My Cookbook: Souk to Table 
Addictive Turkish Pasta (With Ground Beef)
This easy Turkish pasta is inspired by the bold flavours of traditional Turkish manti, and it’ll quickly become a weeknight staple. Boldly seasoned ground beef is layered with pasta, then topped with a luscious garlic yogurt sauce. The final touches are a drizzle of sizzling Aleppo pepper butter, crunchy toasted almonds, and a dusting of dried mint, which make the dish truly addictive. Ready in about 30 minutes, and I’ll walk you through the easy process!
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The Fruits of My Turkish Manti Obsession = This Recipe.
This style of “Turkish pasta” went viral online a few years ago, but I have been addicted to it long before that. One of my favourite things to order at Turkish restaurants is manti (which is similar to the Arab shish barak), and I’ve only ever ordered it and never made it because it requires meticulously shaping tiny dumplings. No thanks.
So when I was writing my cookbook Souk To Table and focusing on easy weeknight dinners, I knew I had to include this pasta. The layers of pasta, ground beef, yogurt and Aleppo butter end up creating a perfectly balanced bite that is shockingly similar to the actual manti dumplings. My personal touch to the dish is some crunchy almonds on top because it’s just in my Arab genes to do that.
The best part? Very little time investment. It’s often a go-to weeknight pasta for my family and I (interchangeably with this Arabic pasta which is very similar but less spicy and more suited to my kids’ palette).
Notes on Ingredients
If you don’t access to Aleppo pepper, which lends a fruity slow-building heat that I love, you can still substitute regular chilli flakes. As for the yogurt, I recommend sticking to full fat plain yogurt for a richer flavour. Finally, I stick to lean or extra lean ground beef because of the finishing butter drizzle, which helps avoid an overly greasy final result.
Other Turkish Recipes You Will Love
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Addictive Turkish Pasta (With Ground Beef)
Ingredients
For the Pasta
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 454 g pasta, farafelle or shell pasta
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
For the Meat Mixture
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, large, finely chopped
- 680 g lean ground beef
- 3 garlic cloves, large, minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
For the Yogurt Sauce
- 3 cups full-fat plain yogurt
- 1 garlic clove, large, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried mint
For the Toasted Almonds
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
For the Chilli Butter
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or substitute with 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
For Garnishing
- Dried Mint
- Aleppo pepper, or substitute with chilli flakes
Instructions
For the Pasta
- Fill a large pot with cold water, add the 1 tablespoon kosher salt, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the 454 g pasta and cook according to package directions for al-dente. Reserve 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and coat it with the 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil to prevent it from sticking.
For the Meat Mixture
- In a large skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the 1 yellow onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes, until softened and translucent. Add the 680 g lean ground beef and cook, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, for 7 to 10 minutes, until browned. Add the 3 garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper and 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika. Mix well and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
For the Yogurt Sauce
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the 3 cups full-fat plain yogurt, 1 garlic clove, 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons dried mint with 4 or 5 tablespoons of the reserved pasta cooking water until a smooth sauce forms.
For the Toasted Almonds
- Heat the 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil in a small skillet over low heat, then add the 1/2 cup slivered almonds and toast for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden, stirring often. Transfer to a small bowl.
For the Chilli Butter
- In the same small skillet the almonds were toasted in, melt the 2 tablespoons salted butter over medium heat. Add the 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper and cook, stirring continuously, for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.
For Serving
- Spread the cooked pasta in a layer on a serving dish. Spoon the meat mixture over it and drizzle with the yogurt sauce and chilli butter. Garnish with the Dried Mint, toasted almonds, and Aleppo pepper. Serve immediately.
I can’t even say this dish tastes as good as it looks because it tastes even better!!! We are obsessed, and this will definitely be added to our dinner rotation. The leftovers the next day tasted just as good. 10/10 recommend!!
I can’t even say this recipe tastes as good as it looks because it tastes even better!!! 100% will be in our weekly rotation, we had seconds right after and the leftovers the next day were still amazing. Highly recommend.
Yum!! This was so easy and so delicious and tastes so similar to manti but much easier! Definitely will make again.
Really glad you loved this one Zahra, thanks for the review! 🙂