
Turkish Pasta
A viral Turkish-inspired pasta dish featuring tender bowtie or penne pasta tossed in a rich, garlicky yogurt sauce, topped with spiced ground beef and a drizzle of smoky paprika butter. Creamy, savory, and deeply satisfying — this weeknight dinner comes together in under 45 minutes and has taken social media by storm for good reason.
4 servings · Prep 10 min · Cook 30 min · Total 40 min
Italian · Dinner · Main Course
Ingredients
Open in recipe scaler →Main
12 oz penne or bowtie pasta
bowtie pasta
1 lb ground beef 80/20 or lean
lean ground beef
1 medium yellow onion finely diced
3 cloves garlic minced, divided
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt divided, plus more for pasta water
0.5 tsp black pepper freshly ground
2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
Yogurt Sauce
2 cup plain full-fat yogurt room temperature
2 cloves garlic minced or pressed
0.5 tsp salt
Paprika Butter
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1.5 tsp smoked paprika
0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
Equipment
Stovetop
Saucepan
Mixing Bowl
Skillet
Pot
Wooden Spoon
Whisk
Spatula
Saucepan (5 Quarts)
Mixing Bowl (4 Quarts)
Colander
Instructions
- Bring a large #[Pot] of generously salted water to a boil. Add the @[Penne Pasta] and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water, then drain and set aside.
- While the pasta cooks, heat a large #[Skillet] over ^[medium-high heat]. Add the @[Ground Beef] and diced @[Yellow Onion]. Cook, breaking the meat apart with a #[Wooden Spoon], for ~[7–9 minutes] until the beef is browned and the onion is softened. Add 3 cloves of @[Garlic] minced, @[Cumin], @[Salt], and @[Black Pepper]. Stir and cook for another ~[1–2 minutes] until fragrant. Drain any excess fat and set aside.
- In a large #[Mixing Bowl], whisk together the room-temperature @[Yogurt], 2 cloves of @[Garlic] minced, and @[Salt] until smooth and creamy. Add the drained @[Penne Pasta] and toss well to coat. If the sauce feels too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water and toss again.
- In a small #[Saucepan] over ^[medium-low heat], melt the @[Butter]. Once melted, stir in the @[Paprika] and @[Red Pepper Flakes] (if using). Cook for ~[30–60 seconds] until fragrant and the butter turns a deep red color. Remove from heat immediately.
- Divide the yogurt-coated @[Penne Pasta] among serving bowls. Spoon the spiced @[Ground Beef] generously over the top. Drizzle the warm @[Paprika] @[Butter] over each bowl and finish with a sprinkle of fresh @[Parsley]. Serve immediately.





