This is one of my favorite veggie burger recipes and I was amazed how well it stood up on the grill. The texture was amazing.
http://www.veganappetite.com/2010/03/all-american-incredibur gers.html

Grilled portabella mushrooms marinated in a little soy sauce and garlic is an awesome alternative that is a big calorie saver. These can be dressed up with condiments and you'll still have a plenty of calories available for some side dishes.

One portobello mushroom has about 30 calories and no fat or cholesterol. By comparison, a 3-ounce hamburger patty has 235 calories, 16 grams of fat and 76 milligrams of cholesterol a turkey burger can have 160 calories, 8 grams of fat and about 70 grams of cholesterol.

Easy.  Buy 95/5 lean/fat ground beef.  CC lists it as 140 calories (1 patty, yield from 1/4 lb raw beef).  The bun is almost as many calories.

Hamburgers made with lean ground beef are excellent sources of complete protein.  I've eaten two 1/2 pound 95/5 burgers after weight training workouts.  They're excellent!

One of my favourites for a low calorie 'hamburger'... which strictly speaking isn't a hamburger because it's not beef is a kangaroo mince patty (In the US you would be best to use lean buffalo meat to make the patty) and instead of using a bread roll I sandwich the burger and salad between two large portabella mushrooms (around 45 calories compared to over 100)

Rocket burgers sound delish! Bison is definitely better for the environment than cattle so I was happy to see that listed as a suggestion!

I second portabella mushrooms as a great substitute. A grilled or sauteed PM is so good! I like black bean burgers better than garden burgers (assuming they are store bought not homemade) mainly because every company puts liquid smoke in it! Why they do this is beyond me because it doesn't make me think grilled. It makes me think eww this has liquid smoke on it lol

Original Post by: ds1973

Easy.  Buy 95/5 lean/fat ground beef.  CC lists it as 140 calories (1 patty, yield from 1/4 lb raw beef).  The bun is almost as many calories.

Hamburgers made with lean ground beef are excellent sources of complete protein.  I've eaten two 1/2 pound 95/5 burgers after weight training workouts.  They're excellent!

Complete protein? The myth keeps popping up again.

I don't have an exact recipe or name for the turkey burgers I make at home, but I find them VERY delicious!  I have no idea what the nutritional information is for them, but I do feel substantially less guilty when eating these as opposed to the bloated "I'll never do this again" feeling I usually have after eating a burger out somewhere.  But I digress...here's how I make my turkey burgers:

Mix up Appx. 1 lb ground turkey, 1 diced onion, lots of fresh shredded arugula and/or spinach, some feta cheese (about 1/4 cup), a couple of splashes of worstechire sauce, and some ground black pepper.  Squish together well and make some patties - throw on the grill then eat with a whole wheat bun, sliced tomato, lettuce, and dijon mustard. 

If you don't overcook the turkey, these are very moist and super flavorful thanks to the powerful taste of the arugula and feta...I was apprehensive about adding leafy veggies to my burger, but it's really a great flavor that has some nutritional value.  Enjoy!

Original Post by: trancendenz

Original Post by: ds1973

Easy.  Buy 95/5 lean/fat ground beef.  CC lists it as 140 calories (1 patty, yield from 1/4 lb raw beef).  The bun is almost as many calories.

Hamburgers made with lean ground beef are excellent sources of complete protein.  I've eaten two 1/2 pound 95/5 burgers after weight training workouts.  They're excellent!

Complete protein? The myth keeps popping up again.

To each thier own, but I despise ground turkey.

Lean ground beef is very similar to calorie content of ground turkey which is why I can't understand why so many people embrace the turkey.  If the fat content is the same the calorie content is almost identical.  The beef has more iron and probably other minerals/vitamins too.  When you are talking about 95/5 beef the saturated fat content is almost a non-issue too.  A slice of cheese has at least 2-3x the sat fat.

Original Post by: trancendenz

Original Post by: ds1973

Easy.  Buy 95/5 lean/fat ground beef.  CC lists it as 140 calories (1 patty, yield from 1/4 lb raw beef).  The bun is almost as many calories.

Hamburgers made with lean ground beef are excellent sources of complete protein.  I've eaten two 1/2 pound 95/5 burgers after weight training workouts.  They're excellent!

Complete protein? The myth keeps popping up again.

A complete protein is merely one that contains the optimal profile of essential amino acids.  Beef contains all the essential AA's. 

However, I just found this tool that shows 95/5 ground beef is slightly lower in tryptophan, meaning it does not actually a complete amino acid profile.  Here's a description of the site.  See, learn something new every day.

