Tahini Pasta
This creamy tahini pasta is what I make when I want a quick and satisfying dinner. The nutty tahini blends with garlic, lemon, and olive oil to create a rich sauce that coats every piece of pasta. I make this delicious meal in just 35 minutes, and it is naturally vegan too!
Servings: 4
Calories: 534kcal
Ingredients
- 8 oz whole wheat pasta reserved ½ cup water from cooking
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup tahini
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh basil leaves shredded
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the packaging.
- While the pasta is cooking combine the tahini, lemon juice, lemon zest, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper in a bowl or jar and blend with an immersion blender until smooth and well combined.
- Add ½ cup of water from the cooked pasta to the tahini mixture and blend. Adjust thickness of the sauce by adding more or less water.
- Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion and garlic for 3 minutes.
- Next, pour the sauce and cooked pasta into the pan, heat and toss to coat.
- Sprinkle in chopped parsley and basil.
- Adjust seasoning to taste and serve.
Notes
- My #1 Secret Tip for this tahini pasta recipe is to use the reserved pasta water when mixing the tahini sauce. This is a classic technique used in so many pasta dishes. It helps emulsify the tahini and thin down the sauce, without watering down the other flavors.
- Choose a rigid pasta: I like using shapes like penne, fusilli, or rigatoni, as the ridges do well holding onto the tahini sauce.
- Adjust the lemon to taste: I love the bright citrus notes in this pasta, so I add a little more when adjusting the seasoning.
- Stir tahini: I make sure to stir my tahini well before using it, as the oil naturally separates in the jar.
- Chiffonade the basil: Instead of chopping the basil, I do a fine ribbon cut to prevent it from turning black. This keeps the colors in the pasta bright.
- Keep extra pasta water aside: If my sauce thickens after mixing with the pasta, I add a few more splashes of pasta water and gently mix it through to loosen it.
Nutrition
Calories: 534kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 313mg | Potassium: 516mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g