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Turkish Pasta Recipe

By Snejana Andreeva

on Dec 04, 2024

When I saw Anna Paul’s Turkish Pasta Recipe going viral on TikTok, the Bulgarian 🇧🇬 in me jumped for joy. It’s essentially deconstructed Turkish Manti and features an iconic meat and yogurt flavor combo that’s a staple in Bulgaria. The tangy yogurt perfectly balances the richness of the meat, while the buttery paprika sauce takes me straight back to the Turkish eggs we make back home 🤤.

All in all, I just knew this recipe would be a banger, so I had to give it a try. And let me tell you, it did 👏 NOT 👏 disappoint 👏. I’m already a pasta fiend, and unfortunately for my fitness goals, this pasta dish has officially been added to my pasta roster and may even be a top 3 contender 🏅 —THAT’S how good it is!

Key Takeaways

The Turkish Pasta Recipe combines ground beef, yogurt, and buttery paprika sauce, creating irresistible flavors and textures.
This recipe highlights a unique yogurt and meat pairing, delivering creamy, tangy, and savory experiences.
You can easily customize the Turkish Pasta Recipe by using different ground meats or making it vegetarian with plant-based alternatives.
Serve this dish with salads, seasonal vegetables, or garlic bread for a complete meal.
For storing leftovers, keep components separate and refrigerate, as they last for 3-4 days.
Key Takeaways
Why You’ll Love This Turkish Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
Nonna’s Tip 🍝
Variations and Substitutions for Turkish Pasta Recipe
Similar Recipes
Best Served With
Common Questions
Turkish Pasta Recipe Recipe

A bowl of turkish pasta topped with seasoned ground beef, sliced cherry tomatoes, dollops of sour cream, and chopped fresh herbs. The dish is served with a spoon on a light-colored plate. - 3

Why You’ll Love This Turkish Pasta Recipe

This Turkish Pasta Recipe is blowing up for a reason. It’s giving flavor ; it’s giving texture ; it’s giving depth – it’s giving everything it needs to give in order for you to become completely obsessed with it, make it so often that you get sick of it, only to crave it again a few days later and repeat the same cycle (I know I’m not the only one 😌).

If you’ve never experienced the yogurt and meat pairing that’s at the heart of this recipe, now’s your moment! Trust me, this combo is unmatched, and these two ingredients complement each other so well 👌. The yogurt sauce is both creamy and tangy , providing a cooling contrast to the crispy, savory ground meat. The pasta acts as a neutral base, soaking up all those delicious flavors, while the buttery paprika sauce drizzled on top brings everything together with a rich, smoky finish 😮‍💨. This is one viral dish you absolutely don’t want to miss!

Ingredients

🍖 Ground beef : I use ground beef in this recipe, but you can sub turkey, chicken, or lamb.

🧅 Onion: I like to add a finely diced onion to the meat and saute until lightly golden for natural sweetness and depth of flavor.

🧄 Garlic : You’ll need 1–2 cloves of minced garlic to mix with a pinch of salt for a smooth yogurt sauce.

🧂 Salt : Season each component lightly to build layers of flavor as you go.

⚫ Black pepper : Freshly ground works best for max flavor and aroma.

🌶️ Sweet paprika : This dish is paprika-forward, used in both the meat and the butter drizzle. For a traditional take, you can sub Aleppo/pul biber to add gentle heat.

🧅 Onion powder : Adds an extra layer of onion flavor without the extra moisture.

🥛 Plain yogurt : Whole-milk plain yogurt or Greek yogurt works. Be sure to bring it to room temp so it won’t separate.

🧈 Butter : I use unsalted butter for the sauce. Gently melt the butter – don’t brown – to keep the paprika bright.

🍝 Pasta: You can use any shape you like. Short, ridged shapes like shells and fusilli hold the sauce well.

🍅 Cherry tomatoes: Fresh, halved tomatoes add freshness and acidity.

🌿 Parsley : Garnish with chopped parsley for a clean, herbal finish.

Nonna’s Tip 🍝

You can use whatever ground meat you love in this Turkish Pasta recipe, but keep in mind the fat content. If you’re using ground turkey or chicken you will significantly reduce the calories per serving, but make sure you add a touch of oil to the pan .

A bowl of Turkish pasta with creamy sauce, topped with seasoned ground meat, cherry tomato halves, and fresh parsley. The dish is served in a light-colored bowl with a spoon. Sunlight casts a warm glow over the meal. - 4

Variations and Substitutions for Turkish Pasta Recipe

Use whatever ground meat you love in this Turkish Pasta recipe: 🥩 ground beef, pork, lamb, turkey, chicken, or a blend all work!
Make this recipe vegetarian by using your favorite plant-based ground instead of meat. You could also try using crumbled tofu, chickpeas, or lentils as well.
Add some 🌶️ heat to this Turkish pasta recipe by adding a pinch of chili flakes to the butter sauce or by increasing the amount of paprika. You can also mix in some cayenne pepper with the ground meat.
Absolutely use your favorite gluten-free pasta in this recipe as well.
Amp up the veggie content by adding in some diced and sautéed zucchini, bell peppers, or 🥬 spinach.

