Save The first time I had this was in a tiny apartment in Istanbul during a rainstorm, my friend's grandmother laughing as she slid the bowl across the table. The steam rising carried garlic and warm butter, and I remember thinking, this is what comfort actually tastes like. I've made it on busy weeknights and lazy Sundays alike, and it never fails to make the kitchen feel like home.
Last winter my roommate walked in while I was melting the butter with paprika and literally stopped in her tracks asking what smelled so incredible. We ate it standing up by the counter because neither of us wanted to wait to sit down. That's the kind of dinner this is—impossibly good and impossible to wait for.
Ingredients
- 400 g dried pasta: Fusilli catches the sauce beautifully but penne works just as well, anything with ridges to hold onto that creamy yogurt
- 1 tablespoon salt: For the pasta water, this is your only chance to season the noodles themselves so don't be shy
- 400 g plain fullfat yogurt: Turkish or Greek yogurt gives you that rich tangy backbone, thin it slightly with pasta water for the perfect consistency
- 2 cloves garlic: Finely minced so it blends into the yogurt rather than leaving chunks, fresh garlic matters here
- 12 teaspoon salt: Just enough to wake up the yogurt without making it salty, you can always add more later
- 60 g unsalted butter: Unsalted lets you control the seasoning, melt it slow so it doesn't brown before you add the spices
- 1 tablespoon olive oil: Keeps the butter from burning and adds a little fruitiness, regular olive oil is totally fine
- 1 12 teaspoons sweet paprika: This gives you that gorgeous red color and mild sweetness, don't skip it
- 12 teaspoon Aleppo pepper: Red pepper flakes work too but Aleppo has this fruity heat that's worth seeking out
- 14 teaspoon dried mint: Totally optional but adds this fresh herbal note that cuts through the richness
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill: Parsley works too, use whichever you have on hand for that pop of green at the end
Instructions
- Boil your pasta water:
- Get a large pot of water boiling with that tablespoon of salt, you want it tasting like the ocean so the pasta absorbs flavor as it cooks
- Cook the pasta:
- Cook your pasta until it's al dente, then drain but definitely save those 2 tablespoons of starchy cooking water before you forget
- Whisk the yogurt sauce:
- Mix your yogurt with the minced garlic and salt, thinning it with a spoonful or two of pasta water until it's creamy and pourable
- Melt the spiced butter:
- Heat butter and olive oil in a small saucepan, stir in the paprika and Aleppo pepper, let it get foamy and fragrant for about a minute then pull it off the heat
- Toss and serve:
- Coat the warm pasta in that garlicky yogurt sauce, divide into bowls, and generously drizzle each one with the spiced butter and herbs
Save This became my go-to when I moved into my first apartment and needed something that felt like a real meal but didn't require actual cooking skills. My neighbor could always smell when I was making it and would show up with a fork.
Making It Your Own
Sometimes I throw in a handful of toasted pine nuts right at the end because they add this ridiculous crunch that takes everything to the next level. A friend of mine crumbles feta on top and swears it's the only way to eat it.
What To Serve Alongside
A crisp cucumber and tomato salad with a lemon vinaigrette cuts through the richness perfectly. Or just some crusty bread to mop up every last drop of that spiced butter because wasting it feels wrong.
Leftovers Actually Work
This reheats surprisingly well if you add a splash of water and warm it gently, the yogurt sauce comes back together nicely. Store it in the fridge for up to three days.
- Don't microwave it for too long or the yogurt might separate
- Make fresh spiced butter each time you reheat a portion
- Bring it to room temp for 15 minutes before reheating for the best texture
Save It's funny how the simplest dishes end up being the ones you crave on exhausted Tuesday nights and lazy Sunday mornings alike.