Anna Paul’s Viral Turkish Pasta Recipe has taken TikTok by storm for the seamless way it marries bright yet bold spices with pasta, seasoned ground beef, and a sweet paprika butter drizzle that’s served up in just 15 minutes! Cooking up unforgettable flavor doesn’t get any easier than with this dish!
Why Everyone Is Obsessed with Anna Paul’s Turkish-Inspired Pasta
My curiosity was piqued as soon as I heard, “This whole meal only takes as long as it takes pasta to cook!” on Anna Paul’s viral TikTok for this Turkish Pasta. A mouthwatering layered meal that’s ready in 15 minutes and isn’t bland and boring? SIGN ME UP!
I love how approachable this Turkish Pasta is. It’s a simple pasta and ground beef recipe that’s ready in 15 minutes, has minimal recipe steps, and uses a majority of pantry staple seasonings/spices. Yet all that simplicity creates a hearty, unique dish that has a tasty punch of flavor!
A bed of al dente pasta covered with seasoned ground beef, a 4-ingredient creamy yogurt garlic sauce, and a buttery sweet paprika drizzle over the top ensure that every bite will blow your mind!
Rebecca’s Recipe Review
Taste: Bright yet bold and still somewhat simple. Not too much heat, but a good punch of flavor from the paprika and garlic.
Texture: Al dente pasta, creamy cold yogurt sauce, bits of browned beef loaded with spices, and a fresh touch of tomatoes and herbs.
Ease: 4/10
Pros: A fast dinner recipe with nutritious ingredients and great flavor.
Cons: Lots of dishes
Would I Make This Again? Yes, it’s a unique dish and could be great for an evening with friends.
Ingredients For Turkish Pasta
Not only is this dish super approachable for any home cook but it’s also made with simple, minimal ingredients, making it a win-win recipe!
The meaty portion of this recipe begins by cooking ground beef with yellow onion. The browned beef is then seasoned with sweet paprika, onion powder, ground black pepper, sea salt, and tomato paste.
Once cooked, the seasoned ground beef is layered over al dente pasta and topped with a 4-ingredient yogurt sauce. This creamy sauce consists of Greek yogurt, minced garlic paste, lemon paste (or lemon juice!), and sea salt.
A drizzle of butter sauce made from salted butter and sweet paprika finishes the dish, along with quartered cherry tomatoes and fresh parsley for garnish.
Make Anna Paul’s Turkish Pasta in 15 Minutes – Here’s How!
- Boil a large pot of water and season generously with salt. Afterward, cook farfalle pasta until al dente.
- Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Break the beef into small bits as it cooks, but do NOT drain the grease!
- Stir sweet paprika, onion powder, ground black pepper, and sea salt into the browned ground beef.
- Add in finely diced onion and tomato pasta. Then, cook the ground beef mixture until the onions become very soft and the meat becomes slightly crunchy.
- Prepare the yogurt sauce by combining Greek yogurt with minced garlic pasta, lemon pasta, and sea salt. Stir to combine and then set the sauce aside.
- Prepare the butter sauce by melting salted butter with sweet paprika in a small saucepan.
- Transfer the drained pasta to a serving bowl and spoon the yogurt sauce over the top. Next, layer on the beef mixture and drizzle the paprika butter over the top. Finish the dish off with chopped cherry tomatoes and fresh parsley. Enjoy!
- To keep this recipe moving, cook the ground beef, whip up the yogurt sauce, and melt the butter sauce while the water boils and the pasta cooks.
- Since oil is not used in this recipe, I recommend using 80-85% ground beef in this recipe for its natural oils. If you prefer, you can use 93% and then once the meat has browned and the onions are soft, add in 1/2 cup of water to keep the dish moist.
- This recipe really stands out with the sweet paprika; however, if you prefer the flavor of smoked paprika more, you can use that instead.
- If your mouth waters for a kick of heat, add a sprinkle of chili or red pepper flakes to the beef mixture.
- To achieve a deliciously balanced bite every time, be sure to layer the dish according to the recipe instructions! Pasta in the dish first, the seasoned ground beef on top of the pasta, yogurt sauce spooned on top, and then finish the Turkish Pasta Dish off with a drizzle of paprika butter sauce.
How To Serve Turkish Pasta
Turkish Pasta is best served warm, except for the creamy garlic yogurt sauce! Remember to layer the dish just as the instructions on the recipe card explain to get a perfect bite every time!
