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    Home » Recipes » Main Course

    Tahini Pasta

    Published: Jan 11, 2023 . Modified: Jan 11, 2023 by Allie

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    Tahini pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and kale in a bowl.

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    This creamy tahini pasta is ready in less than 30 minutes, making it perfect for an easy weeknight dinner.  The pasta is tossed with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh spinach, and coated in a tangy tahini lemon sauce.

    Pasta with taini in a bowl with sun-dried tomatoes.

    The base of the sauce is tahini, it has a nutty bitter 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 tahini pasta sauce comes together in less than 30 minutes.  
    • 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 

    Pasta- I use short to medium pasta with ridges to be able to grab onto the tahini pasta sauce like penne, fusilli, and bowties. Any pasta should work, just 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 and use a good quality pourable tahini. The tahini 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 butter, the olives, or in the international section at the store.  If all else fails, you can order it online through Amazon.

    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 the tahini pasta.

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

    Crushed red pepper 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 lemon tahini pasta sauce.  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 to be rehydrated. Here’s an article for a quick way to rehydrate dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes with vegetable broth.

    Fresh spinach (or finely sliced kale) - Adds some greens to the dish and fresh spinach wilts quickly in the warmed sauce. If you use kale, finely slice it so it wilts quicker.

    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.

    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.
    • If you’re using drier tahini at the bottom of the jar or it’s not pourable, you may need to add more water to get the right consistency.
    • 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.  If your tahini is thick and not very pourable, you may need more water.  
    • A small blender works well for blending smaller amounts of sauces or dressings.  
    • If you whisk the sauce instead of blending, then crush or mince the fresh garlic, then whisk in all of the 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’re blending the sauce in a blender.

    How to Make Tahini Pasta Sauce

    Cook the pasta according to the package instructions in salted water, I use ½ tablespoon of salt. While the pasta is cooking, blend the tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic, maple syrup, nutritional yeast, crushed red pepper, and black pepper until smooth. 

    Tahini pasta sauce blended in a blender.

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

    Cooked pasta, sundried tomatoes, kale, and tahini sauce in a pot.

    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 a 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. 

    Stirring the tahini pasta sauce until creamy into pasta.

    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 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.

    Tahini pasta sauce added to cooked pasta in a pot.

    Serving

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

    Storage

    Store leftovers for 3 to 5 days in an air-tight 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.

    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.

    Can I Make the Tahini Pasta Sauce ahead of Time?

    Yes, you can make the sauce ahead of time.  Store it covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.  It may thicken after being chilled, add a tablespoon of water at a time to thin it out if needed.  

    Pasta with taini in a bowl with sun-dried tomatoes.

    Recipes for Leftover Tahini

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

    More Vegan Noodle Recipes

    • Vegan creamy tomato pasta
    • Vegan peanut noodles
    • Tahini soba noodles

    I hope you enjoy this recipe for pasta with tahini!

    Print
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    Tahini pasta with sundried tomatoes and kale in a bowl.

    Tahini Pasta


    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

    • Author: Allie
    • Total Time: 19 minutes
    • Yield: 3-4 servings 1x
    • Diet: Vegan
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    This creamy tahini pasta is tossed with sun-dried tomatoes, fresh spinach, and coated in a tangy tahini lemon sauce.


    Ingredients

    Scale

    8 ounces (225 g) pasta

    ⅓ cup (82 g) tahini, stir before measuring

    ⅓ cup water

    3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

    2 garlic cloves

    2 teaspoon maple syrup

    2 teaspoons nutritional yeast

    Pinch of crushed red pepper

    Pinch of fresh cracked black pepper

    A handful of fresh spinach (or shredded kale)

    ½ cup (50 g) sliced sun-dried tomatoes


    Instructions

    1. Cook pasta according to the package instructions in salted water, I use ½ tablespoon of salt.
    2. While the pasta is cooking, blend the tahini, ⅓ cup water, lemon juice, garlic, maple syrup, nutritional yeast, crushed red pepper, and black pepper until smooth in a blender.
    3. When the pasta is cooked, reserve 1 cup of the salted pasta water.  Then drain the cooked pasta.
    4. Add the drained pasta back to the pot with the tahini sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach (or finely sliced kale).  Turn the burner on low and start by adding a ¼ cup of the cooking water to thin out the tahini sauce and coat the pasta.  Stir frequently for the greens to wilt and the tahini and cooking water to emulsify and become creamy.  Add more pasta cooking water if needed.  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 tend to need about ½ cup of pasta cooking water.  The longer the pasta sits on the stove the more it dries out.
    5. Once the greens are wilted and the sauce is warmed through and coats the pasta, taste and adjust for salt if needed.  Then serve.

    Notes

    I don’t salt the tahini sauce because I salt the pasta water.  If you don’t salt the pasta cooking water, then you’ll want to salt the tahini sauce.

    If you whisk the sauce instead of blending, then crush or mince the fresh garlic, then whisk in all of the 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.  There’s no need to use ice-cold water if you’re blending the sauce in a blender.

    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 to be rehydrated.

    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 14 minutes
    • Category: main course
    • Method: stovetop
    • Cuisine: american

    Keywords: tahini pasta, pasta tahini, tahini pasta sauce, lemon tahini pasta

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @threelittlechickpeasblog on Instagram and hashtag it #threelittlechickpeasblog

    More Main Course

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    • Vegan Creamy Tomato Pasta
    • Creamy Tahini Soba Noodles
    • Vegan Southwest Sweet Potato Bowl

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mark

      January 24, 2023 at 12:54 pm

      This came together quickly and will definitely add to weeknight meals. Thank you for the recipe!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Allie

        January 24, 2023 at 12:57 pm

        I'm glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Allie! I love cooking and I want to share my simple plant-based meals with you. Eating this way doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. Just simply delicious!

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