There are a few flavor combinations that will always win. Without question, the combination of garlic yogurt and paprika butter is one of them. You probably know this from manti. Or perhaps our Yogurtlu brokoli? Or our beloved Yogurtlu Makarna? Or maybe our Havuc Tarator? Ok, you can see that this combination is popular in Turkish cuisine. So it was only natural that we should also make this recipe and present it to you: Turkish pasta salad with lentils!
What goes into our Turkish pasta salad with lentils?
We've already told you a lot about Turkish egg noodles, or eriste, in our Eriste Pilavi. Well, we were actually in the mood for eriste with yogurt. But to be honest, only pasta with yoghurt is a little lacking in vitamins and other nutrients. Do you really want to make a salad with it? Why, when there's Turkish pasta salad with lentils - and that's what we did!
The lentils not only make the Turkish pasta salad more nutritious, but also more filling and even more interesting. On the other hand, the pasta salad is also super light and is perfect as a salad for a barbecue or as a summer meal. In addition to the Turkish egg noodles and green lentils*, yogurt and garlic are also added to the salad. And how is it all topped (literally)?
PAPRIKA BUTTER AND ROASTED WALNUTS.
Sounds good? It is. In Turkish, by the way, we would call the pasta salad Yogurtlu Mercimekli Eriste Salatasi, literally: egg noodle salad with yoghurt and lentils.
However, Turkish noodle salad is not really a traditional Turkish salad. It uses classic ingredients and no one would be surprised by the combination. Nevertheless, it is not a dish in its own right, like a classic Turkish purslane salad.
Tips for our Turkish pasta salad with lentils
Basically, our Turkish egg noodle salad should include eriste (something like these*). But that doesn't matter in the end, of course, and you can also use other noodles. However, the eriste are slightly different and softer, which is why we can't guarantee that the Turkish noodle salad will still taste as good 1:1. Otherwise, the following applies to our Turkish pasta salad with lentils:
- Garlic yogurt becomes even more intense over time, which is why you can prepare the garlic yogurt in advance or simply let the salad infuse.
- We made the paprika butter with just butter, paprika powder and dried mint. However, we were almost missing a fruity note, which is why you can add a teaspoon of tomato paste to the butter.
- Make sure that the lentils are soft but not mushy. We have used typical Turkish green lentils. These are ideal for all Turkish lentil recipes (except lentil soup, of course).
Soooo, enough talk about such a simple recipe! :-) Now just try our Turkish pasta salad and tell us how you liked it. Afiyet olsun!
Turkish pasta salad with lentils and yogurt
Ingredients
Please note: Simply take a cup use it to measure the correct ratio.
- 1.5 cups eriste
- 1 cup green lentils*
- 400 g/little less than 2 cups Greek yoghurt (preferably firm)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 full tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp paprika powder
- a teaspoon of dried mint*
- a handful of crushed walnuts
- salt
Preparation
Step 1: Cook the green lentils in salted water until soft, but make sure they still have a little bite. Cook the pasta in salted water until soft. DO NOT COOK THE TWO TOGETHER as the cooking times are different.
Step 2: Put the strained lentils and pasta in a large bowl. Add the yogurt, salt and crushed garlic. Mix everything together.
Step 3: Melt the butter in a small pan and roast the walnuts. Now add the paprika powder and dried mint over a low heat. Make sure that the paprika powder does not burn. Roast everything.
Step 4: Garnish the Turkish pasta salad with the butter and enjoy immediately, as the butter will harden later.
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