Turkish Yogurt Pasta Dish (Printable)

Tender pasta combined with garlicky yogurt and spiced butter for a flavorful Turkish main course.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Pasta

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

→ Yogurt Sauce

03 - 1 2/3 cups full-fat plain 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:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of cooking water, and set pasta aside.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, minced garlic, and salt. Thin with reserved pasta water, one spoonful at a time, until creamy and smooth.
03 - Melt butter with olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in paprika, Aleppo pepper, and dried mint if using. Cook until butter is foamy and aromatic, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
04 - Toss warm pasta with the yogurt sauce until fully coated. Portion into serving bowls.
05 - Generously drizzle spiced butter over each serving. Garnish with chopped dill or parsley if desired, and serve immediately.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • It comes together in 25 minutes, which means weeknight dinner without the usual scramble.
  • The contrast between cool yogurt and hot spiced butter creates this magic moment on your tongue that feels fancier than it has any right to be.
  • You probably have most of this in your kitchen already, hiding in plain sight.
02 -
  • Never add the yogurt to cold pasta—the temperature difference matters more than you'd think for achieving that silky, uniform coating.
  • If your yogurt breaks or gets grainy, you've either overheated it or mixed it with cold pasta; next time, remember that yogurt likes to stay warm but never hot.
03 -
  • Reserve more pasta water than you think you'll need; you can always use it to loosen the yogurt, and it's hard to undo if you add it too early.
  • If your kitchen is cold, warm the serving bowls before plating so the pasta stays at the right temperature and the yogurt doesn't seize up.
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