Macarona Bil Laban

Ingredients

• 1 pound cavatappi pasta or elbow macaroni, prepared according to package instructions
• 1 pound 80% lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons 7 spices
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon sumac
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• toasted pine nuts or almonds for topping
• Yogurt Sauce
• 2½ cups plain whole milk yogurt
• 1 teaspoon sumac
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 6-8 garlic cloves minced. This makes it garlicky, so use as much or as little as you’d like.
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

1. Start by boiling the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. Add the olive oil to a pot on medium high heat. Add the chopped onions and saute until translucent.
3. Add the ground beef and saute until lightly browned, and most of the pinkness is gone.
4. Add the salt, black pepper, sumac, 7 spices and ground cinnamon.
5. Mix everything together well and cook for another few minutes, until completely browned and cooked through.
6. To Make the Yogurt Sauce
7. In a large bowl, combine the plain whole milk yogurt, sumac, and salt. Whisk everything together well.
8. Melt the butter on a pan on medium high heat. Once melted, add the minced garlic.
9. Saute the garlic until golden brown, making sure to moving it around every so often. This takes about 1-3 minutes.
10. Once golden, add the garlic and the butter to the yogurt. Whisk well.
11. To Assemble:
12. Combine the cooked and drained pasta into the yogurt sauce. Mix well until everything is well incorporated.
13. Add the yogurt pasta to a serving dish, and top with the cooked ground beef mixture.
14. Finally, top it with some toasted pine nuts or almonds, and some chopped parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Most Macarona Bil Laban recipes call for raw grated garlic in the yogurt sauce. Personally, I love sauteeing the garlic in the butter first. This gives it the best flavor.If you’d like to skip sauteing the garlic, just grate it and add it to the yogurt, raw. Skip the butter.Use more or less garlic if you prefer.You can prep the sauce ahead of time, and prep the cooked beef ahead of time and combine when you’re ready to serve.

Nutrition

614 kcalCalories: 614kcal Carbohydrates: 62g Protein: 27gFat: 28g Saturated Fat: 11g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 12g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 77mgSodium: 685mg Potassium: 545mg Fiber: 3gSugar: 7g Vitamin A: 218IU Vitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 162mg Iron: 3mg