Viral Turkish Pasta (Garlicky Yogurt, Spiced Beef & Butter-Paprika)
Turkish pasta — makarna — takes the filling of manti, the hand-folded dumplings, and stretches it across a bowl of pasta instead of tucking it into dough. Three components do all the work: a cool, garlicky yogurt sauce, a skillet of ground beef bloomed with tomato paste and paprika, and a spoonful of butter sizzled with paprika until it turns deep red. The only real technique is the temper — whisk a little warm pasta water into the yogurt before you build the bowl, so the sauce stays silky instead of curdling when the hot beef lands on top. If you like this kind of global comfort, Dumpling Lasagna and Kerala Egg Curry land on the same weeknight-impressive note.
Dinner · High-protein, Comfort Food, Trending • 30 min
Nutrition (per serving)660Calories·29gFat·68gCarbs·33gProtein
Per serving. Values are approximate and calculated from USDA FoodData Central.
Ingredients
- For the pasta:
- Kosher salt, for the pasta water
- 12 ounces rigatoni (about 340 g), or penne or fusilli
- For the garlicky yogurt sauce:
- 1½ cups plain whole-milk Greek yogurt (about 360 g)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- For the spiced beef:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or neutral oil
- 1 pound ground beef, 80/20 (about 450 g)
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced (about ¾ cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1½ teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking water, plus more as needed
- For the butter-paprika drizzle:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1½ teaspoons sweet paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper flakes
- Pinch of kosher salt
- For serving:
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- ½ cup diced fresh tomato (optional)
- ½ cup diced cucumber (optional)
Get Our Free 5-Ingredient Summer Dinners PDF
10 effortless recipes with 5 ingredients or fewer — delivered to your inbox, plus one thoughtful recipe every week.
Steps
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously — it should taste like the sea. This seasons the pasta from the inside out, since the yogurt sauce and spiced beef carry most of the flavor.
- Make the yogurt sauce: In a medium bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, grated garlic, salt, and black pepper until smooth and slightly loosened. Set aside at room temperature while you cook — cold yogurt straight from the fridge is more likely to seize up when the hot pasta and beef land on top.
- Cook the pasta: Add the rigatoni to the boiling water and cook until just shy of al dente, about 1 minute less than the package directs, since the pasta will finish under the warm sauce. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot, off the heat.
- Brown the beef: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it into crumbles with a wooden spoon, until deeply browned with no pink remaining and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 160°F (71°C) — the safe minimum for ground beef — about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Cook the aromatics: Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Bloom the spices: Stir in the tomato paste, paprika, cumin, Aleppo pepper, oregano, salt, and black pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste darkens a shade and the spices smell toasty, about 1 minute. Pour in ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, simmering until the mixture is saucy but not soupy, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
- Temper the yogurt: Whisk a few tablespoons of the reserved warm pasta water into the yogurt sauce, one tablespoon at a time, until the sauce is loosened and just warm to the touch. This gentle warm-up keeps the yogurt from curdling when it meets the hot pasta and beef. It should coat the back of a spoon but still hold its body.
- Make the butter-paprika drizzle: Melt the butter in a small saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the paprika and Aleppo pepper and cook just until the butter foams and turns deep red and fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds — keep the heat gentle so the paprika doesn't scorch. Remove from the heat.
- Assemble: Divide the pasta among four shallow bowls, or pile it onto one large platter. Spoon the tempered yogurt over the pasta, top with the spiced beef, then drizzle the warm butter-paprika over everything. Finish with the parsley and, if using, the diced tomato and cucumber. Serve immediately.
Tips & Variations
Make Ahead
The yogurt sauce can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container — bring it back to room temperature and whisk in the warm pasta water to temper it before assembling. The spiced beef also keeps for up to 3 days in the refrigerator; reheat it gently with a splash of water. The butter-paprika drizzle is best made fresh, but the whole dish comes together so quickly that make-ahead is more about the components than the finished bowl.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The yogurt will soften and the pasta will absorb some of the sauce, so reheat gently in a skillet over low heat with a splash of water, or eat it cool — many people prefer it at room temperature. The butter-paprika drizzle can be re-melted and poured over just before serving.
Substitutions
Ground lamb or a half-beef, half-lamb mix is the classic Turkish choice and swaps in one-for-one; ground turkey works too, though you may want an extra teaspoon of oil since it's leaner. Plain full-fat yogurt stands in for Greek yogurt, but strain it through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth for 20 minutes first so the sauce isn't watery. For a dairy-free version, use a thick unsweetened coconut yogurt for the sauce and olive oil instead of butter for the drizzle. Aleppo pepper brings a fruity, mild heat; substitute half sweet paprika and half crushed red pepper flakes if you can't find it. Any short, sturdy pasta works in place of rigatoni — penne, fusilli, or farfalle all hold the sauce well.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1 bowl (about 2 cups)
Reviews
Reviews coming soon! In the meantime, let us know what you think of this recipe.
