Turkish Mince Pasta

• total time: 18 minutes

Ingredients

Garlic Yogurt

1 cup @FAGE Greek yogurt

4-5 cloves garlic, grated

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Salt, to taste

Spiced Mince:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion finely diced

1 carrot, finely diced

1 bell pepper finely diced

1-2 tsp paprika

1 tsp Aleppo pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp thyme

Salt and pepper, to taste

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb ground lamb or beef

2-3 tbsp tomato paste

2 bay leaves

Paprika Butter:

1/4 cup butter

1 tbsp sweet pepper paste

1 tsp Aleppo pepper

1 tsp dried mint

Toppings:

Cherry tomatoes, quartered

Fresh parsley (and/or mint) chopped

Feta cheese or halloumi (optional)

Mint

Additional lemon wedges

1 lb cooked pasta

Directions

In a small mixing bowl, combine Greek yogurt, grated garlic, a pinch of salt, and the juice from half a lemon. Taste for seasoning and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add diced onion, a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for about 10-12 minutes until the onions are light golden brown, then add spices to the onions and sauté briefly until the spices release their aromatics.

Stir in minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add ground meat to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until browned and fully cooked, about 7-10 minutes.

Clear a space in the center of the pan and add tomato paste. Let it cook undisturbed for 1-2 minutes to caramelize slightly, then mix it into the rest of the ingredients. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until liquid has evaporated.

Add the pasta to the pan, stirring gently so the sauce starts to mix through and coat the hard pasta shells. Gently pout int he stock, stirring, add the bay leaves, bring to a boil and then reduce to medium simmer for 10-12 min. Stir a couple of times as it cooks, being careful not to break apart the pasta shells. Once the pasta is cooked through but still a bit al dente and the liquid has mostly reduced but is still saucy, remove the pan from the heat and give a gentle stir .

While the pasta cooks you can prepare the chili butter. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil. When it starts to sizzle add red pepper paste, Aleppo and dried mint. Stir until combined and then cook until it just starts to bubble, then remove from heat.

To assemble, place the cooked pasta in a serving bowl. Top with garlic yogurt, a drizzle of paprika butter, the spiced mince more pepper butter, quartered cherry tomatoes, freshly chopped parsley, crumbled feta, and more pepper butter. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and enjoy!