Lemon Tahini Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes

The base for this vegan sun-dried tomato pasta is tahini.  It has a nutty flavor that pairs well with fresh lemon juice.  A little maple syrup for sweetness and the acidity from the lemon cut through the bitterness of the tahini.  

The recipe calls for reserving some pasta cooking water to help create a creamy tahini sauce to coat the pasta.  Then toss in spinach (or thinly sliced kale) for some greens and add sweet yet tart sun-dried tomatoes.

For more weeknight noodle recipes try vegan creamy tomato pasta, tahini soba noodles, or vegan peanut noodles.

Recipe features

• The easy lemon tahini pasta sauce comes together in less than 30 minutes for a weeknight meal.  
• It’s vegan and nut-free since it uses tahini as the base for the creamy sauce.
• The dish is adaptable, substitute the sun-dried tomatoes for all sorts of other options.  See the list of variations below for ideas.

Ingredient notes 

The tahini pasta uses simple ingredients, but please see the recipe card below for a full list and exact measurements.

Pasta- I use short to medium pasta with ridges to be able to grab onto the pasta sauce like penne, fusilli, and bowties. Any pasta should work, cook it according to the package instructions.

Tahini - Made from ground sesame seeds and it’s used to give the pasta sauce creaminess.  Like in this creamy tahini soba noodle recipe, use a good quality pourable tahini. The ground sesame seed butter at the bottom of the jar will most likely be much drier than at the top, so give it a good stir before measuring.  

Tahini can sometimes be found near the nut butters, the olives, or in the international section at the store.  If all else fails, you can order it online through Amazon. For more tahini-based sauce try lemon herb tahini, dijon tahini dressing, oil-free hummus, or smoky tahini dressing.

Lemon - Fresh squeezed lemon juice to give the sauce a tangy fresh component and to cut through the bitterness of the tahini.

Maple syrup - Just a little sweetness is added to cut through the bitterness of the tahini.

Garlic- Adds more depth of flavor to this vegan pasta with sun-dried tomatoes.

Nutritional yeast - Adds a little more depth of flavor and slight cheesiness. 

Crushed red pepper flakes and black pepper - Just a pinch for a smidge of heat.  They can be left out if you’re not a fan of either one.

Sun-dried tomatoes - They add little pops of sweet tartness that go well with the creamy tahini pasta recipe.  If using sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drain if needed.  If you’re using dry-packed, they may need to be rehydrated since they are firmer than oil-packed.  It depends on the brand, so if your sun-dried tomatoes are rubbery and not soft they may need rehydration. Here’s an article for a quick way to rehydrate dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes with vegetable broth.

Fresh spinach (or finely sliced kale) - Fresh spinach wilts quickly in the warmed sauce. If you use kale, finely slice it so it wilts more quickly.

Variations

• Instead of sun-dried tomatoes, add cooked mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus, or roasted vegetables.  Cook them separately and add them when you mix the tahini sauce with the pasta.  
• Fresh sliced cherry tomatoes would also work well.
• Add fresh herbs like parsley or basil.

Tips

• Reserve 1 cup of pasta water right before the pasta is done cooking.  Then you’ll have starchy water to emulsify with the lemon tahini sauce.
• Stir the tahini in its container before measuring.  The sesame seed butter at the bottom of the jar can be drier than the top, so it’s a good idea to stir it each time you measure it out.
• I don’t salt the tahini sauce because I salt the pasta water with about ½ tablespoon of salt for 8 ounces of pasta.  If you don’t salt the pasta cooking water, then you’ll want to salt the tahini sauce.
• I only needed about ⅓ cup of water to make the tahini sauce, before adding the cooked pasta water.  You may need more water if your tahini is thick and not very pourable.  
• A small blender works well for blending smaller amounts of sauces or dressings.  
• If you whisk the sauce instead of blending, crush or mince the fresh garlic, then whisk in all ingredients besides the water.  The tahini will probably seize up once you add the lemon juice, that’s when you'll whisk in ⅓ cup of ice-cold water to the tahini sauce.  Keep whisking to get a smooth sauce. Then continue the recipe with the pasta cooking water, but only use as much as you need to get a creamy sauce to coat the pasta.
• There’s no need to use ice-cold water if you blend the sauce in a blender.

Frequently Asked Questions

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions in a large pot of salted water, I use about ½ tablespoon of salt. While the pasta cooks, start the creamy tahini pasta sauce by blending the tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic, maple syrup, nutritional yeast, crushed red pepper, and black pepper until smooth. 

When the pasta is al dente, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.  Then drain the cooked pasta.

Add the drained pasta back to the pot with the tahini sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach (or thinly sliced kale).  Turn the burner on low and start by adding ¼ cup of the cooking water to thin out the tahini sauce and coat the pasta, then keep adding more pasta cooking water if needed. 

Stir frequently for the greens to wilt and the sauce to emulsify with the pasta water.  You may not need all of the cooking water, only use as much as you need to create a creamy sauce and coat the pasta.  I use about ½ cup of pasta cooking water.  

The pasta water is salted, so taste and adjust the seasoning.  

The longer the pasta sits on the stove the more the sauce will dry out from the heat, so I like to reserve extra water in case it’s needed (included in the 1 cup reserved). If the sauce gets too thick add more pasta water.

Troubleshooting

Once you add the lemon tahini sauce to the pasta with the pasta cooking water and you find that it’s too thin, turn the heat up on the stove and stir frequently for the excess water to evaporate.

If the sauce is too thick and you’ve used up all of the pasta water or forgot to reserve it, then try using warm water to thin out the sauce just like you would with the pasta cooking water.

Serving suggestions

• Top it with cashew parmesan, lemon zest, crushed red pepper, fresh cracked pepper, freshly chopped parsley, or fresh basil.
• Serve the lemon tahini pasta with a simple salad or garlic bread.

Storage

Store leftover tahini pasta for 3 to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  I think it tastes better the day it’s made, but if there are leftovers I prefer to serve them at room temperature.  Once the pasta and tahini sauce is chilled in the fridge it dries out a bit.

Recipes for leftover tahini

• Oil-free hummus
• Creamy tahini soba noodles
• Oil-free fried rice
• Smoky tahini dressing
• Dijon tahini dressing

Related recipes

I hope you enjoy this creamy vegan tahini pasta recipe! If you like the recipe, feel free to rate it and leave a comment.