Macarona Bil Laban

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound cavatappi pasta (or elbow macaroni, prepared according to package instructions)

1 pound 80% lean ground beef

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 teaspoons 7 spices

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon sumac

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

toasted pine nuts or almonds (for topping)

2½ cups plain whole milk yogurt

1 teaspoon sumac

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 lemon, juiced

6-8 garlic cloves (minced. This makes it garlicky, so use as much or as little as you'd like.)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

Start by boiling the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Add the olive oil to a pot on medium high heat. Add the chopped onions and saute until translucent.

Add the ground beef and saute until lightly browned, and most of the pinkness is gone.

Add the salt, black pepper, sumac, 7 spices and ground cinnamon.

Mix everything together well and cook for another few minutes, until completely browned and cooked through.

To Make the Yogurt Sauce

In a large bowl, combine the plain whole milk yogurt, sumac, and salt. Whisk everything together well.

Melt the butter on a pan on medium high heat. Once melted, add the minced garlic.

Saute the garlic until golden brown, making sure to moving it around every so often. This takes about 1-3 minutes.

Once golden, add the garlic and the butter to the yogurt. Whisk well.

To Assemble

Combine the cooked and drained pasta into the yogurt sauce. Mix well until everything is well incorporated.

Add the yogurt pasta to a serving dish, and top with the cooked ground beef mixture.

Finally, top it with some toasted pine nuts or almonds, and some chopped parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition

• Calories: 614 kcal
• Total Fat: 28 g
• Saturated Fat: 11 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 77 mg
• Sodium: 685 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 62 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3 g
• Total Sugars: 7 g
• Protein: 27 g