Yogurt Pasta (Macarona bi Laban)

When Turkish pasta went viral last month, It reminded me a lot of a middle eastern dish that sort of resembles the Turkish version. In Arabic, it’s called Macarona bi laban which translates to pasta in yogurt or yogurt pasta.

The Turkish version of this dish is called Yalanci Manti meaning “fake manti”- it’s basically a simplified deconstructed version of Turkish dumplings. Given that the yogurt pasta I grew up on is pretty similar, this is my version that (in my humble opinion) takes the best of all the versions to create this delicious comforting bowl of pasta.

Components

Yogurt sauce: This sauce is super simple yet so delicious. It combines plain balkan style yogurt, lots of garlic, dried mint and dried parsley, pinch of salt and some pasta water. It’s important to note this recipe uses balkan style yogurt which differs from greek yogurt. Greek yogurt is thicker, denser and tangier, while Balkan-style yogurt tends to be creamier, smoother, and less tangy with a more fluid consistency. You are welcome to use greek yogurt if you prefer but keep in mind it may slightly affect the overall flavour and consistency of the sauce.

Pasta: Think of this as the ‘dumpling’. The pasta when cooked becomes soft and chewy and when covered in that yogurt sauce and topped with ground beef becomes a totally different experience. To mimic this dumpling experience, the best pasta to use would be something like Conchiglioni or Orecchiette. This shell type pasta leaves almost a hole for the ground beef and yogurt to fall into.

Ground beef: The ground beef should be cooked past the point where it turns a light brown so keep the heat on medium high for an additional 5-10 minutes more than you normally would. Ideally you want a ground beef that has some fat (70/30 or 80/20). The fats will release from the ground beef and it will begin to fry in its own fat making the beef sort of crispy.

Pine nuts: The inclusion of the toasted pine nuts seriously elevates this entire dish- it adds a nutty, toasty flavour and a nice bite to the dish. I love the idea of a butter sauce which is traditional to the Turkish version so I decided to combine it with the toasted pine nuts step for the ultimate flavour.

Temperature matters

The choice to serve this yogurt pasta cold or warm is ultimately a preference. Traditionally this dish serves the pasta cold which makes for a wonderful contract when served under the hot ground beef thats just been fried. If you want to serve warm which sometimes I do, I suggest you heat it gently in a pan covered on medium heat for about 5 minutes but don’t get it boiling hot as this can sauce the yogurt to curdle

Storage and leftovers

This pasta stores well in the fridge for a couple days in an airtight container. It also makes for great meal prep since this pasta is meant to be enjoyed cold/room temperature.

Variations

This pasta can easily be enjoyed vegetarian and is traditionally eaten that way by many. Simply omit the ground beef and serve with all the other components or top with cooked chickpeas for a vegetarian source of protein.

Yogurt Pasta (Macarona bi Laban)

Yogurt Pasta (Macarona bi Laban) is a Middle Eastern-inspired dish that combines tender pasta with a creamy Balkan-style yogurt sauce, infused with garlic, dried mint, and parsley. Topped with flavourful ground beef and toasted pine nuts, while taking inspiration from the Turkish version by infusing a butter sauce, this dish might just remind you of a deconstructed dumpling.

Recipe Keys: P Pasta

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Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 15 mins Total Time 25 mins

Ingredients

Yogurt sauce pasta

• 1.5 cups plain balkan Yogurt
• 4-6 Garlic cloves
• 1 tsp Dried mint
• 1 tsp Dried parsley
• ¹⁄₂ tsp Salt
• ¹⁄₄ cup pasta water

• 3 cups pasta (uncooked)

Beef topping

• 1 tbsp ghee (if needed)

• 1 lb. Ground beef

• 1 yellow onion (small)
• 1 tsp Middle-eastern 7 spice
• 1 tsp Curry powder
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Toasted pine nuts

• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• ¹⁄₄ cup Pine nuts
• 3 tbsp Butter
• 1 tsp Smoked paprika

• ¹⁄₂ tsp Red pepper flakes (if desired)

Garnish

• Fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Cook pasta in salted boiling water until slightly past al dente. Reserve some pasta water before draining the pasta. Once cooked, strain the pasta and toss in 1-2 tbsp of olive oil to prevent pasta from sticking together.

2. For the yogurt sauce, in a large bowl combine yogurt, minced garlic, dried mint, dried parsley, salt and the cooled pasta water. Mix well.

3. Toss the cooked pasta in the yogurt sauce and set aside.
4. To make the ground beef topping, heat a large pan on medium high heat. If using lean ground beef, add in 1 tbsp ghee. If using ground beef with some fat, you may skip this step.
5. Cook the beef on medium heat and season with 7 spice, curry powder, salt and black pepper. Once the beef is no longer red, add in finely chopped yellow onion. Cook on medium heat for another 8-10 minutes or until beef is slightly charred and onions are softened.
6. While the ground beef cooks, In a small pan, heat olive oil on medium heat and add in pine nuts. Stirring often, toast the pine nuts until lightly golden. Remove from the heat and add in red pepper flakes, smoked paprika and the butter (one tbsp at a time) whisking quickly until melted.

7. Layer the ground beef over the yogurt pasta adding the toasted pine nut butter on top and garnish with fresh parsley. Optionally  sprinkle smoked paprika on top.