This luxuriously smooth and comforting tahini pasta sauce can be completed from start to finish while the pasta cooks, making it a simple yet delicious meal that is perfect for busy weeknights.
Pasta night should be anything but boring! If you're anything like me, the dish is all about the sauce. Tomato-based sauces are quick and easy, cashew-based sauces are creamy and comforting and pesto sauces are bursting with freshness.
But what if we could combine all those attributes into one amazing, nutrient-packed sauce that also happens to be completely nut-free and takes just minutes to prepare? This tahini sauce is the answer!
Garlic and tahini come together with a touch of maple syrup and salt to create a deliciously smooth and flavorful sauce. It gets sopped up in the pasta and broccoli florets to ensure that you can enjoy its nutty flavor in every bite.
And if you love the sauce in this dish, know that it also works perfectly to create a cold tahini pasta salad!
Why You'll Love this Tahini Pasta Sauce
- Quick and easy - make the sauce while the pasta cooks
- Rich and creamy
- Simple, nutritious ingredients
- No blender or food processor necessary - whisk together in minutes
- Naturally vegan, nut-free, soy-free, refined sugar-free and gluten-free
- Delicious!
Ingredients
Below is everything you will need for this creamy tahini pasta recipe. Note how these are all very simple ingredients! See the recipe card below for quantities.
- Tahini - make sure the tahini is stirred well to ensure it is runny. Avoid using any tahini that has dried up at the bottom of the jar. My favorite brand of tahini is Soom Foods (not sponsored).
- Water
- Garlic - I mince the garlic as finely as possible to avoid any large chunks.
- Maple syrup - adds sweetness to the sauce
- Salt
- Crushed red pepper chili flakes - adds a touch of heat
- Broccoli florets - this recipe uses just the florets, not the stalks
- Shallot
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Red bell pepper - gives the dish more vibrant color
- Pasta of choice - any type of pasta works well! I love it over gluten-free pasta made from quinoa or brown rice.
- Optional garnishes - fresh basil leaves or other fresh herbs, red pepper chili flakes
How to Make Tahini Pasta
1. Sauté the shallot, garlic and red pepper. Heat olive oil over low to medium heat in a skillet and add the diced shallot, salt and red pepper chili flakes. Sauté for 5 minutes, then turn the heat to low and add the garlic and diced bell pepper. Sauté another couple minutes until soft and fragrant.
2. Begin cooking the pasta. Use a large pot of water.
3. Steam the broccoli al dente. Add broccoli florets to a steamer basket and place in a pot of boiling water. Cover and bring heat down to a simmer for 5-7 minutes. Alternatively, instead of steaming you can add the broccoli florets to the pot of pasta during the last 3 minutes of cooking.
4. Prepare the tahini sauce. While the pasta cooks, whisk together the tahini, water, garlic, maple syrup, salt and red pepper chili flakes until smooth. Add more water until the dressing is a pourable consistency. Set aside.
5. Put it all together. Add the pasta and broccoli to the skillet with the shallots and bell pepper. Pour the tahini sauce over the hot pasta and toss well. Serve garnished with fresh basil ribbons and crushed red pepper chili flakes.
Recipe Tips
Save some of the pasta water. Reserving pasta water is always good practice, especially in this recipe. The pasta will naturally dry up a bit as it sits, but refreshing it with a little reserved pasta water when reheating brings the creamy sauce back to life!
Store leftover pasta for 3-5 days. Store pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I like to store some of the pasta water separately in a jar as well to add when reheating.
Feel free to customize! Because the tahini sauce is simply whisked together, it is easy to taste and adjust instantly. Add more red pepper flakes, garlic or any other ingredient based on your preferences.
Health Benefits of Tahini
With my background in public health, eating nutritious meals is important to me and tahini plays a huge role in many of my plant-based dishes. Tahini, often called the Mediterranean version of peanut butter, is a creamy paste made solely from ground sesame seeds - that's it! It has a subtle nuttiness in terms of flavor and is loaded with nutrients.
Tahini provides iron, magnesium, calcium, fiber and plant-based protein (source). Additionally, it is a source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, vitamin B and many antioxidants. The addition of broccoli and bell pepper to this dish provides more vitamin C which helps with the iron absorption from the tahini.
Tahini is a staple for hummus recipes as well as many creamy dressings and sauces. Stir the tahini with each use to keep it runny. Its creaminess is what makes it so special, so tahini that has dried and caked up will not work well in this recipe.
This tahini pasta sauce is versatile to use with any pasta or veggies. I've enjoyed it over chickpea pasta, quinoa pasta and brown rice pasta as well as with other fresh vegetables such as zucchini, cauliflower, bell peppers and Brussels sprouts.
I hope you enjoy this vegan tahini pasta! Please tag photos of your dishes with @eatingbyelaine so I can see your lovely creations!
Nourishing 15-Minute Creamy Tahini Pasta
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This luxuriously smooth and comforting tahini pasta sauce can be completed from start to finish while the pasta cooks, making it a simple yet delicious meal that is perfect for busy weeknights. Vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free and refined sugar-free.
Ingredients
Pasta and Veggies:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large shallot, diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper chili flakes
- 3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- 1 head broccoli florets (not the stalks)
- 8 ounces pasta of choice
Tahini Sauce:
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Sauté the shallot, garlic and red pepper. Heat olive oil over low to medium heat in a skillet and add the diced shallot, salt and red pepper chili flakes. Sauté for 5 minutes, then turn the heat to low and add the garlic and diced bell pepper. Sauté another couple minutes until soft and fragrant.
- Begin cooking the pasta. Use a large pot of water.
- Steam the broccoli al dente. Add broccoli florets to a steamer basket and place in a pot of boiling water. Cover and bring heat down to a simmer for 5-7 minutes. Alternatively, instead of steaming you can add the broccoli florets to the pot of pasta during the last 3 minutes of cooking.
- Prepare the tahini sauce. While the pasta cooks, whisk together the tahini, water, garlic, maple syrup, salt and red pepper chili flakes until smooth. Add more water until the dressing is a pourable consistency. Set aside.
- Put it all together. Add the pasta and broccoli to the skillet with the shallots and bell pepper. Pour the tahini sauce over the hot pasta and toss well. Serve garnished with fresh basil ribbons and crushed red pepper chili flakes.
Notes
Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Store some of the pasta water separately in the refrigerator to add to the pot when reheating. This will refresh the dish as the pasta will dry up a bit when stored.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
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