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Home » Recipes » Pasta

Tahini Pasta

Published: Jul 26, 2021 · Modified: Jul 26, 2021 by Lexi

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We pair pasta with a creamy tahini sauce for an easy, filling, and delicious dinner that's ready in just 15 minutes. Not only is this tahini pasta recipe super simple to follow, but it can also be made in one pot. You can customize by adding vegetables or proteins, but we love it as is!

Overhead view of tahini pasta garnished with herbs and crispy chickpeas.
Jump to:
  • 🍝 Why We Love This Recipe
  • 🍲 Ingredients
  • 📋 Ingredient Notes
  • 🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
  • 🎥 Recipe Video
  • 💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
  • 🍽 Related Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe

🍝 Why We Love This Recipe

  • So. Easy.: There's no complicated prep, chopping, or multiple pots to clean with this tahini pasta. Just make the sauce, boil the pasta and toss it all together!
  • Filling and addictive: Whenever we make this recipe, we can't help but get seconds, and thirds... It's also filling, and becomes a complete meal if you add some veggies or other toppings. I could eat this multiple times per week!
  • Versatile: This is a great recipe to use as a starting point and then add in your favorite veggies.
  • Healthier mac and cheese? Look, I love mac and cheese, but sometimes you just want something a bit lighter. This tahini pasta fulfills my mac & cheese cravings – it has the same rich creaminess and it goes well with anything!
  • One pot potential: Let's be honest; we hate dishes. This recipe can be made with just one pot and one mixing bowl, which makes cleanup a breeze.
  • Vegan: we use nondairy sour cream to keep this recipe 100% vegan, but you can easily adapt to fit your diet.

🍲 Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make this tahini pasta:

Overhead view of ingredients used in the tahini pasta, including tahini, parsley, and lemon juice.
We used casarecce pasta and nondairy sour cream in this recipe.

📋 Ingredient Notes

  • Choice of pasta: We used casarecce which has a fun shape that holds the sauce well. Really any of your favorite pastas will work here, including noodles like fettuccine, spaghetti, pappardelle, tagliatelle or smaller pastas like macaroni, penne, or farfalle.
  • Sour cream: We used a vegan sour cream alternative in this recipe. Tahini can be a bit thick and heavy, so we found that a small amount of sour cream lightened it up and added much needed tanginess. You can also use plain nondairy yogurt! And of course, If you're OK with dairy, feel free to use the regular stuff.
  • Tahini: You should be able to find tahini in your grocery store near other nut butters. Note that it's made of ground sesame seeds, so it should be avoided by those with a sesame allergy.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

(1) Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Typically, pasta will be al dente in about 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of salt for every quart of water that you add to the pot.

(2) Once the pasta is done, reserve one cup of the pasta water (to use in the sauce) and drain the rest.

On the left: pasta cooking in water. On the right: removing a ladleful of pasta water from the pot.
Don't forget to reserve some of the pasta water - this is crucial to getting the right texture and preventing sticking.

(3) Whisk together tahini, water, sour cream, lemon juice, ¾ teaspoon of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper until sauce is creamy and smooth.

(4) Toss cooked pasta with sauce and stir well.

On the left: sauce ingredients before and after whisking. On the right: paste before being tossed in the sauce.
Whisk, toss, and enjoy!
Pasta after being tossed in the sauce.

Enjoy! It's so delicious as is for an easy side dish, or you can dress it up with some toppings.

I love topping this tahini pasta with a handful of crispy chickpeas for textural contrast.

It's also great with some sautéed vegetables like broccoli. Sauté florets in 1 tablespoon of oil and a large pinch of salt until tender, then stir into the finished pasta.

🎥 Recipe Video

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

  • Don't forget to reserve a cup of the pasta water after the pasta is done cooking. The pasta water will help bind the sauce to the pasta and will add an extra richness to the sauce.
  • Make it a full meal:
    • Add a vegetable, like sautéed broccoli, eggplant, carrots, kale, spinach, or anything else your heart desires.
    • Add a protein: this tahini pasta would pair well with chickpeas, seared tofu, or if you're not vegan, leftover grilled or rotisserie chicken.
  • Storage: this pasta is best enjoyed fresh while the sauce is warm and loose. However, you can store leftovers for 3-4 days in an airtight container and reheat in microwave or stovetop before eating. If the sauce thickens up too much, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until it reaches desired consistency.

🍽 Related Recipes

  • Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta
  • Creamy Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
  • Greek Pasta
  • Pasta Primavera
Overhead view of tahini pasta in a big mixing bowl garnished with herbs.

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or by subscribing to our newsletter.

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📖 Recipe

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Overhead view of tahini pasta garnished with herbs and crispy chickpeas.

Tahini Pasta


  • Author: Lexi
  • Total Time: 15 Minutes
  • Yield: 6 Servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegetarian
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Description

We pair pasta with a creamy tahini sauce for an easy, filling, and delicious dinner that's ready in just 15 minutes. Not only is this tahini pasta recipe super simple to follow, but it can also be made in one pot. You can customize by adding vegetables or proteins, but we love it as is!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 12 oz. pasta of choice, reserve some water from pasta for sauce
  • ⅓ cup tahini
  • ¾ cup water reserved from cooked pasta
  • ¼ cup sour cream (vegan or regular)
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp fine grain kosher salt
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper, plus more for topping
  • Optional for topping: crispy chickpeas, sautéed broccoli

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Typically, pasta will be al dente in about 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of salt for every quart of water that you add to the pan.

  2. Once the pasta is done, drain and reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
  3. Whisk together tahini, water, sour cream, lemon juice, ¾ teaspoon of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper until sauce is creamy and smooth.
  4. Toss cooked pasta with sauce and stir well. Serve immediately and enjoy! 

Notes

If the pasta has cooled down too much before serving, return to the pot for a minute or two to warm it up and loosen up the sauce. 

Don't forget to reserve a cup of the pasta water after the pasta is done cooking. The pasta water will help bind the sauce to the pasta and will add an extra richness to the sauce.

Storage: this pasta is best enjoyed fresh while the sauce is warm and loose. However, you can store leftovers for 3-4 days in an airtight container and reheat in microwave or stovetop before eating. If the sauce thickens up too much, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until it reaches desired consistency. 

Make it a full meal: add a protein like chickpeas, tofu, or chicken. You can also add sautéed vegetables - we love this with broccoli. 

  • Prep Time: 5 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 Minutes
  • Category: Pasta
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Bowl
  • Calories: 312
  • Sugar: 1.8 g
  • Sodium: 405.4 mg
  • Fat: 9.3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 47.1 g
  • Fiber: 2.6 g
  • Protein: 10.6 g

Keywords: tahini pasta

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Hi, we're Lexi and Beth, a mother-daughter team from Michigan. The recipes you'll find here are a reflection of how we bring our family together around the dinner table despite various dietary differences.

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