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Tahini pasta salad on a white plate served with a silver fork with a white background.

Creamy and Colorful Tahini Pasta Salad (Vegan + Nut-Free)


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  • Author: Elaine Gordon
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Ditch the mayo for a 4-ingredient tahini sauce in this delicious tahini pasta salad. It has all the classic flavors of pasta salad combined with the crunch of a beautiful array of finely diced veggies. Dairy-free, nut-free and ready in 15 minutes!


Ingredients

Units Scale

Tahini Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup tahini - make sure it is runny
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 large cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Pasta Salad:

  • 8 ounces pasta of choice (gluten-free if desired)
  • 1 head broccoli, florets only
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 small shallot, finely diced
  • 1/2 yellow bell pepper, stemmed and seeded, finely diced
  • 1/2 orange bell pepper, stemmed and seeded, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup mixed fresh herbs, finely diced (I use fresh chives, fresh dill, fresh tarragon and fresh basil)

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta and broccoli. Begin cooking the pasta in a large pot of water according to package instructions. I like to add ½ tablespoon fine salt to the pasta water for best results. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli florets.
  2. Shock the pasta and broccoli by plunging in cold water. Use a pasta strainer to ladle the cooked pasta and cooked broccoli over to a large bowl filled with water and ice for a quick ice bath to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside in a large mixing bowl.
  3. Prepare the tahini sauce. In a small mixing bowl whisk together the tahini sauce ingredients (tahini, water, maple syrup, garlic and salt). Set aside.
  4. Add the diced veggies and herbs to the pasta. To the large mixing bowl, add the tomatoes, shallot, bell peppers and fresh herbs.
  5. Pour the tahini sauce overtop. Stir well to fully coat all the pasta and vegetables evenly with the sauce.
  6. Enjoy! Serve cold or at room temperature.

Notes

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Category: Pasta
  • Method: Stovetop