This easy tahini pasta recipe features an irresistible garlic lemon tahini sauce with a spicy, salty kick, thanks to red pepper flakes and capers. It’s just as comforting as traditional creamy pastas but made with dairy-free and vegan ingredients. Roasted cauliflower is added just before serving for additional flavor and nutrition. Make it whenever you’re craving a veggie-loaded weeknight dinner!
Jump to:
Dietitian Lizzie’s Notes
Tahini’s texture lends itself very well to sauces. You’ve probably seen it in salad dressings and dips, but have you ever thought of making a creamy tahini pasta sauce? Whether you have or haven’t had this thought (not everyone thinks about food as much as I do, I know), you MUST try it and see how well tahini goes with pasta!!
Based on my experience testing this recipe several times, the key to making the sauce as creamy and smooth as possible is mixing in ice cold water. Cold water stabilizes the fat in tahini, which allows it to trap air and therefore get fluffy when whisked. Using warm water may cause the tahini to separate instead, leading to a gritty sauce. Mixing the sauce over heat can have a similar effect, which is why I recommend making the sauce in a separate bowl (instead of the warm pot) before tossing it with the pasta.
If you follow these tips, you’ll be on your way to a flavor paradise. Slightly bitter tahini pairs well with lemon juice, garlic, fresh herbs, and red pepper flakes, resulting in a spicy, zesty, well-balanced, and very fresh-tasting sauce. (See also: my cauliflower steaks and tahini sweet potatoes). Capers are mixed in just before serving for a burst of briny flavor, while roasted cauliflower contributes earthy undertones. I’m telling you…this recipe is seriously delicious AND easy enough to make any night of the week.
5-Star Review
I made this just as the recipe is except I used the juice of a whole lemon. Everyone loved it! I’ll make it again. Thank you :)”
— Mary G.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Pasta: I used penne, but you can use any ridged pasta (the ridges help the sauce stick). I bet rigatoni, fusilli, and cavatappi would all work well. Use brown rice pasta or another gluten-free pasta if needed.
- Tahini: My favorite brands to use in tahini pasta are Soom tahini and Mighty Sesame Co. squeezable tahini. They are smoother and less bitter than other varieties, in my opinion. The squeezable kind is also easy to measure and mess-free. Any brand of tahini will work for this recipe, though.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic for best results, but you can substitute about a teaspoon of garlic powder or dried minced garlic.
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice: This is a key ingredient, so I don’t recommend substituting. However, you could use a smaller amount of white wine or apple cider vinegar if needed. For even more flavor, add the lemon zest.
- Fresh parsley: Use fresh basil instead or use half basil, half parsley if desired.
- Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes: Omit the chili flakes if you don’t want extra heat.
- Cauliflower: Feel free to sub other roasted vegetables, such as broccoli florets or cherry tomatoes, but remember that they will affect the taste. Cauliflower tastes really great with the other ingredients here.
- Capers: Capers in pasta are amazing! Try chopped green olives if you don’t have capers to mimic the briny taste.
How to Make Tahini Pasta
Check out the complete recipe card with ingredients and steps at the end of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps with photos to guide you in the kitchen.
Toss the cauliflower florets in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Roast until lightly browned and tender, about 20 to 25 minutes at 425 degrees F/218 degrees C. Stir halfway through to promote even browning if desired.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and salt it generously. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Before draining the pasta, reserve a cup of pasta water!
Combine the cooked pasta and roasted cauliflower in a large bowl.
Whisk the tahini, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, and parsley in a large bowl or measuring cup. It will be stiff and thick.
Slowly pour in ice cold water, whisking vigorously, until the tahini sauce is smooth, fluffy, and pourable. Add the water slowly to make sure you don’t make the sauce too thin. Alternatively, you can blend the sauce in a food processor to replace manual whisking.
Pour the sauce over the pasta and cauliflower.
Stir until the pasta is coated. You may need to add splashes of pasta water (up to ½ to 1 cup) to loosen up the sauce and allow it to stick better to the pasta, since the hot pasta may cause the sauce to seize.
Make It Your Own
- Protein additions: Stir in baked chicken, crispy chickpeas, or white beans.
