On busy weeknights, nothing beats easy back-pocket recipes that use mostly pantry ingredients but don’t skimp on vegetables.
This 30-minute tahini pasta is a perfect example.
The lemon tahini sauce is richly creamy thanks to just three ingredients—tahini, pasta water, and a bit of olive oil—and it sings with nutty richness balanced by the brightness of fresh lemon.
But don’t let the simplicity fool you because this is a seriously satisfying and impressive bowl of pasta. Sautéed shallots and garlic give it savory depth, fresh basil adds a pop of flavor, and you get a ton of broccoli in here (florets and stems!) so it’s as nourishing as it is comforting.
Make it once and it’ll earn a permanent spot in your back pocket, too.
In this post:
Ingredient notes
Medium-sized ridged pasta. The tahini sauce is the star of this recipe, which is why you want to use short to medium-sized ridged pasta. The ridges scoop up the sauce in every nook and cranny, ensuring you get a burst of the nutty and lemony flavors in every bite. Cavatappi, fusilli, penne rigate, or casarecce are all great options.
Broccoli. Both the broccoli florets and the stalk add substance to this recipe. Yes, broccoli stalks are just as delicious as the florets! Please don’t toss them. Just be sure to shave the outside of the broccoli stalk first, as the skin can be quite woody.
Tahini. This is a smooth, luxurious seed butter made from ground sesame seeds. It’s a must-have ingredient in homemade hummus and this lemon tahini dressing, turns decadent brownies into healthy treats, and gives dressings for potato salad and roasted vegetables a creamy texture and complex flavors.
You can find tahini at most grocery stores these days, as well as online and Middle Eastern grocery shops.
Make sure you use (1) a brand of tahini that’s creamy, smooth, and nutty in taste, and (2) that you like the taste of the tahini!
Avoid using (1) bottom-of-the-jar crusty bits of tahini and (2) refrigerated tahini, as it can become very thick and is much harder to whisk.
Maple syrup. Just a touch will add balance to the nutty and tart tahini lemon sauce. Agave nectar will work just as well.
Lemon. The acidity of the lemon juice and zest cut through the subtle bitter flavors of the tahini. Without it, the sauce would be unbalanced and not as complex. In other words, don’t skip the lemon!
Shallot and garlic. Sautéed shallots and garlic give this pasta a savory depth of flavor, as well as a little extra texture.
Basil. Adds so much lovely fresh flavor! If basil isn’t in season, use a mixture of flat-leaf parsley and dill.
Step-by-step instructions
Prepare the broccoli stalks by shaving and discarding the outer layer. Slice the stems into coins and set them aside. Cut the crowns into florets, not too big or small.
Cook the pasta and broccoli florets. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package’s minimum time for al dente.
When the pasta is 3 minutes away from being done, add the broccoli florets. Cook until the pasta is barely al dente (tender with a slight chew) and the florets are bright green. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
Make the tahini sauce. Whisk the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, lemon zest, salt, and pepper together until thick. Stream in ice water until the sauce is creamy, yet pourable.
Heat some olive oil in a deep skillet and add the broccoli stems. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the shallots and garlic. The shallots should be golden and the stems bright green when they’re done. Finish with the red pepper flakes.
To assemble the pasta, add the drained pasta and broccoli to the skillet with the broccoli stem-shallot mixture. Pour in the tahini sauce and some of the reserved pasta water.
Toss the pasta, broccoli, and sauce until everything is well coated. Finish by stirring in the basil topping. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste, then serve.
Tips for making this recipe
Use the tahini at the top or middle of the jar.
The tahini at the top or middle will be smooth, runny, and easier to work with overall. The stuff at the bottom of the jar will be stiff and crusty, making it harder to whisk and emulsify into a pasta sauce.
Tahini Storage Tips
Store jars of tahini upside down (seal the jar tightly, of course). This usually keeps the tahini well-mixed.
If your tahini has separated (dry thick part on bottom, oil on top), just add it to a food processor and blend until it returns to a creamy and uniform consistency.
Don’t add the ice water all at once.
Instead, add 1 tablespoon into the sauce at a time to achieve a perfectly pourable consistency. The amount of water needed will depend on your brand of tahini.
Always save your pasta water!
Scoop out about 1 cup of pasta water right before you drain it. Write this tip down on a post-it and keep it in a safe place in your kitchen! It’s easy to forget.
