Description
At its heart, this dish is a deconstructed version of Manti, which is often referred to as Turkish ravioli. Traditional Manti consists of tiny, handmade dough pouches filled with ground meat, boiled to perfection, and topped with yogurt and infused butter. The Turkish Manti Noodle Bake takes these same foundational elements and reimagines them as a baked pasta casserole.
Ingredients
Pasta
500 g small pasta (shells, bowties, or short noodles)
Salt (for boiling water)
Meat sauce
300–400 g ground beef or lamb
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp oil or butter
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp cumin (very important for mantı flavor!)
Yogurt sauce
2 cups thick plain yogurt
2–3 cloves garlic, grated
Salt to taste
Butter–pepper sauce
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp tomato paste or red pepper paste
1 tsp paprika
½–1 tsp chili flakes (pul biber), optional
Optional topping
Mozzarella or kaşar cheese (not traditional, but very popular)
Instructions
Cook the pasta
Boil pasta in well-salted water until just al dente. Drain and set aside.Make the meat sauce
Heat oil/butter in a pan.
Sauté onion until soft.
Add ground meat and cook until browned.
Stir in salt, pepper, paprika, and cumin. Remove from heat.Prepare yogurt sauce
Mix yogurt, garlic, and salt until smooth.
(Tip: Let yogurt come to room temp so it doesn’t split.)Assemble the bake
Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.
In a large baking dish:Layer pasta
Spread meat evenly
Pour yogurt sauce over everything
Lightly mix to coat
Add cheese on top if using.
Bake
Bake uncovered for 20–25 minutes, until heated through and lightly golden on top.Make the butter sauce
Melt butter in a small pan.
Add tomato paste + paprika + chili flakes.
Cook gently until fragrant (don’t burn!).Serve
Pour hot butter sauce over the baked pasta just before serving. 😍
Notes
This noodle bake is inspired by classic Turkish mantı flavors but skips the time-consuming dumpling folding. It’s cozy, garlicky, and perfect for feeding a crowd. Feel free to adjust the garlic and chili to taste—and don’t skip the butter sauce on top, that’s where the magic happens!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Turkish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ~1½ cups
- Calories: ~520 kcal
Keywords: Baked Manti Pasta, Deconstructed Turkish Dumplings, Easy Manti Casserole, Turkish Pasta Bake with Yogurt