Tahini pasta. It’s a comforting dish ripe for creativity, but still delicious as it is. It’s become one of my favorite things to make recently. Coming together in less than 20 min it’s hard not to gravitate toward this recipe. Making a good pasta sauce that doesn’t become broken and oily can be tricky, but I got you. A few easy steps and you have an amazing cream and simple dinner.
If you don’t like all the extra talking you can skip to the recipe card
Quick and easy tahini recipe
This tahini pasta is quick and easy coming together in just 20 minutes. This dish requires mainly just a pot and bowl. A utensil for tossing, and that’s it. Prepping this dish is a breeze too. Just chopped garlic and oil. The simplicity here makes it s easy to size up or down. Tahini pasta is great for feeding a few people without putting too much effort in. Boil, bloom, toss, and you’re good.
Tahini Pasta creativity
Tahini pasta can be a great base for creativity in the kitchen. Start with basic tahini. It has a straightforward nuttiness to it that pairs well with a handful of flavors. The idea was to have a recipe that’s phenomenal as is but can absorb creativity like a sponge, so I love playing with spices here. Sumac, cardamom, and coriander are all fun choices. Sumac adds a tangy, citrusy flavor. Cardamom has a slightly sweet flavor while Coriander can add brightness balancing out the rich tahini. I would make this recipe once then play with more spices. I enjoy just a few spices when I use them here. Each flavor is highlighted here. A spice blend would be nice too. Something smoky or a shwarma spice. If the shawarma interests you I have a recipe here on the blog.
This recipe is also easy to bulk up. A few sautéed or roasted veggies are nice, but you can do whatever your heart desires. Broccolini, cauliflower, onions, peas, spinach, and artichokes, are all fun options. I usually have this with a small salad on the side.
Tahini
It’s the base of this recipe. The heart and soul. Tahini can me two things. Ground and pureed sesame seeds, or the sauce made from the latter with garlic, and oil. We want the ground tahini paste here. There are a lot of different brands on the market for it, but use anyone you like. Some are more Runnier than others so keep that in mind when making the sauce with pasta water. You could also make the paste yourself. I’ve done it a handful of times but it takes the quick and easiness out of this recipe. If you so do dare, go for it. It is a money saver. There is inspiration from the Classic tahini sauce with garlic here. We’re reworking those flavor profiles into another dish here. Similar but not congruent. Instead of blending it all together each ingredient have a moment when it gets added to the party. The garlic perfumes with the blooming and the lemon maintains its freshness.
Tahini Pasta sauce
Making a good pasta sauce can be hard. Here we are making an emulsified sauce. That just means the oils are evenly mixed with the other liquids. Sometimes those sauces break and become oily. Similar to an unmixed vinaigrette but, We don’t want that here. Our sauce should be smooth with an even sheen. It’s all about balance here. A few things can throw that out of wack or bring it all together. Here’s the good and the bad.
Good
pasta water- starches emulsify sauce bringing the oil and water together. Sometimes if the pasta water is too hot, cold tap water will work.
agitation – This physically forces the oil and water to come together.
Proteins – They help keep an emulsion stable and not break. The tahini in this recipe helps with that.
Bad
Too much heat- Separates the oils and water, breaking the sauce. this is why we use a separate bowl instead of the pan.
Too much agitation- This can make the sauce thick and gooey. You’ll need to add more water to thin the sauce.
Too much water – Adding too much water can make the sauce runny and loose. Be careful and only add about a ladle full at a time.
Making an emulsified pasta sauce can be tricky but this recipe makes it pretty easy. Tahini pasta is a quick and easy one. Easy to size up or down. Give this recipe a try for a quick dinner or with a group of friends and family. Thanks for stopping by the blog!
Tahini Pasta
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp (67g) Tahini paste
- 2tbsp (30g) Olive oil
- 3 (11g) Garlic clove
- 2 tsp (25g) lemon juice
- 4.5 oz Pasta
- 2C (500g) Water
- 1 tbsp (20g) Salt
- garnish black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Add the water and salt to a pot and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until preferred doneness.
- Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the noodles. Add the noodles to a wide bowl. Wipe the pot of any excess water and add the oil. Bring to medium heat then add the garlic and bloom. Cook just until fragrant and not to much coclor on the garic.
- Add the bloomed garlic to the bowl with the noodles along with the tahini and lemon juice and 1/4c of pasta water. Gently toss them together. If the sauce is too thick add a little more pasta water. Toss again. Repeat until the sauce is smooth and evenly emulsified. season with salt to taste. If the oil starts to break away from the tahini the pasta may be too hot. Add a little cold water and toss again.
- Once the sauce is done plate and finish with Black sesame seeds. Enjoy Immidiently