Pasta water is the starchy secret behind creamy and smooth pasta sauces. Pouring a little into the skillet with the pasta and tahini will (1) distribute the sauce more evenly; (2) help the pasta absorb the sauce; and (3) add more flavor.
Customize the mix-ins.
Not a broccoli fan? Swap it for asparagus or green beans (cut into 1-inch pieces). Alternatively, add shaved zucchini ribbons or sweet summer tomatoes as you’re assembling the pasta.
To make it a heartier main course, add a can of white beans or chickpeas to the broccoli-shallot mixture and briefly cook. Or, add vegan feta and finely chopped toasted walnuts when it’s time to assemble. All of that plant-based protein and fiber will keep you full for hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free pasta noodles, but you could use your favorite ridged gluten-free pasta instead. Since gluten-free pasta cooks differently and varies based on the ingredient (e.g., corn, rice), your pasta water may not be as starchy. If so, the pasta water may not be as useful in bringing the sauce together and helping it coat the pasta.
If that’s the case, you may want to thin out the sauce with some vegetable broth before combining it with the pasta. I’ve heard from gluten-free readers that Jovial organic brown rice pasta makes for starchy pasta water.
Yes, you can make the tahini sauce 3 to 4 days ahead of time. Whisk the sauce ingredients together and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.
The sauce will thicken as it sits, so set it out at room temperature before using and give it another good stir before adding it to the pasta. You may also need to thin it out with a splash of water.
The most important thing is to use a tahini brand you know you already like, as it is a main component in this recipe
In the RPL kitchen, we often use Al Kanater, Beirut sesame paste, and Al Arz.
The leftovers will last for 3 to 5 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. I recommend serving the leftover pasta chilled or at room temperature instead of heating it up.
If you do want to heat it up, add it to a saucepan and drizzle in some hot water or plant-based milk to loosen the texture.
More easy vegan pasta recipes
- Vegan Pasta Salad (but with a makeover)
- Creamy Pantry Pasta (just 10 pantry ingredients and 20ish minutes!)
- Italian White Bean and Pasta Stew (rustic Italian comfort food)
- Caramelized Onion Pasta (just 9 ingredients, and SO much flavor)
If you love this Tahini Pasta as much as we do, please be sure to leave a rating and review below 🙂 And as always, I love seeing your remakes on Instagram!
Introducing
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Tahini Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (227g) medium-sized ridged pasta, such as cavatappi, fusilli, penne rigate, or casarecce
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 10 ounces (285g) broccoli
- 1/3 cup (75g) tahini, well-stirred (See Note 1)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large lemon
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup or agave nectar
- Ice water to thin
- 2 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (½ teaspoon is mild)
Topping
- 1 cup (16g) fresh basil leaves, slivered
- Reserved lemon zest
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Use a peeler to shave the outer fibrous layer of the broccoli stalks. Slice off the bottom inch or so of the stalk that is very tough. Then thinly slice the stalks into coins and set aside. Cut the crowns into florets (not too big or too small).
- Cook the pasta. Bring 8 cups (2.1L)(See Note 2) of water in a saucepan to a boil. Once the water is nearly boiling, add a tablespoon of kosher salt. Add the pasta, and once it returns to a boil, start the timer and cook according to the package’s minimum time for al dente pasta, stirring occasionally.
- About 3 minutes before the pasta timer is done, add broccoli florets (not the stems). Cook until the pasta is barely al dente (a little undercooked is okay) and florets are crisp-tender and bright green. Scoop out 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta and broccoli (do not rinse).
- While the pasta water is heating up or pasta is cooking, make the sauce (See Note 3). Zest the lemon with a microplane or citrus zester, then juice the lemon. In a small or medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, maple syrup, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and a generous amount of pepper. Add a pinch of the lemon zest but save the rest for topping. Whisk until the sauce is well-combined and thick. Stream in ice water and keep whisking until creamy but pourable (about 4 tablespoons).
- Meanwhile, make the topping: combine the slivered basil with the reserved lemon zest and the flaky sea salt.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat the 2 ½ tablespoons of olive oil in a deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the broccoli stems with a few pinches of salt. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the shallots and garlic, and cook for another 2 to 4 minutes, until broccoli stems have some color and shallots are golden. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds.
