Makarona Bil Laban

Name: Makarona Bil Laban
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) dried pasta (most common are elbow/macaroni pasta or shell pasta); 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) dried pasta (most common are elbow/macaroni pasta or shell pasta); 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) dried pasta (most common are elbow/macaroni pasta or shell pasta); 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) dried pasta (most common are elbow/macaroni pasta or shell pasta); 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle; 500 g (1 lb 2 oz/2¼ cups) thick Greek yogurt (the best you can get your hands on); ½-1 tsp ground allspice (adjust according to your preference); 2 cloves of garlic, crushed; ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1 tsp dried mint or dried dill; 1 tsp dried mint or dried dill; 2 tbsp pine nuts (ideally long Pakistani pine nuts); 2 tbsp pine nuts (ideally long Pakistani pine nuts); Sumac or pul biber (Aleppo pepper flakes), to sprinkle (your call – both work well); Sumac or pul biber (Aleppo pepper flakes), to sprinkle (your call – both work well); Sumac or pul biber (Aleppo pepper flakes), to sprinkle (your call – both work well); Chopped parsley and/or pomegranate seeds, to garnish; Chopped parsley and/or pomegranate seeds, to garnish; Salt

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Red Sea Cookbook

By Madeeha Qureshi

Published 2026

About

This is pasta like you have never seen it before. My heartfelt apologies to my Italian counterparts – you may find this recipe blasphemous to traditional Italian pasta dishes, but it’s very popular in the Middle East and now it’s time for the West to open up their minds and taste buds to this much-loved take on pasta.

This original version of this dish is vegetarian and served in a variety of ways. Enjoy on its own with a tempering of pine nuts in olive oil, a bit of sumac and fresh

Ingredients

Europe
Italy
Saudi Arabia
Lunch
Pasta
Vegetarian
Gluten-free

Ingredients

Method