Crispy mince with orzo, tomatoes, garlicky yoghurt and paprika butter drizzle
This Turkish style pasta is a classic and for very good reason!
This is my version of a very well known Turkish pasta dish and it’s so incredibly good. You could make this with any shape of pasta you like, shells (conchiglie) are traditional I think, but I actually love it the most with orzo. It’s also excellent with giant cous cous.
I think the reason this dish works so well is because it’s all about contrast. And we know that contrast with texture and temperature really makes for the most delicious dishes. And I promise it couldn't be easier. All you do is cook the mince until it’s gorgeously crispy and caramelised and then that contrasts so well with the soft orzo and the cool creamy garlicky yoghurt. The chopped tomatoes and parsley provide lovely freshness and then the whole thing is drizzled in a hot bubbling paprika butter. No I know, that really is as good as it sounds. Heaven.
This comes together in no time at all. 20 minutes and it should be on the table. Really truly. Quick, easy and delicious.
Traditionally this dish is made with lamb but I also love it with beef mince, or pork works too. Lamb mince isn’t always as easy to find so it’s personal preference. The key, like with a bolognaise is that you really need to brown the mince and get it gorgeously crispy. This is very important, if the mince is grey and sad, this dish will be grey and sad.
If I’m cooking for myself and my husband I might plate it up, but for any more people I lay out all the bits on the table in lovely bowls and let everyone take a bit of everything. It makes for a gorgeously simple dinner party dish. Really once you’ve made this once I can guarantee it will become a regular on your weeknight supper menu.
The full recipe is below for paid subscribers (along with a handy PDF version). You also get access to helpful notes on the recipe in case you want to make it vegetarian friendly, or you’re feeding more people and want to scale up easily. Perhaps you’re feeding the whole family? It’s all covered in the Notes.
I really want this newsletter to be your go-to resource when you don’t know what to cook for supper so I put a lot of energy into the Notes section to make it as helpful as possible. Cooking isn’t about following a recipe exactly, it’s about using it as inspiration, seeing what you have in the fridge and making it your own so I’ve got lots of tips about how you can adapt it.
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I would say it serves two people but perhaps up to four depending on appetites etc. I know that 500g mince seems a lot but because you cook it down until super crispy, it does shrink down a lot. You will be surprised and really what’s more annoying than a recipe which uses 3/4 of a packet of mince. So use the whole thing and see how you get on, it keeps well in the fridge once cooked. You would need to up the orzo thought for four people – see The Notes.