- Assemble the pasta. Add the hot cooked pasta and broccoli to the shallot-broccoli stem mixture, along with the tahini sauce and ¾ cup (180 mL) pasta water. Keep the pan over medium-high heat and use tongs to vigorously toss everything together, until the sauce is emulsified and clings to the pasta, and the pasta is al dente, about 2 minutes. If needed, add a bit more pasta water to bring everything together (See Note 4).
- Take the pasta off the heat. Stir in most of the basil topping and toss to coat. Taste, adding more salt or pepper to season and a bit of the remaining lemon juice, if desired. Just before serving, garnish with remaining topping.
Notes
- It’s important for the tahini to be smooth and runny (don’t use the bottom of the jar). My recommended tahini brands are Al Kanater, Beirut sesame paste, and Al Arz.
- If using a bulkier pasta shape like rigatoni, you’ll want to use a bit more water, about 10 cups (2.3 L).
- You can also make the tahini sauce 3 to 4 days in advance and store in the fridge.
- If adding a can of chickpeas or white beans, add them along with the broccoli-shallot mixture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this? Leave a rating below!Recipe: Nisha Vora / Rainbow Plant Life | Photography: Rosana Guay
This pasta dish was DELICIOUS – I nearly licked my plate clean! It’s amazing what you can accomplish with a few simple ingredients and an amazing recipe. I’m a big fan of both tahini and broccoli, and they come together so beautifully here.
I might try adding edamame next time, or cannellini beans as a previous commenter suggested, just to add more protein. In either case, I definitely plan to make this again.
Hi Talisa, it’s great to hear you had success with the recipe. Thanks for the review!
Easy and delicious! The broccoli was perfectly cooked, the creamy sauce felt indulgent, and the lemon kept things bright!
We appreciate your feedback and support, Callan. Thank you for leaving a review!
This was sooo yummy! I increased the portion size to feed a group of hungry athletes carb-loading for a race, and they were all very happy! This came out really well, super creamy and tasty, I was blown away it wasn’t made with real cream/cheese, and I was the one who made it! Thanks RPL team for cooking this up, will definitely be making this again in the future.
Hi Nick, Thank you so much for such a fantastic review! Appreciate you taking the time!
This is a lovely, creamy, nuanced pasta far greater than the sum of its parts. We, a vegan and an omnivore, were both blown away by how good this deceptively simple recipe is. We made it with both broccoli and tomatoes and felt the tomatoes really added something. I look forward to making it over and over again!
We appreciate your feedback and support, Annie. Thank you for leaving a review!
This was absolutely delicious! I made it on a Sunday as meal prep for Monday – not sure if it’s going to make it that long lol!! I didn’t think my husband would like it with the lemon and lemon zest, but he’s right in there too!! HIGHLY recommend!!
Hi Lori, Thank you so much for such a fantastic review! Appreciate you taking the time!
Can you use peanut butter instead of tahini?
Hi there, we don’t recommend using peanut butter as we think it would clash negatively with the other flavors in this dish. We haven’t tried this in RPL kitchen, but the only nut butter I’d say you could test using is sunflower butter, as it’s neutral in flavor and can be thinned out nicely with a bit more water or lemon juice.
To Nisha and All the Team at RPL: I am always confident making your recipes — they are always so delicious. This was certainly no exception. Through your recipes, I’ve learned how versatile tahini can be in cooking. The simple combination of tahini, lemon juice and olive oil for the sauce is out of this world! And I always add legumes to assure a good protein boost; cannellinis were great in this. And thanks for the pasta water tip.. We’re enjoying delicious and healthy meals, thanks, in good part, to your inspiration!
Thank you for such a sweet and well thought out comment, Rose! It makes us happy to hear the RPL recipes are adding value to your life 🙂
I’ve made this tonight with leftover cooked broccoli and home made tahini paste.
It was very nice!
I’ll take a photo next time 😉
Sounds lovely, Olivia! Thanks for sharing 🙂
This was really good even with frozen broccoli and basil paste. I can’t wait to try it again with fresh ingredients.
I mean, wow. I can’t get over this sauce. It deserves to be a recipe of its own.
Aw, we’re honored you think so, Lin! Thank you so much for trying the recipe and leaving an awesome review 🙂
Lin, Thank you for your thoughtful review! We’re so happy to hear that you enjoyed the pasta.
This was so quick and delicious! I’ve never thought of pasta and tahnini together, so creamy and flavourful! Thanks, Nisha!
It’s wonderful to hear you had a positive experience with the recipe, Shannon. Thank you for your review 🙂