Creamy Tahini Pasta
This creamy tahini pasta is a hearty, healthy, and super filling vegan weeknight dinner! With simple ingredients and easy steps, this cooks in under 30 minutes!
This pasta is so creamy and delicious with a nutty tahini sauce! Made with only 4 main ingredients, this recipe couldn't be easier! Whip this tahini pasta up for a hearty, filling weeknight dinner.
Tahini is a sauce made from ground sesame seeds. It's a very common ingredient in hummus, so this tahini pasta has a lot of that hummus-like flavor! Throw in some lemon juice and spices and you've got a flavorful sauce!
Pour this sauce onto dried pasta or make your own Homemade Vegan Pasta!
- Simple Ingredients - Just tahini, lemon, garlic, pasta, and some spices are needed to whip up this super flavorful pasta!
- Under 30 minutes - Boiling the pasta is the most time-consuming part of this whole recipe! The sauce comes together in just minutes.
- Hearty & Delicious - This tahini pasta dish is SO filling and satisfying. It's a full meal without adding any extra protein (though you could!)
- Rigatoni Pasta - You can use any pasta shape you like best for this recipe! I chose to use rigatoni, but it would go great with penne, farfalle, spaghetti, or even fusilli! Gluten-free pasta works as well.
- Tahini - Pure, ground sesame seed tahini.
- Garlic - Fresh, minced garlic will give the best flavor, but jarred is fine too.
- Red Pepper Flakes - Optional, these are a great spicy garnish!
- Lemon Juice - Freshly squeezed or pre-juiced. Do not substitute this!
- Olive Oil - A high quality extra-virgin olive oil is best for this dish. Other neutral-flavored oils are fine too, or even butter.
- Salt & Pepper - Season to your liking!
Begin by bringing a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
Finely mince 3 cloves of garlic and juice 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
Boil the pasta until just past al dente.
Drain and reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Set to the side.
Add olive oil to a hot pan, then toss in the minced garlic.
Sauté garlic until just barely golden, but be careful as it will burn easily.
Once garlic is golden, lower the heat to medium and add lemon juice.
Next, mix in the tahini and us a whisk or a fork to combine thoroughly. Turn the heat off.
Pour in a small amount of pasta water to thin the sauce to your liking.
Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the tahini sauce and gently mix to combine.
Once all of the pasta is coated, add more pasta water if necessary. I used about ½ cup of pasta water total.
Season with salt and garnish with red pepper flakes, fresh cracked black pepper, and herbs!
- Don't forget to reserve ½ cup to 1 cup of pasta water once you boil the pasta! This is a very important part of making the sauce come out as silky and creamy and not chunky and thick!
- Top this pasta with some Crispy Roasted Chickpeas for a very hummus-like pasta dish!
- Store this pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. This pasta is best when enjoyed fresh, so be sure to heat it back up and add more water to keep the sauce loose.
Tahini is made from ground up sesame seeds. It is often used in hummus, sauces, dips, and even desserts!
What flavor is tahini?Tahinis most prominent flavor is "nutty." It is very different from other nut butters, it's much less sweet. Tahini tastes a bit like hummus.
How can I use tahini?Tahini can be used in so many ways! Make this creamy tahini pasta, throw it into Beet Hummus or Pumpkin Hummus, or even use it in baked goods or just as a dip on its own!
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Creamy Tahini Pasta
Recipe details
Ingredients
- ▢ 8 ounces Rigatoni pasta gluten-free if necessary
- ▢ 1/3 cup Tahini
- ▢ 3 cloves Garlic minced
- ▢ 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ▢ 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
- ▢ Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- Begin by bringing a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
- Finely mince 3 cloves of garlic and juice 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
- Boil the pasta until just past al dente.
- Drain and reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Set to the side.
- Add olive oil to a hot pan, then toss in the minced garlic.
- Sauté garlic until just barely golden, but be careful as it will burn easily.
- Once garlic is golden, lower the heat to medium and add lemon juice.
- Next, mix in the tahini and us a whisk or a fork to combine thoroughly. Turn the heat off.
- Pour in a small amount of pasta water to thin the sauce to your liking.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the tahini sauce and gently mix to combine.
- Once all of the pasta is coated, add more pasta water if necessary. I used about ½ cup of pasta water total.
- Season with salt and garnish with red pepper flakes, fresh cracked black pepper, and herbs!
Tips
- Don't forget to reserve ½ cup to 1 cup of pasta water once you boil the pasta! This is a very important part of making the sauce come out as silky and creamy and not chunky and thick!
- Top this pasta with some Crispy Roasted Chickpeas for a very hummus-like pasta dish!
- Store this pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. This pasta is best when enjoyed fresh, so be sure to heat it back up and add more water to keep the sauce loose.
Comments
Share your thoughts, or ask a question!
what is tahini ?
Interesting idea to use tahini as pasta sauce. I added some herbes de Provence and extra basil and marjoram. It needs more flavor. Another tablespoon of lemon juice or zest??I really liked the texture of the sauce.