Yalancı Mantı (Turkish Pasta)

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4 Servings

Have you ever longed for a dish you’ve never had before? That’s the way I felt the first time I saw Turkish pasta flash across my TikTok “for you” page. It looked so cozy, creamy, savory, and tangy that I thought, “Oh, this dish has it all.” And to top it all off, every single video mentioned how quickly it all came together. The first time I tried making it myself, it ended up being even better than I had hoped.

Ingredients

1 pound dried farfalle, rotini, or medium shell pasta
1 pound lean ground beef or ground lamb
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons Turkish red pepper paste or tomato paste
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup water
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Turkish red pepper paste or tomato paste
A pinch of kosher salt
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
4 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 medium lemon)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves (from 1/2 medium bunch)
Dried mint, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Make the pasta and spiced beef:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 pound dried farfalle pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, make the spiced beef, paprika butter, and yogurt sauce.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 pound lean ground beef and cook, breaking it up into very small pieces, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in 1 medium finely diced yellow onion, 2 tablespoons red pepper paste, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is deeply browned and crispy in spots, 7 to 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in 1/4 cup water and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Taste and season with kosher salt as needed.
Make the paprika butter:
Melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon red pepper paste, and 1 pinch kosher salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until bubbling and fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
Make the yogurt sauce and serve:
Stir 2 cups plain Greek yogurt, 4 minced garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt together in a medium bowl.
Divide the pasta into 6 individual bowls. Divide the yogurt mixture over the pasta (about 1/3 cup each). Using a slotted spoon, divide the ground beef mixture over the yogurt (about 1/4 cup each). Drizzle with the paprika butter (about 2 teaspoons each). Garnish with 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes and 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves. Sprinkle with dried mint if desired.