with a fork, taste and adjust flavors if needed (I added more salt). Cut the remaining lemon into wedges for garnish.
- Assemble: Add a layer of rice to each container, followed by the burgers, bell peppers and lemon wedge for garnish. That’s it!
