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Turkish Pasta

Turkish Pasta with shell pasta, ground beef sauce, garlic yogurt, and spiced butter, garnished with parsley and red pepper flakes in a rustic bowl.

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This TikTok viral Turkish Pasta is a quick and flavorful dish made with pasta, ground beef, creamy garlic yogurt, and a rich spiced butter sauce. It's an easy meal that comes together in just 30 minutes.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 300 grams (10.5 ounces) pasta

Ground Beef Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 450 grams (1 pound) ground beef
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 1 teaspoon pul biber (red pepper flakes)
  • 2 medium tomatoes, pureed (or 3/4 cup canned tomatoes)

Garlic Yogurt Sauce:

  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 2 cloves garlic, mashed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Butter Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 teaspoons dried mint
  • 2 teaspoons paprika

Instructions

  1. Make the Ground Beef Sauce: Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté onions until soft and translucent. Add minced garlic and tomato paste, stirring for a minute to enhance the flavor. Add ground beef, break it into small pieces, and cook until browned and slightly crispy. Stir in the spices, then add pureed tomatoes. Let it simmer for 5-7 minutes, then remove from heat.
  2. Cook the Pasta: While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
  3. Prepare the Yogurt Sauce: In a bowl, mix yogurt, mashed garlic, salt, and lemon juice until smooth.
  4. Make the Butter Sauce: In a small saucepan, melt butter with olive oil over medium heat. Stir in mint and paprika, cooking for 5-10 seconds, just until fragrant.
  5. Assemble the Dish: Divide the cooked pasta into bowls. Spoon the ground beef sauce over the pasta, followed by the garlic yogurt sauce. Finally, drizzle with the butter sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley and extra pul biber for a spicy kick, if desired.

Notes

  1. For the best flavor, cook the beef until it’s well-browned and slightly crispy before adding the tomatoes.
  2. Traditional Turkish yogurt is tangier than store-bought Greek yogurt. If using Greek yogurt, add a splash of lemon juice to mimic the tanginess.
  3. This dish isn’t fully freezer-friendly. The meat sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months, but the yogurt and butter sauces don’t freeze well.
  4. Nutrition values are calculated automatically and are for guidance only.

Nutrition