This is why it's important to have a variety of food sources in your diet.  People who whimsically cut out whole food groups need to pay close attention to this.  For the rest of us omnivores it's easier to get all our essential AAs from a diet including meat.  Chicken, turkey, pork tenderloin all have a complete AA profile.  Depending on the cut, steak does too.

Here's the link to the main page in case the others don't work. 

http://www.bitterpoison.com/archive/complete-protein/

I agree 100% with you, everything in moderation.... my personal choice for a lean burger patty is a mix of ostrich and extra lean beef mince.  Always remember to never overcook the patties because they will be dry and tasteless.  Flavour them well with garlic, finely chopped onions, fresh herbs and use an egg and breadcrumbs or oats to "lighten" the mix.  Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.  When you fry a patty, heat your skillet to a very high heat.  Coat the patty with a bit of oil, you don't need tons of oil in the skillet because it will just splatter oil everywhere in the kitchen and add calories.  Cook at a high heat for 1-2 mins on each side, then remove from the skillet, cover in aluminium foil and keep in a warm place for another 5-10 mins, which will finish the cooking process and seal in all those lovely juices.  I add paprika, cumin and a dash of coriander powder to my patties for added flavour.  Thanks for a lovely article.

I don't see why you need to substitute your ground beef if you're using high quality lean beef. We often mix diced onion and gr. pepper into the beef and then grill, very yummy. To keep it light i use those wholewheat sandwich thins instead of a bun, sliced tomatos instead of ketsup and of course, leave out the mayo (yuk!).

For turkey burgers - or just about any other kind of meat - try Bragg's Amino Acids seasoning, with a mix of red & black pepper and onion & garlic. The Braggs really makes the meat stay moist and has excellent flavor.  It has no fat, no sugar and only 65 mg of sodium per teaspoon.  Spray it on both sides of the meat and you are using less than half of a serving.  Even my teenage grandson loves the turkey burgers with Bragg's.

Original Post by: melizabeth

I don't see why you need to substitute your ground beef if you're using high quality lean beef. We often mix diced onion and gr. pepper into the beef and then grill, very yummy. To keep it light i use those wholewheat sandwich thins instead of a bun, sliced tomatos instead of ketsup and of course, leave out the mayo (yuk!).

... Because lean beef is only 95% fat reduced... ostrich meat is 99% fat reduced  (it doesn't sound like much but when you are counting calories and want maximum taste, it helps). It tastes like beef, can be used just like beef, even looks like beef (a little darker).  It is also more economical in South Africa.  I agree on the fresh toppings for the burgers.... sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced iceberg lettuce, and if you want mayo, why not make a lower-fat alternative like  do! .... 2 tablespoons low-fat mayo and 1 tablespoon fat free yoghurt.  Mix together and add a flavouring of your choice.  I like it with a little chopped dill, delish!

I like turkey burgers stuffed w/ onions, scallions, bell peppers, italian seasoning, and garlic powder on the grill topped w/ ketchup, mustard, grilled onion, inside a sandwich thin bun.

We do "Confetti Burgers":  90+% Lean Beef or 98+ Gr Turkey.  To the mixture add shredded carrots, finely sliced scallions, shredded zucchini, shredded mushrooms, chopped fresh spinach, chopped cilantro, chopped garlic, a little soy sauce or teriyaki.   Hardly needs a bun and really stretches the ground meat.

Original Post by: richmondc50rider

We do "Confetti Burgers":  90+% Lean Beef or 98+ Gr Turkey.  To the mixture add shredded carrots, finely sliced scallions, shredded zucchini, shredded mushrooms, chopped fresh spinach, chopped cilantro, chopped garlic, a little soy sauce or teriyaki.   Hardly needs a bun and really stretches the ground meat.

I will be trying that one!!! Thanks

if the meat is too lean, it makes for a dry burger. I use oroweat slim buns and ketchup with fried onions and 80% lean beef , most of fat comes out of burger...

Grass fed buffalo............Leaner than chicken!  And the flavor is amazing.

