Turkish Pasta (30 Minute Viral Recipe)
This Turkish Pasta went viral for a reason! With a spiced meat sauce, garlicky yogurt and chili oil drizzle. It's a delicious cozy meal ready in 30 minutes which I've made vegetarian and tastes just as good!
Servings: 2
Calories: 701kcal
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Ingredients
- 6oz / 170g short pasta - I've used conchiglie / shells
- 1 medium onion
- 1 large garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 9oz / 250g cremini mushrooms
- 1 cup cooked or canned lentils
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons concentrated tomato paste
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Garnish chopped parsley and a few chopped grape tomatoes
Garlic Yogurt Sauce
- 1 cup thick Greek yogurt - I've used non fat
- 1 garlic clove
- Squeeze fresh lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
Chili Oil / Aleppo Pepper Oil
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon aleppo pepper flakes (pul biber) - see notes for substitute
Instructions
- Finely dice the onion, garlic, along with the mushrooms
- In a large skillet, saute the onion with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Once it becomes translucent, add the garlic, paprika and cumin. Saute for a few minutes
- Add the mushrooms and saute them all together until they start to brown, then add the extra spoon of olive oil, tomato paste and season well with salt and pepper
- After a few minutes, add the lentils and cook it all down for about 5 minutes. In the meantime, boil pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water then drain
- As the pasta is boiling, make the yogurt sauce by adding the yogurt to a small bowl and grating 1 garlic clove with a microplane grater. Add a good pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice and give it a taste. If you prefer it more garlicky add another garlic clove
- Make the chili oil by adding the olive oil, paprika and aleppo pepper to a small saucepan and cook it over a very low heat for a few minutes to infuse the oil - make sure it doesn't burn. Once you see the color is a nice orange/red color take it off the heat
- Plate up your Turkish Pasta and layer it, starting with the pasta, topped with a few spoons of garlicky yogurt. Add a few ladles of the spiced sauce and garnish with fresh parsley, chopped tomatoes and a drizzle of aleppo chili oil. Enjoy!
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Final Step! Would love if you left a rating and comment to let me know how it went. Your feedback helps inspire others and means alot ❤️
Notes
- Make the meat version - if you prefer to try the traditional recipe with meat instead, remove the mushrooms and lentils and add 7oz / 200g of lean ground beef or ground turkey. Add the meat in step 3 and cook until browned before proceeding to the next step
- Garlic sauce - while the pasta is cooking, make the yogurt sauce and let it come to room temperature - this way it blends well with the hot pasta and the flavors really shine
- Cook pasta your way - as the pasta is served separately and layered with the other ingredients, you can cook the pasta al dente or how you prefer it
- Assemble - its best to layer on the plate your serving on. Start with the pasta, then the yogurt, the “meat” then fresh toppings and spicy oil. This way the yogurt becomes the sauce on the warm pasta mixed with the hot meat on top
Nutrition
Calories: 701kcal | Carbohydrates: 102g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 201mg | Potassium: 1549mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 887IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 202mg | Iron: 6mg
