Spicy Lamb Keema Pasta Recipe: A Flavourful Fusion of Indian and Italian Cuisine

Why You’ll Love Spicy lamb Keema Pasta

My spicy lamb mince pasta or spicy keema pasta, includes some of the classic Pakistani spices such as cumin, chilli powder and turmeric. However I have also put in some Middle Eastern flavours for an interesting twist. I love harissa, and it always pairs very well with lamb. I also have made an accompanying garlic mint yoghurt sauce which is inspired the Turkish cacik sauce. The children always love cheese with their pasta, so I have put grated cheddar cheese in as an optional ingredient, however the pasta still tastes delicious without it.

This spicy lamb pasta is a dish to make when you have family get together, alternatively for a weeknight dinner or casual lunch! It’s made in under half an hour. Another bonus to making this flavourful spicy pasta dish. I often make this in the school holidays when I have the children running about and want something quick and nutritious for us to eat, without it taking up too much of my time being stuck in the kitchen. The children enjoy having it with broccoli and garlic bread.

Tips to making Spicy Lamb Keema Pasta

This dish is easy to tweak to your preference. You can switch the lamb mince for beef, mutton or chicken mince, whatever you prefer. You could even use Quorn mince for a vegetarian edge. If you prefer a smooth pasta sauce, put the chopped tomatoes in a food processor and blitz before adding it to the lamb mince.

When making this Indian-Italian Fusion recipe, I have presented the dish either with the yoghurt on top of a pasta layer, then the spiced mince on top of the yoghurt layer. I always like to make sure a bit of the yoghurt tis peeping out from under the mince so you can see what you will be tasting. Alternatively, you can add the lamb mince straight on top of the pasta with the yoghurt drizzled over the top of the mince.

However, when I’m making it for just the family at home, the children prefer the pasta to be coated in the lamb mince and tomato sauce, so I mix through the mince mixture with the pasta and serve with some grated cheddar cheese and the yoghurt is kept on the side for the children to add it in to their preference. The children always love a bit of grated cheddar cheese with their pasta, and this South Asian Pasta is no exception!

In addition, if you really like you spice, you can some finely chopped green chillies into the mince, it’s really up to you how spicy you would like it. The pul biber (Turkish Aleppo pepper) has a moderate heat, replacing this with red chilli powder definitely takes the heat up a notch further.

I have used 400 grams of wholemeal pasta in my images below, this comfortably feeds 4-5 people. However, if you are feeding more people, the recipe scales up very well, You could even add in some sweetcorn or tinned kidney beans to bulk up the lamb mince.

The yoghurt sauce is really the perfect finishing touch, I’ve added chilli flakes for extra spicy kick. But you can always miss this out if you prefer it milder in spice. I do find that letting the yoghurt sauce marinate overnight in the fridge really amplifies the flavours. It gives the garlic time to work through the yoghurt.

Like most South Asian dishes, finishing with finely chopped coriander is a must! However as I have a Middle Eastern twist on this dish, you could finish with finely chopped parsley instead. Parsley compliments the dish very well. I forgot to buy parsley when making this in my Youtube video, so I whipped out some frozen coriander I had pre-washed and chopped from my freezer to use for this spicy lamb keema pasta recipe.

Ramadan spicy lamb keema pasta dish

Spicy lamb mince pasta also makes a great dish for Ramadan (Islamic month of fasting). This flavourful lamb mince recipe makes it a very filling dish to have when breaking your fast (iftari). I often use wholemeal pasta for the slow release of carbohydrates. Don’t miss this spicy lamb mince pasta off the list of things to make this Ramadan.

Indian-Italian Fusion recipe

I had no idea that pasta had a long history in the Middle East, we are talking centuries old. I had always thought Italy was the historical place for pasta, but the Middle East actually has a long history with this ingredient.

Today we know pasta is eaten worldwide. In Indian and Pakistan, pasta is often enjoyed with spicy and flavourful sauces. It’s often served in restaurants. Pakistani cooks will often use common place South Asian spices such as cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, and garam masala to enhance the flavour of pasta dishes, giving them a distinctive South Asian flair.

This lamb mince pasta recipe of mine combines a little bit of the Middle East with South Asian. I hope you enjoy the spicy lamb keema pasta it as much as my family do!

Make this spicy pasta with my East African sweetcorn curry to enjoy flavours from all over the world! For dessert I would make my chocolate trifle.

See my video on Instagram or TikTok to see how to make this dish!

Ingredients

Time. preparation 7 minutes, cooking 20 minutes

Serves 4-5

Mince lamb sauce

• 3 tablespoons oil
• 500 grams lamb mince
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon of finely chopped ginger
• 0.5- 1 teaspoon of pul biber or chilli powder ( to taste)
• 1 teaspoon of cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon of harissa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of salt (to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
• 150ml water
• 1 handful of fresh parsley finely chopped (or fresh coriander)
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes

Yoghurt sauce

• 250 grams natural yoghurt
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 tablespoon of dried mint
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of chilli flakes (optional)

• 400 grams pasta
• Grated cheese (cheddar or mozzarella works well), optional

Method

1. Mix the yoghurt ingredients in a bowl and leave to one side.

2. Cook the pasta as per the cooking instructions on the pack.

3. Whilst the pasta is cooking, in another pan heat the oil and add the onions. Cook until lightly browned.

4. Add the garlic and ginger, stir through, then add the remaining spices and stir through again.

5, Next add the mince lamb, and cook until browned. Break up any lumps on mince using the spoon.

6. Add the water and the chopped tomatoes and stir through thoroughly. (If you prefer a smoother sauce, blend the chopped tomatoes in food processor before adding to the mince lamb.) Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10 minutes.

7. Uncover the pan and cook for a further 5-7 minutes, until most of the water had evaporated from the pan.

8. In a large serving dish, place the cooked pasta, then on top pour over the mince lamb and sprinkle the freshly chopped coriander (and grated cheese; optional). Next drizzle over the yoghurt sauce. Put the remaining yoghurt sauce in a dipping pot and serve with the main pasta dish.