Creamy Vegan Lemon Tahini Pasta with Spinach
This 5-Ingredient Tahini Pasta is a weeknight dinner hero! Just toss your favorite pasta with vibrant spinach and a simple homemade lemon tahini pasta sauce for a delicious, family-friendly meal in under 30 minutes.
Servings 4 people
Calories 404kcal
Equipment
- Knife and cutting board
- Medium or large pot
- Colander
Ingredients
Tahini Pasta Sauce:
- ½ cup tahini well stirred (see note)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 medium lemon)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (optional)
- ½ cup reserved pasta water (see note)
Pasta:
- 8 ounces (226 grams) pasta such as cavatappi
- 6 cups spinach chopped
Optional for Serving:
- Chopped parsley for serving
- Lemon slices for serving
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Whisk tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Bring a medium or large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Pour in pasta, reduce heat to medium-high, and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until tender but firm to the bite. (It’s okay for the pasta to be slightly undercooked at this point.) Ladle ½ cup of the pasta water into a glass measuring cup or small bowl.
- Turn off the heat and add the spinach to the pasta. Stir for 2 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted. Add the spinach in batches if your pot is not large enough to fit all of it at first. (The spinach will reduce in size as it heats.) Drain the pasta and spinach mixture into a colander (do not rinse).
- Gradually add the reserved pasta water to the tahini sauce mixture 1 tablespoon at a time, and whisk until a smooth and creamy texture is reached. You may not need to use all of the reserved pasta water. If the sauce is too thick, gradually whisk in more of the pasta water until desired consistency is reached. (see note).
- Add the cooked pasta and spinach mixture back to the pot and stir in the tahini sauce until the pasta is evenly coated.
- Transfer to serving dishes and garnish with parsley, lemon, and black pepper if desired.
Notes
Tahini note: Tahini should be thinner and smooth. Don’t use the bottom of the jar, because it will be too thick and won’t mix well. Stir the tahini well before using to minimize clumps in the sauce.
Pasta sauce note: Reserve ½ cup of the water used to cook the pasta before you drain it. (This can be easy to forget, so consider writing a note or setting a reminder in your phone!) The exact amount of water you will need in the sauce depends on the brand of tahini you use. Start by mixing 1 tablespoon of the reserved pasta water to the tahini mixture and then add more if the sauce is still too thick. You want the sauce to be smooth and pourable, but still creamy and not too watery.
You might find that the pasta is not hot enough if you don’t immediately mix the finished tahini sauce with the cooked pasta. If this happens, put the pot over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until it heats back up to your desired temperature.
Higher protein option: For a higher protein version, stir in a can (drained and rinsed) of chickpeas or cannellini beans (also called white kidney beans) when you stir in the spinach. You can also use a lentil or chickpea-based pasta.
Make ahead/storage: This recipe tastes best served immediately. If needed, store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. If you’re planning to make this ahead of time, take 2 minutes off of the pasta cooking time so it doesn’t get mushy once reheated.
Scaling: Feel free to double the recipe to serve 8, but keep the amount of garlic the same to avoid overwhelming the flavors of the dish. You will also need to use a large pot instead of a medium one.
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and are based on a portion size of ¼ of the total recipe.