I Tried the TikTok Viral Turkish Pasta - Does It Live Up to the Hype?
Taste Test: Is this insanely popular Tiktok recipe as delicious at they say?
Tiktok’s Turkish Pasta
If you spend any time on the foodie side of Tiktok, you’ve come across the Turkish Pasta recipe. Made famous by Australian influencer Anna Paul, the original video has garnered over 15 million views and quickly took over foodtok.
I was super curious to try it. I’ve never had any type of pasta dish like this so I ran to the store and picked up everything I needed.
I live in Canada so this unfortunately cost me like sixty bucks.
How to Make the Tiktok Viral Turkish Pasta
Ingredients:
Ground meat (I picked up a beef/lamb mix)
Tomatoes
Parsley
Pasta of your choice (bowtie and shells have been popular choices)
Greek Yogurt (plain and unsweetened)
Onion
Garlic
Lemon
Butter
Spices: curry powder, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder
The recipe online doesn’t have any specific measurements so this is really a measure with your heart situation (that’s what I did and it worked out wonderfully).
Step 1 - Prep, prep, prep!
Dice your onion and chop up tomato and parsley. Put aside.
Make your greek yogurt sauce: Mix plain greek yogurt with grated garlic, a generous amount of salt and a squeeze of lemon. Taste and adjust as needed.
Step 2 - Cook the Meat
Lightly oil pan and sauté onion stirring often until golden brown. Season with paprika and curry powder. Add meat and continue until fully cooked through.
I also added about 2 tablespoons of tomato paste since some Tiktokers mentioned that this really amped up the flavour.
Continue to cook the meat until it is crispy. The original recipe looks very crispy. To be honest, I had a tough time getting it super crispy without feeling like I was burning the meat but it was still delicious. The original recipe also calls for a “sprinkle” of curry. I seasoned way more than what was called for with paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper and curry powder.
Step 3 - Boil your pasta of choice
While your meat is getting crispy, bring a large pot of water to boil and salt heavily. Cook pasta to your liking. I went with bowtie pasta but shells would have been an amazing choice here to.
Step 4 - Butter Sauce
Melt butter in a small pan and add paprika to your liking.
That’s it! Now it’s time to assemble.
How to Assemble the Turkish Pasta
Start with a layer of pasta
Top with greek yogurt sauce
Layer a generous serving of meat
Drizzle the butter sauce
Finish with chopped tomatoes and parsley
My Review of the Tiktok Viral Turkish Pasta
I’ve never had any pasta dish like this. It reminded me of a deconstructed gyro or doner kebab. The hot and cold components worked so well together and were so delicious. The fresh, garlicky yogurt offset the warm and spicy meat. It was super filling as well and packed a lot of flavour for pretty minimal effort. My favourite kind of recipe. I will definitely be making it again.
Final Tips:
I think mint would make an excellent replacement for the parsley.
If you’re lazy, pick up a tzatziki and use that as your yogurt base instead.
This was super easy as meal prep. Cook meat, chop the veggies and herbs and making a big batch of yogurt sauce ahead of time and boil pasta when ready to eat.
xoxo by fran