Middle Eastern Pasta With Yogurt and Pine Nuts

Recipe By BISHO
Rating
Published Jun 8th
Prep 10m Cook 8m Additional - Ready In 18m
Servings 4 servings Calories 852.9

This is a great and healthy Middle Eastern dish. Simple and easy, it has just yogurt, ground meat and garlic plus pasta of course!

Recipe Ingredients

  • 1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti or penne pasta
  • 2 tablespoons corn oil
  • 8 ounces ground beef or ground lean lamb
  • ⅓ cup pine nuts or slivered almonds
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 (16 ounce) container plain yogurt

Cooking Directions

  1. 1 Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
  2. 2 Meanwhile, heat the corn oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the beef and cook until well browned, stirring frequently to break apart, about 7 minutes. Add the pine nuts, and cook for another minute until dark brown. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then remove from the heat, and drain off excess fat.
  3. 3 In a large bowl, crush the garlic into a smooth paste. Whisk the yogurt with the garlic until creamy and smooth. Once the pasta has been cooked and drained, place into a serving dish, and pour the yogurt over it. Top with the cooked meat and nuts while it is still hot.

Nutrition Facts

  • Calories 852.9
  • Carbohydrate 95.1 g
  • Cholesterol 55 mg
  • Fat 36.9 g
  • Fiber 4.6 g
  • Protein 35.5 g
  • Saturated Fat 10.2 g
  • Sodium 707.1 mg
  • Sugar 11.7 g

Reviews

  1. hello kitty Jan 7, 2012 06:34 PM
    This is a great recipe with few changes. It is also very authentic (my Jordanian boyfriend makes the same thing). Increase finely minced garlic to 4 cloves and season generously with salt and pepper. I cooked 1/2 medium onion chopped with meat. Instead of cooking the pine nuts with the meat I use silvered almonds - Read more ...
  2. thathathachampishere Oct 15, 2010 09:42 PM
    Two quick points: a) It IS bland regardless of whether it tastes good or not. The way you can spruce it up is as follows: 1. Be a bit generous with the salt and garlic (while mixing it with the yoghurt before adding the pasta) 2. Add about 2-3 tablespoons of mild hot sauce (not - Read more ...
  3. Shanda Jul 10, 2009 04:33 PM
    I was disappointed. Sounded great made it for a friend who loves this kind of cuisine. It was ok.... Very bland. Maybe ok as small side dish but definitely not main dish. Not worth keeping the recipe or making again.
  4. spmulligan Apr 7, 2009 05:51 PM
    This was not good. It was bland and the yogurt cooled everything down to make lukewarm pasta. I don't understand why folks like this.
  5. Anonymous Mar 2, 2009 10:23 PM
    Very good. I wanted to try something Georgian just because I'd never sampled food from that area of the world and wanted something that used a different pallet. this was good and easy to make from ingredients available in the US!
  6. BEZOONA1 Oct 6, 2008 10:11 PM
    This is a kick go-to recipe my mom used to make it all the time when we were kids and we still love it. My additions are that I add 2 TBSP of Tahini (sesame paste) to the yogurt a dash of lemon and a bit more garlic than in this recipe. Use a thicker - Read more ...
  7. MANORBOOKS Sep 12, 2008 05:31 AM
    I have been making this recipe for over 30 years. All my five sons were raised on it and it is a family favorite to be sure. It is so delicious and refreshing! One thing we do differently is that we toast the pinenuts (in a pan on the stove) and do not add them - Read more ...
  8. Bamboopidge Dec 12, 2007 07:09 PM
    My husband is from Syria and he disagrees with the previous reviewer. This dish is very authentic Syrian cooking. I added half a white onion and cooked it in the oil before adding the minced meat. We really enjoyed this dish and it was very easy to make. The garlic breath effect stops this one - Read more ...
  9. Vahjiin Dec 15, 2006 06:52 PM
    This is not authentic to my country, for it simple makes a traditional less serious. We are using curry, variety peppers, and pignoli, and garlic is considered incorrect with yoghurt, especially when homemade. I believe the edition of green onion, true curries, and zatar spice will make this meal closer to true Middle Eastern recipe, - Read more ...
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