This 10-Minute Tahini Pasta is creamy, simple to make, and a great option for a busy weeknight dinner. You only need 4 ingredients for this vegan dish, but it's customisable so I've provided a variety of toppings and additional ingredients in this blog post for those of you who'd like some inspiration!
If you're a fan of hummus, then you'll adore this pasta. You've got the nuttiness from the tahini, the citrus from the lemon, and the freshness from the garlic fried in olive oil.
If you've got some leftover tahini and want some more recipe ideas, check out my chilli oil tahini spaghetti recipe, my maple tahini aubergine recipe great served with rice, or my 5 ingredient roasted red pepper hummus recipe!
Another pasta sauce I adore (that also happens to be vegan) is my sweet potato pasta sauce! It's a crowd favourite!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Quick: this recipe takes around 10 minutes to make, so it's brilliant for when you've got little to no time!
Minimal ingredients: you only need 4 ingredients for this recipe; pasta, tahini, lemon, and garlic. Yes, you can totally add more ingredients to the dish if you fancy! I personally love making this with kale and chickpeas mixed in with the pasta. It's honestly such a great combination!
Customisable: as I mention above, you've got the tahini pasta which almost acts as a foundation for additional flavour and components. To keep this vegan, adding a variety of vegetables or legumes would be perfect, for the non-vegans, you could add in some shredded chicken. If you're eating the pasta as meal prep, then it could also be fun to change up the flavour profile each day. One day, you could drizzle the pasta with a harissa butter, the next day, a chimichurri sauce, the next day, homemade pesto!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Pasta: I'm using spirali pasta for this recipe, but honestly feel free to use whatever pasta shape you like! For those of you who are gluten-free, pick out your favourite gluten-free pasta for this recipe! If you're looking for a different carb to serve with the tahini sauce, rice or couscous would be really delicious.
Tahini: good quality tahini should not taste bitter, so make sure to try and buy your tahini from a local Middle Eastern shop. If you've bought your tahini from a regular supermarket, just make sure to mix the tahini really well to re-incorporate the oil and the sesame paste.
Lemon: we're using fresh lemon juice for this recipe. The lemon not only balances out the bitterness from the tahini, but it also provides a lovely freshness to the dish. If you don't have lemon juice, you could use apple cider vinegar and adjust based on your preferences.
Garlic: fresh garlic is best in my personal opinion. Instead of just adding raw garlic to the sauce, we're frying it off in the olive oil first, and then adding the tahini pasta sauce to the frying pan with some pasta water to combine everything.
Find the full quantities and recipe list in the recipe card further down this blog. I haven't tested the recipe with the substitutes suggested, they're just my recommendations, so adjust the recipe how you see fit!
Additional Ingredients and Topping Ideas
Chickpeas + Kale: if you'd like to make this dish a bit more substantial in terms of nutrients, then I'd add some tinned chickpeas and roughly chopped kale in with the garlic when frying. Once you've added the tahini pasta sauce and the pasta itself, feel free to garnish with finely chopped parsley, lemon zest, and chilli flakes.
Chicken: to add some extra meat-based protein, you can either poach some chicken breasts for 15-20 minutes in boiling water and then shred them, or just buy some shredded chicken. Add the chicken into the sauce and warm through before adding the pasta and combining. Garnish with chopped parsley, lemon zesty and chilli flakes.
More saucy flavour: for those of you eating this pasta with tahini sauce multiple days in a row looking for some variety in flavour, I'd recommend topping the sauce with a harissa paste butter (1 tablespoon harissa paste and 1 tablespoon melted butter), sriracha, homemade chimichurri, or homemade basil pesto.
I haven't tested the recipe with the variations suggested, they're just my recommendations, so adjust the recipe how you see fit!
Step by Step Instructions with Photos
Step 1: Place a pan of salted boiling water on medium heat and add in the pasta. Cook according to packet instructions, then drain and set aside drizzled with some olive oil.
Step 2: Meanwhile, place a skillet/frying pan on low heat and drizzle in some olive oil. Once hot, add in the minced garlic and fry on low heat for a couple of minutes.
Step 3: Meanwhile, combine the tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, sugar, and a few tablespoons of the pasta water in a bowl until smooth.
Step 4: Transfer the tahini pasta sauce into the garlic frying pan and stir to combine. Add some more pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
Step 5: Once the pasta is cooked, add to your tahini sauce and combine thoroughly. Taste and season with more salt, sugar, or lemon juice.
Step 6: Divide between two bowls and top with finely chopped parsley. Enjoy!
What To Do with Leftovers
Storage: leave any tahini pasta leftovers to cool, then store in an airtight container and into the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing: you can totally freeze this. Once again, just leave to cool, then store in airtight containers (don't forget to label with the date and contents), and into the freezer for up to 3 months. Leave to thaw/defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Reheating: one thing I hate about reheating pasta is that the sauce becomes so dry. So, to avoid that with this pasta tahini recipe, place the pasta in a saucepan and either make some more tahini sauce, or add in some vegetable stock, chicken stock, or milk...I'm talking around 100 ml. Heat up the pasta on low heat, and stir frequently. The liquid should gently evaporate but also help sauce up the pasta again.
FAQs
Yes, it is!
For sure, I love cooking some kale or broccoli with this recipe! You could also add in some legumes like chickpeas, lentils, or butter beans.
For sure, you can top it with chopped basil or coriander.
More Recipes You Might Enjoy!
If you tried this 10-Minute Tahini Pasta recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thank you!
10-Minute Tahini Pasta
Ingredients
- 150 g pasta I used spirali
- 3 tablespoon tahini make sure to stir the tahini jar before to reduce bitterness
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice fresh is best
- 1 zest of a lemon
- ½ teaspoon salt maldon salt is my favourite
- ½ teaspoon sugar or maple syrup
- 3 garlic cloves minced
Garnish
- 5 g fresh parsley finely chopped
Additional ingredients you can add
- 100 g canned chickpeas add these in when frying the garlic
- 150 g kale add in when frying the garlic
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes garnish with the parsley
Instructions
- Place a pan of salted boiling water on medium heat and add in the pasta. Cook according to packet instructions, then drain and set aside drizzled with some olive oil so the pasta doesn't stick together.
- Meanwhile, place a skillet/frying pan on low heat and drizzle in some olive oil. Once hot, add in the minced garlic and fry on low heat for a couple of minutes. This is when you could add in the chickpeas and kale!
- Meanwhile, combine the tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, sugar, and a few tablespoons of the pasta water in a bowl and mix until smooth.
- Transfer the tahini pasta sauce into the garlic frying pan and stir to combine. Add some more pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
- Once the pasta is cooked, add to your tahini sauce and combine thoroughly. Taste and season with more salt, sugar, or lemon juice.
- Divide between two bowls and top with finely chopped parsley. Enjoy!
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