Pita Turkey Burger & Pineapple
The pineapple hits the pan after the burger comes out. Honey, high heat, two minutes, and you have caramelized chunks that taste like they took real effort. The turkey patty gets half the curry powder mixed into the meat with chopped chili, the bell pepper and onion roast alongside it, and the other half of the curry powder goes straight into mayo. Stack everything in a toasted whole wheat pita with mixed greens.
638 calories, 31 grams of protein, 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- pineapple chunks (frozen) 3 ounces
- chili pepper 0.5
- bell pepper 1
- onion 0.25
- 99% lean ground turkey breast 3 ounces
- curry powder 1.5 teaspoon
- olive oil 1 tablespoon
- honey 1 teaspoon
- pita, whole wheat 1
- mayonnaise 1.5 tablespoon
- mixed salad 2 handfuls
Method
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Remove the pineapple from the freezer and let it thaw on a plate.
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Finely chop the chili pepper. Cut the bell pepper into strips and the red onion into thin half-rings.
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In a bowl, mix the ground turkey with the chili pepper, half of the curry powder, and some salt and pepper. With wet hands, form the mixture into a burger patty.
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Heat the oil in a skillet, place the burger in the pan, and add the bell pepper strips and red onion around it to cook alongside. Cook for about 8 minutes, flipping the burger halfway through.
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Remove the burger, bell pepper, and onion from the pan. In the same pan, cook the pineapple pieces on high heat with the honey for about 2 minutes.
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Meanwhile, toast the pita bread in a toaster or grill pan.
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In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the remaining curry powder.
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Slice the pita bread open. Layer some mixed salad inside, followed by the turkey burger, pineapple, and red onion, then top with the curry mayonnaise.
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Serve the pita on a plate with the remaining lettuce and roasted bell pepper strips on the side.
When you stir the remaining curry powder into the mayonnaise, you are building one of the simplest curcumin delivery systems in your kitchen. Turmeric powder in a fat-containing meal delivered 44 times more curcumin to the bloodstream than the same dose taken as an isolated supplement (Nasef et al., 2019, crossover trial). Mayo is roughly 70% fat with almost no water to dilute the contact.
Why This Works
Behind this recipe
Can I use fresh pineapple instead of frozen?
Fresh works well. The flavor will be a touch brighter since frozen pineapple is typically picked riper and holds more sweetness. Cut it into chunks roughly the same size and sear the same way. The high heat caramelizes the natural sugars either way.
Is 31 grams of protein enough for one meal?
For most people, comfortably. A 2023 randomized study using isotope tracers found no upper ceiling for how much protein your body can use from a single meal. One hundred grams was still being absorbed after 12 hours. Thirty-one grams is well within the range your body handles efficiently.
Read the full evidence reviewWhy split the curry powder between the burger and the mayo?
Half goes into the raw meat so it cooks into the patty and seasons from the inside. The other half mixes cold into mayonnaise for a curry sauce that stays bright and pungent. Heat dulls some of the volatile aromatic compounds in spice blends. You get two different expressions of the same spice in one meal.
