Turkish Yogurt Pasta Dish (Printable)

Pasta combined with creamy yogurt and spiced butter for a tangy, aromatic Turkish dish.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 14 oz dried fusilli or penne pasta
02 - 1 tablespoon salt (for boiling water)

→ Yogurt Sauce

03 - 1 2/3 cups plain full-fat Turkish or Greek yogurt
04 - 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
05 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Spiced Butter

06 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter
07 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
08 - 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
09 - 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes
10 - 1/4 teaspoon dried mint (optional)

→ Garnish

11 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or parsley (optional)

# How To Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the cooking water.
02 - Whisk together yogurt, minced garlic, and salt in a medium bowl. Thin with reserved pasta water as needed to reach a creamy consistency.
03 - Melt butter with olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in paprika, Aleppo pepper, and dried mint if using. Heat until foamy and aromatic, about 1 minute, then remove from heat.
04 - Toss warm pasta with the yogurt sauce until evenly coated. Divide among serving bowls.
05 - Drizzle each portion with spiced butter. Garnish with chopped dill or parsley if desired. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's ready in 25 minutes, which means weeknight dinners just got a lot more interesting.
  • That contrast between cool creamy yogurt and hot fragrant butter is genuinely addictive.
  • Once you master it, you'll find yourself making it constantly because it's so forgiving.
02 -
  • The yogurt will break if you dump it into boiling pasta water, so always let the pasta cool slightly or add pasta water to the yogurt, never the reverse.
  • Reserve that pasta water before you drain—it's your safety net and secret weapon for achieving silky sauce that clings instead of pooling.
03 -
  • Make the spiced butter first and keep it warm on a back burner so everything finishes at the same time—nothing worse than cold butter on hot pasta.
  • If your yogurt is particularly thick or your kitchen is cold, thin the sauce with pasta water by the spoonful until it coats pasta like a dream instead of clumping.
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