Cheesy Salsa Tuna Burgers

I know it sounds a little strange. I was a nervous the first time I made these for my family, but we all love Cheesy Salsa Tuna Burgers! They have a delicious mexican flavor that cancels out the fishy tuna flavor. I won't promise you will like these if you don't like tuna, but you may (my family all likes tuna). They are so healthy, inexpensive, low calorie, and very filling. And did I mention easy to prepare and delicious? A win all around. I really hope you will try this one even though it may be a little different than what you normally make.

This recipe has been adapted from a recipe on Green Light Bites. I am so thankful for the creativity of others. Roni has a lot of great looking, healthy recipes that I am eager to try out. I first saw a link to this recipe on Amy's site, A Little Nosh, in her weekly menu plan. I would encourage you to check out Amy's site as well and her delicious healthy recipes. She also recently made her own version of this recipe. Both Roni and Amy use laughing cow cheese instead of cream cheese. If you normally would buy that cheese or are interested in trying it, check out the links above.

Recipe
2 5oz cans tuna packed in water, drained*
2 oz cream cheese, softened (or thick yogurt)
1 egg
1/2 c salsa
1 1/2 c quick oats (If you are using old-fashioned rolled oats, you will need to blend them in a food processor before using.)
2 tsp dried minced onion or onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
pepper to taste

Stir all of the ingredients together. Form mixture into 4 large burgers. Cook in a sprayed, or lightly oiled skillet over medium high heat until lightly browned on both sides and warmed through. About 3 minutes per side. Serve the tuna burgers on whole wheat sandwich slims.**Think of these like hamburgers, the bread and patty will seem dry if you don't have any sauce on it. For a light version, use salsa. If calories aren't important to you, go for mayo and then top with whatever topping your normally enjoy. Suggested toppings are onion, tomato, lettuce, peppers, or cheese.

Additional notes

*These are large, filling burgers. If you have young children, you could make them smaller. If you want to make 6 large burgers instead of 4, just use 3 cans of tuna and 3 ounces of cream cheese. All of the other amounts can stay the same. I have done this and it works great both ways. My husband and teenage son can eat two if they are really hungry. Leftovers warm up great.

If you want to make 2 large or 3 medium burgers, you can halve the recipe (still using 1 egg).

**I pictured the sandwich slims above just in case you are not familiar with them. These are Kroger brand, but they make name brand as well. I wouldn't use hamburger buns for this recipe. The sandwich slims really do fit the taste of the burger perfectly.

Calories without the sandwich slim or toppings: 240/one patty