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Best Served With

Serve this Turkish Pasta recipe with a traditional 🥗 salad, such as my Bulgarian Salad or Shopska Salad .
Seasonal vegetables such as grilled asparagus, steamed broccoli, or 🫑 roasted bell peppers.
Slices of 🥖 baguette or my rustic No Knead Garlic Bread .

Common Questions

Yes, you can certainly use your favorite plant-based ground in this recipe. You could even try using a lentil or legume, as well.

Plain, full-fat yogurt provides a rich and creamy texture, but low-fat or Greek yogurt can also be used.

Yes, you can use whatever ground meat you love. If you’re using ground turkey or chicken you will significantly reduce the calories per serving. However, make sure you add a touch of oil to the pan as lean meats don’t release as much fat when cooking.

Yes, feel free to use a non-dairy yogurt here as well. Just make sure it’s plain and as thick as you can find.

Yes, you can totally adapt this Turkish Pasta recipe to use gluten-free pasta. Just follow the cooking directions on the package.

Keep the components separate. Chill pasta, meat, yogurt, and paprika butter in their own airtight containers within 2 hours. Refrigerate for 3–4 days . Reheat meat and butter gently. Additionally, keep yogurt cold and assemble just before serving.

Freeze only the cooked meat sauce (flat in bags or containers) for 2–3 months. Don’t freeze the yogurt or tomatoes as they will separate. Thaw the meat in the fridge overnight, rewarm with a splash of water, and cook fresh pasta when ready to serve.

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Video

Equipment

▢ Measuring Cups + Spoons
▢ Nakiri Knife
▢ Cutting Board
▢ Large Sauté Pan
▢ Mixing Bowls
▢ Medium Pot
▢ Large Pot

Ingredients

The Meat

▢ 454 grams ground beef , any ground meat
▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder , to taste
▢ 1 teaspoon paprika
▢ salt , to taste
▢ 1 pinch pepper
▢ 1 onion , finely diced

Yogurt Sauce

▢ 1.5 cups yogurt , plain
▢ ½ teaspoon salt , to taste
▢ 3 cloves garlic , minced

Butter Sauce

▢ 4 tablespoons butter
▢ ½ teaspoon sweet paprika , or less

Additional Ingredients

▢ 350 grams pasta , any pasta you like
▢ cherry tomatoes , halved
▢ chopped parsley , to taste

Instructions

▢ In a large pan , on medium-high heat, add in the ground meat without any oil.
▢ Break it up with a spoon and add in the salt, pepper, paprika, and onion powder.
▢ Cook for a few minutes, add in the finely chopped onion and cook until the meat “pops” and has browned. Set aside

Yogurt Sauce

▢ Now, mix the plain yogurt with garlic and salt. Taste and adjust the salt as needed. Set aside.

Butter Sauce

▢ In a small pot on the stove, add the butter and melt. Add in the paprika and cook for about a minute. Take it off the heat and start on the pasta.

The Pasta

▢ Cook the pasta on the stove as per the package instructions. I like to cook it in boiling salted water. When the pasta has cooked, add it to a bowl with some of the garlic yogurt on top, followed by the ground meat.
▢ Next add in halved cherry tomatoes and finely chopped parsley. To finish it off, we add a drizzle of the butter and paprika sauce. Enjoy!

Nonna’s Notes

Protein options: Use any ground meat you love—beef, pork, lamb, turkey, chicken, or a blend.
Vegetarian swap: Replace meat with plant-based ground; crumbled tofu, chickpeas, or lentils also work.
Gluten-free friendly: Use your favorite gluten-free pasta.
Dairy-free swaps: Choose plain dairy-free yogurt (coconut or almond) for the sauce and vegan butter for the paprika drizzle.
Veggie boost: Add diced, sautéed zucchini, bell peppers, or spinach.
Pepper swap: Use Aleppo pepper (pul biber) instead of sweet paprika and add a tiny pinch of chili flakes for gentle heat and fruity warmth.
Silky sauce tip: Reserve ¼ cup starchy pasta water to loosen the yogurt if it’s too thick.
How to store: Keep components separate. Chill pasta, meat, yogurt, and paprika butter in their own airtight containers within 2 hours. Refrigerate 3–4 days. Reheat meat and butter gently; keep yogurt cold and assemble just before serving.
Freezer storage tips: Freeze only the cooked meat sauce (flat in bags or containers) for 2–3 months. Do not freeze yogurt or tomatoes; they will separate. Thaw meat in the fridge overnight, rewarm with a splash of water, and cook fresh pasta when ready.

My Notes

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.