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Arabic Pasta with Yogurt Sauce

A quick and delicious Arabic pasta dish featuring tender pasta, savory ground beef, and a creamy yogurt sauce, perfect for lunch or dinner.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Arabic
Calories: 600
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Pasta
  • 400 g pasta (I used mafalda corta)
  • Salt Salt for boiling pasta
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil for drizzling
For the Beef Mixture
  • 700 g extra lean ground beef
  • 2 cups chopped white onions (roughly 2 medium onions)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil for cooking onions
  • 2 teaspoons allspice or 7 spice
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 5 tablespoons tomato sauce
For the Yogurt Sauce
  • 750 g plain full fat yogurt
  • 1/2 cup tahini
  • 1 large clove garlic (crushed)
  • 4 teaspoons dried mint more per preference
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • A squeeze of lemon lemon
For Garnishing
  • Toasted pine nuts
  • Fresh herbs

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Start by boiling the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain it and drizzle with olive oil. Set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, cook the chopped onion in a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
  3. Next, add the ground beef. Break it up into small pieces and cook for 5-7 minutes, until browned and most moisture has dried up.
Cooking
  1. Add all the spices and the tomato sauce. Mix everything well and taste. Adjust seasoning as needed.
  2. For the yogurt sauce, mix all the sauce ingredients together using a fork (avoid using a blender).
  3. Toast the pine nuts with half a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan until lightly golden.
Assembly
  1. To serve, layer the pasta, add the ground beef mixture, then the yogurt sauce, and top with the toasted pine nuts and any fresh herbs you like.

Notes

Make sure the pasta is drained well before adding the olive oil. Adjust the spices in the meat mixture according to your taste. For extra flavor, let the toasted pine nuts cool before adding them to the dish. Feel free to add more herbs to the yogurt sauce for a fresh twist.