30-Minute Arabic Pasta with Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

• 400 g pasta (I used mafalda corta)
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 700 g extra lean ground beef
• 2 cups chopped white onions (roughly 2 medium onions)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons allspice (you can also use 7 spice)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 5 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 2.5 cups plain full fat yogurt (750g)
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1 large garlic clove (crushed)
• 4 teaspoons dried mint (more per preference)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• A squeeze of lemon
• Toasted pine nuts
• Fresh herbs

Steps

1. 1

   Start by boiling the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and then drizzle with olive oil and set aside

2. 2

   Meanwhile, make the meat mixture by firstly cooking the chopped onion with the olive oil on medium high heat until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes

3. 3

   Add the ground beef and break it up into small pieces and cook it for 5-7 minutes, until browned and most of the moisture has dried up

4. 4

   Add all the spices and the tomato sauce and mix well. Taste and adjust

5. 5

   To make the yogurt sauce, mix all the sauce ingredients together using a fork (do not use a blender)

6. 6

   Toast the pine nuts with half a tablespoon of olive oil on a pan until lightly golden

7. 7

   To serve, layer the pasta, add the ground beef mixture, then the yogurt sauce, and top with the pine nuts and any fresh herbs you like. Enjoy!