While this dish is absolutely filling as-is, you can also pair it with a fresh garden salad or a side of steamed broccoli to get your veggies in. Though, if you’re like me, you like your carbs with a side of… more carbs 😉 If that’s the case, enjoy this dish with a side of Parmesan Garlic Bread or Easy Garlic Parmesan Breadsticks!
How To Prep Turkish Pasta In Advance
To prep the Turkish Pasta in advance, prepare every element individually:
- Cook the pasta.
- Brown the seasoned ground beef.
- Prepare the garlic yogurt sauce.
- Prepare the melted butter sauce.
Once all four elements are cooked or prepared, allow them to cool. Afterward, transfer the elements into individual storage containers and store them in the refrigerator.
When you’re ready to enjoy the Turkish Pasta, heat up the pasta, ground beef, and butter sauce, and then assemble the dish in the layered order according to the recipe instructions.
Viral Turkish Pasta Variations
- Pasta Options – I made this dish using Farfalle, but any pasta of your choice works just fine. To add a bit more protein, feel free to make this recipe with a protein pasta of your choice. For a pasta alternative, I’d recommend using chickpea pasta, quinoa noodles, or rice pasta. And if you’re gluten-free, then simply use a gluten-free pasta!
- Ground Meat Alternatives – Ground beef can be replaced with ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground lamb.
- Vegetarian Option – For a Turkish Pasta vegetarian variation, swap the meat out for fried lentils.
- Curry Powder – I opted to leave curry powder out of this recipe, but if you’d like to make it just like Anna’s Mom, you’ll want to add curry powder to the ground beef when it’s cooking.
- Middle Eastern Flavor – Garnish the dish with mint to give it more Middle Eastern flavor.
More Quick Pasta Recipes
- One Pan Pizza Pasta – A quick and simple weeknight meal made in just one pot!
- Rasta Pasta – Everyone’s mouths will water for this delicious Caribbean-style dish!
- Marry Me Chicken Pasta Casserole – A pasta bake casserole loaded with comfort food vibes!
- Taco Pasta Salad – Everything you love about tacos in the form of pasta salad in just 30 minutes!
- TikTok Lemon Pasta (Spaghetti al Limone) – An Italian-inspired dish that’s overflowing with vibrant citrus, salty parmesan, and buttery flavor!
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Anna Paul’s Viral Turkish Pasta
Ingredients
Pasta
- 2 teaspoons salt for water
- 8 ounces farfalle pasta or pasta of choice, uncooked
Beef
- 1 lb ground beef see notes
- 1 yellow onion 150g
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika also called Hungarian Paprika, see notes
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
Yogurt Sauce
- 1 cup Greek yogurt 260g
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon lemon paste or lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Butter Sauce
- 6 tablespoons salted butter 84g
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
Garnish
- cherry tomatoes quartered
- fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season it generously with 2 teaspoons salt. Cook 8 ounces farfalle pasta according to package directions for al dente.
- While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, then brown 1 lb ground beef in the skillet, breaking it up into small bits. DO NOT DRAIN.
- Add 2 teaspoons sweet paprika, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, and ½ teaspoon sea salt and stir to coat.
- Add in 1 yellow onion that's beef finely diced and 3 tablespoons tomato paste and cook until the onions are very soft and the meat is well done and slightly crunchy.
- In a small bowl, combine 1 cup Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon minced garlic paste, 1 teaspoon lemon paste, and ½ teaspoon sea salt and stir to combine. Set aside until ready to use.
- In a small sauce pot, melt 6 tablespoons salted butter with 2 teaspoons sweet paprika.
- Drain the pasta and add it to a serving bowl. Spoon on the yogurt sauce and top with some of the beef mixture. Drizzle the paprika butter over the beef and finish off with chopped cherry tomatoes and fresh parsley.
Notes
- I would recommend 80-85% ground beef with this recipe. If you want to use 93%, I would recommend adding 1/2 cup of water once the beef is browned and the onions are soft to help is stay moist.
- If you cannot find sweet paprika, you can use regular paprika. The flavor won’t be the same, but it works in a pinch. You could also use smoked paprika if you prefer that flavor profile. I recommend using the Simply Organic brand of regular paprika because it has a lot more flavor than others.
Nutrition
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