I buy bagged bacon crumbles and mix a little of that and Kirkland salt-free seasoning into turkey burger.  It gives it a lot of flavor and I don't go so overboard on the bacon that it would make it too fattening or salty.  It is making me hungry thinking about it. :)

i am a fan of buffalo burgers..also a big fan of the "tuna" buger

The Easter Bunny brought my husband and I a gourmet burger cookbook this year, and we loved it more than the candy (which, by the way, we never finished and chucked).  Cooking our own burgers lets us grill them on a real grill, rather than on a fryer or greasy plate like they do in restaurants.  We can also choose leaner ground beef options, or turkey, or even fish!  The book has inspired me to try my own weird recipes, too, and thus far my personal favorite is:

Korean BBQ Burger

Patty:

1 lb lean ground beef

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

Fixings:

Sliced red onion

1 slice of lowfat provolone

1-1.5 Tbsp spicy Korean bbq sauce

enough kimchee to spread across the patty

sesame bun

It's simple, but very flavorful.  If you make your burger spicy, I find it's more satisfying.

Next, I think I want to try something Greek.....

I am getting in the habit of never using a bun or bread for any beef or chicken sandwich, and most times, it is filling and if I switch veggie of the day instead of fries, quite filling. But I love the idea of the portabella mushrooms instead of a bun!

I use lean ground beef, season well with garlic and a red & black ground pepper blen;, broil the burgers, and skip the cheese in favor of fresh lettuse, red onion, and tomatoes with a dill pickle on the side.  Top with sauce using mustard, lite mayo mixed with a little horseradish & a drop of Tiger sauce.  We eat either lite buns or use whole wheat bread (diet if I can find it.) 

Some nights we skip the buns, have the burger with a large dinner salad instead.

We make our own sweet potato fries by slicing them & brushing lightly with olive oil before baking.  I sprinkle with salt substitute.

I find if I put out some veggies stix beforehand while dinner is cooking it takes the edge off and one burger is plenty.  If still hungry we eat another vegetable like corn or I might serve some V-8 or tomato juice as a beverage.

The other advantage of portabella mushrooms in place of the bun is the extra proteing contained in the mushroom.

The protein fills you up more despite the lower calorie count... and if you happen to like mushrooms it's delish!

marvelous suggestion everyone! Calorie Count members are the best!

If I'm eating vegetarian I have Morningstar Veggie Burgers, so super delicious. But I've also have black bean burgers, and I just found a yummy looking recipe for Chickpea burgers that I'm going to try.

If I'm not eating vegetarian I make Turkey Burgers. I've never had a problem making them taste amazing, but I don't really add much to the lean ground turkey. Maybe it's the way you are cooking them? I don't know.

I like my burgers with the works on top (Spinach, tomato, onion, bell pepper, ketchup, relish, mustard, bbq sauce), but my fiance will usually have the burger very plain with a bit of fresh spinach, and sometimes a little BBQ sauce.

Wow!  So many ideas! I've got to try some of them.  Since my brother had triple bypass surgery last March 2011, we almost never eat red meat.  Some of these recipes sound like they'd be a great tasty substitute.  I love anything cooked on the grill and really miss those hamburgers!  Thanks for all these suggestions.

Original Post by: craazyquilt

Wow!  So many ideas! I've got to try some of them.  Since my brother had triple bypass surgery last March 2011, we almost never eat red meat.  Some of these recipes sound like they'd be a great tasty substitute.  I love anything cooked on the grill and really miss those hamburgers!  Thanks for all these suggestions.

I would suggest you try and track down some ostrich mince... it's totally heart friendly.  I also like that idea of doing a nice big black mushroom on the grill and adding it to the burger.  I often do, with a slice of low fat cheese. Delicious!

Where would I get ostrich mince in the US?

I like Amy's veggie burgers in the dfferent varieties!

Original Post by: craazyquilt

Where would I get ostrich mince in the US?

 

If you are ever in Dundee, MI or by a Cabella's that has food, they serve ostrich burgers. Never had one, but  hear it's good.

Thank you all for this information.  Can't wait to try ostrich burgers! 

I can't believe I missed this post until now. I love making curry turkey burgers. I used to HATE ground turkey but I found this recipe and now curry turkey burgers are one of my favorite meals to make.

Recipe:

1 1/3 pound ground turkey

3 scallions, finely sliced

1/2 red pepper, finely sliced

1 large handful of cilantro, finely sliced

3 gloves of garlic, minced

2 TBS minced fresh ginger

3 TBS curry powder

1 egg, beaten

Salt and pepper

A drizzle of olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix. Form into 5-6 patties and cook over medium-high heat for 6 minutes on each side.

I top them with mango chutney, but I'm sure any type of fruit chutney would work fine. I buy the mango chutney from Trader Joes and I've also tried making homemade chutney but I never turns out too well.

I also top them with a little bit of goat cheese and some homemade coleslaw that I make with mostly vinegar and not too much mayo.

I'm not sure about the total calorie count, but they're really tasty and relatively healthy.