- Use different vegetables: For some variations of tahini pasta, sub roasted broccoli or asparagus, or add a handful of baby spinach when combining the hot pasta and sauce so that it wilts. If you want to make the recipe even easier, use a bag of frozen peas as your veggie and cook them directly with the pasta. Sautéed zucchini would also work.
- Sub legume-based pasta: If you want the recipe to be gluten-free or higher in protein, consider using a legume-based pasta such as lentil pasta or chickpea pasta.
What to Serve With It
Tahini pasta can be served as a main course or side dish. If you serve it as a main course, consider adding a simple side dish like steamed green beans or a mixed greens salad. It’s also a perfect match for crusty bread or garlic bread.
Storage and Reheating
This recipe is best when enjoyed right away. The tahini will start to stiffen the longer it sits out, so you may need to add more pasta water to thin the sauce if you are not serving it immediately.
If you do have leftovers, store tahini pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Eat it cold or at room temperature, since the texture can change and get mushy when reheated. If you want to eat warm leftovers, warm them up in a skillet or in the microwave with a little oil and splashes of water to thin the sauce as needed.
More Pasta Recipes
- Creamy Asparagus Broccoli Pasta
- Garlic Lemon Creamy Kale Pasta
- Asparagus Pasta Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Vegetarian Pesto Pasta with Peas
- Balsamic Caramelized Shallot Pasta
- Lemon Rapini Pasta (Vegetarian)
FAQs
- Is tahini healthy? Since it’s made from ground sesame seeds, tahini is a healthy ingredient with unsaturated fatty acids, plant-based protein, and iron. Eating foods with healthy fats like tahini can potentially help improve blood lipid levels.
- Can you make tahini sauce ahead of time? The sauce for this recipe can be made 2 to 3 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Give it a good stir, and add pasta water to loosen up the sauce.
- Can you freeze tahini pasta? I don’t recommend freezing the assembled dish, since the penne will get mushy when thawed. You can freeze the sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and stir well before using in case of separation.
📖 Recipe
Tahini Pasta With Cauliflower and Capers
Ingredients
- 1 small head cauliflower - cut into bite-sized florets, about 3 cups
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt - to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper - to taste
- 8 ounces penne pasta - or ridged pasta of choice
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
Tahini sauce
- ½ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice - from about ½ lemon
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley - plus more for serving if desired
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 to 4 tablespoons ice cold water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F/218 degrees C.
- Toss cauliflower florets with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread out in a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Roast for 20 to 25 minutes until the cauliflower is browned to your liking. Stir halfway through to promote even browning. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- While the cauliflower roasts, bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, reserve a cup of pasta cooking water for loosening up the sauce.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. It will be very stiff. Slowly pour ice cold water into the sauce in small amounts, whisking vigorously as you go, until smooth and pourable. The cold water helps stabilize the fat in the tahini so that it can trap air and get fluffy. You can also use a food processor to blend the sauce ingredients to replace the manual whisking.
- Add the drained pasta, roasted cauliflower, and capers to a large bowl.
- Pour the sauce over the pasta mixture. The heat from the pasta will cause it to stiffen. Add the reserved pasta water, a small amount at a time, to loosen up the sauce and allow it to stick to the pasta. Stir until the pasta is coated and the sauce is luscious and smooth.
- Serve warm with a sprinkle of extra parsley if desired.
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- Storage: This dish is best served right away, but you can keep leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
- Reheating: Leftovers are best enjoyed cold, since reheating can cause the pasta to get mushy and the sauce to get gritty. If you do want to warm up the leftovers, reheat in a skillet or in the microwave with a drizzle of oil and splashes of water as needed to thin the sauce.
- Tahini: Use a creamy, runny tahini for best results, such as well-stirred Soom Tahini or Mighty Sesame Co. squeezable tahini.
- Warm vs. cold water: It’s OK to add warm pasta water to loosen up the sauce so it coats the pasta but only because the sauce is first made with cold water, which helps prevent separation and grittiness that might happen if you only used warm/pasta water.
Mary Griffith
I made this just as the recipe is except I used the juice of a whole lemon. Everyone loved it! I’ll make it again. Thank you:)
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Mary, I’m thrilled you all loved this recipe! Thanks so much for leaving a review!