Garlic Yogurt Pasta
Turkish-style pasta in cool garlic yogurt under sizzling paprika butter — odd on paper, perfect in the bowl.
Ingredients
- 200 g Pasta
- 250 g Yogurt
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 40 g Butter
- 1 tsp Smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Mint (optional)
Method
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Boil the pasta in the salted water one minute shy of al dente (firm to the bite).
- Reserve a splash of the pasta water, then drain.
- Grate the garlic into the room-temperature yogurt with a pinch of salt and stir until smooth.
- Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat and cook, swirling, until it smells nutty and turns light brown, about 3 minutes.
- Take the skillet off the heat and stir the smoked paprika into the browned butter so it blooms without scorching.
- Toss the hot pasta with the garlic yogurt and the crackling paprika butter, loosening with the reserved pasta water until glossy.
- Scatter the mint over and serve.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Garlic Yogurt Pasta
Garlic Yogurt Pasta is the pasta-shaped cousin of Turkish manti and other yogurt-sauced dishes from the eastern Mediterranean, where cool garlicky yogurt meets hot sizzling butter. Hot al dente pasta is tossed with room-temperature yogurt that's been grated through with raw garlic and salt, then crowned with butter cooked to a nutty brown and bloomed with smoked paprika. On paper the combination of cold yogurt and hot pasta sounds strange; in the bowl it's the whole point.
The pleasure is in the contrast — the yogurt stays tangy and creamy without curdling because it's off the heat, while the browned paprika butter pours over in a crackling, red-gold slick of smoky richness. Browning the butter until it smells nutty and blooming the paprika off the heat, so it colors the fat without scorching, is what separates this from a bland yogurt toss. Fresh mint adds a cool herbal lift that ties the tang and the smoke together. It's a quick, meatless main for two, satisfying enough on its own and easily stretched with a side salad or warm flatbread.
Garlic Yogurt Pasta: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Garlic Yogurt Pasta?
A serving has about 623 calories — 18.5g protein, 83.9g carbs, 23.7g fat, 4.2g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Garlic Yogurt Pasta gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Pasta. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
Is Garlic Yogurt Pasta dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Yogurt, Butter. Swapping those for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Garlic Yogurt Pasta take to make?
About 22 minutes start to finish, but only around 10 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Garlic Yogurt Pasta?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out mint — it's optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Garlic Yogurt Pasta make?
This recipe makes 2 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.