Turkish Cheesy Manti Dumplings (Printable Version)

Tender Turkish dumplings filled with creamy cheese served with garlic yogurt and spiced butter drizzle.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dough

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
03 - 1 large egg
04 - 1/2 cup water, plus more as needed

→ Cheese Filling

05 - 1 cup Turkish white cheese or feta, crumbled
06 - 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
07 - 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
08 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

→ Yogurt Sauce

09 - 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
10 - 1 garlic clove, minced
11 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Spiced Butter

12 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
13 - 1 teaspoon paprika
14 - 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or chili flakes

# Steps:

01 - In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the center, add egg and water. Mix and knead until forming a smooth, elastic dough. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
02 - Mix crumbled white cheese, ricotta, parsley, and black pepper in a bowl until well combined.
03 - Combine Greek yogurt, minced garlic, and salt. Stir until smooth and set aside.
04 - On a lightly floured surface, roll dough thinly to about 2 mm thickness. Cut into 1.5-inch squares.
05 - Place approximately 1/2 teaspoon of cheese filling in each dough square center. Pinch corners together to seal and form dumplings.
06 - Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add dumplings in batches, cooking 5–7 minutes until they float and are tender. Drain thoroughly.
07 - Melt butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add paprika and Aleppo pepper, cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
08 - Place dumplings on plates, spoon yogurt sauce over them, and drizzle spiced butter on top. Garnish with extra parsley if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • These little parcels are somehow both elegant and deeply comforting, making you feel like you've mastered something ancient and special.
  • The contrast between creamy cheese, tangy yogurt, and nutty spiced butter is the kind of flavor combination that makes people ask for the recipe immediately.
  • Once you nail the technique, you can make them ahead and freeze them, turning a weeknight dinner into something restaurant-worthy.
02 -
  • The dough must be rolled thin—I mean really thin—or the texture will be doughy instead of delicate; thickness is what separates these from regular pasta.
  • Don't overfill the dumplings or they'll burst open when boiling, which I learned the hard way my second attempt and wasted an entire batch.
  • Seal the corners tightly by pinching and checking twice; weak seals are why fillings leak out and turn your broth cloudy.
  • Use Greek yogurt if you can; regular yogurt is too thin and will slide off instead of clinging to the manti like a proper sauce.
03 -
  • A pasta wheel or pizza cutter is your friend for cutting perfect squares faster and with less drag than a knife.
  • Keep a small bowl of water nearby while folding—wet fingers help seal the dough edges more reliably than trying to pinch dry dough.
  • If your water boils and you're not ready with more manti, turn the heat down; a gentle simmer won't hurt anything and gives you time to fold the next batch.
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