Stuffed Turkish Pasta
You’ve probably come across this Turkish pasta on your feed - and it’s been going viral for a good reason! Delicious, flavourful, and filling, I just had to try it myself … with my own little spin on it, of course. 😉
Quick side note: my partner and I actually made Turkish dumplings late last year before this trend (pic below) and absolutely loved the combination of flavours, so I was curious to see how this would turn out!
The Turkish dumplings (manti) we made in October - we devoured these 😋
I went for the conchiglie (one of my favourite pasta shapes) and also decided to stuff and bake them.
And instead of using only meat, I mixed in some grated tofu which worked sooo well. I’ve been subbing tofu or legumes in my meat-heavy meals lately because not only does it lighten up a dish, it’s also a great way to increase your intake of plant protein, which comes with many benefits.
The flavours here can also be quite heavy if you’re not into spices like cumin and paprika, so the tofu really lightens things up.
While there are a few components to this dish, nothing here is complicated and I promise it’s all worth it once done as each ingredient helps tie everything together. And don’t skip the yoghurt or butter sauce - they add so much depth!
Plus you might find that filling the pasta shells can be a fun, therapeutic activity (I know I did). 😌
Whether or not you’ve seen this viral dish, take this as your sign to try it yourself. Enjoy!
THE RECIPE
SERVES 3-4
Ingredients
17-20 large conchiglie pasta pieces (210g cooked)
A pinch of salt
30g cheddar cheese, grated
400g passata
For the filling:
200g ground beef
300g firm tofu, grated, squeezed dry
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp passata
1.5 tsp kecap manis
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
For the yoghurt sauce:
110g (~ 2 tbsp) plain Greek yoghurt
1 clove garlic, grated finely
½ tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp salt
For the butter sauce:
20g unsalted butter
½ tbsp sweet paprika
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp salt
For the garnish:
5 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 tbsp sumac
Directions
Boil the pasta in a large pot of water. Cool until it’s al dente. Save about ½ cup of the cooking liquid before draining the pasta. Set the cooked pasta and cooking liquid aside.
While the pasta is cooking, make the yoghurt sauce. Mix together the yoghurt, minced garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference. Set it aside.
Then, make the filling. In a large pan over medium heat, add the ground beef (yes, no oil added! The beef should release its oils as it cooks). Cook the beef, breaking up the larger chunks.
Once the beef is no longer pink, add the grated tofu and stir well. Then, add the chopped onion, tomato paste, passata, garlic powder, cumin, sweet paprika, salt, black pepper, and stir well. Cook until the onions have softened and the meat is fully cooked. If the mixture starts to get dry, add some of the cooking liquid (I added a large splash to mine).
Preheat your oven to 200ºC (grill) while you assemble the dish.
To assemble, lay the passata at the bottom of the dish as your base. Then, stuff the conchiglie with the filling, and place them in the baking dish, one at a time. Once all the shells are arranged, top each shell with a small dollop of yoghurt sauce and a generous amount of grated cheese. Bake in the oven for about 10 mins until the cheese has melted and turned into a light golden colour.
Right before the pasta is ready, melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the sweet paprika, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir well and cook until the butter has fully melted and all the ingredients are well incorporated. This additional step may seem trivial, but I promise you it’s crucial to this recipe as it adds another depth of flavour!
To serve, top the pasta with cherry tomatoes, parsley, sumac, and a drizzle of the butter sauce. Enjoy!!
Nutrition
Coming soon!