Turkish pasta has quickly become one of those meals I completely understand the hype around. Bowtie pasta is layered with warmly spiced ground beef, cool garlic yogurt, fresh tomatoes and a buttery paprika drizzle. Every bite has a little something different, and the contrast between the warm pasta and cool yogurt sauce makes it especially good.

It looks impressive, but everything comes together with simple ingredients and very little fuss. I love serving it layered instead of mixing it all together so everyone gets plenty of beef, creamy yogurt and that paprika butter in every bowl. It’s cozy, flavorful and just different enough from our usual pasta night to make dinner a little more interesting.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Pasta

• 12 oz bowtie pasta
• Salt, for the pasta water

Spiced Beef

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

Garlic Yogurt

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 large garlic clove, finely grated or minced
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• ¼ tsp salt

Paprika Butter

• 3 tbsp salted butter
• 1 tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, optional

For Serving

• 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
• Chopped fresh parsley, optional

Instructions

1. Cook the bowtie pasta in generously salted water according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. While the pasta cooks, brown the ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking the beef into small crumbles. Drain excess grease if needed.
3. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, onion powder, oregano, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook for another 1–2 minutes, until the beef is well browned and fragrant.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice and salt. If you prefer a thinner sauce, stir in a tablespoon or two of warm pasta water.
5. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in the paprika and red pepper flakes and cook for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Don’t let the paprika burn.
6. Divide the warm pasta among bowls. Spoon the cool garlic yogurt over the pasta, followed by the seasoned beef and diced tomatoes.
7. Drizzle generously with the warm paprika butter and finish with parsley if desired.