This creamy tomato tahini pasta is an easy vegan dinner recipe that can be ready in just under 15 minutes. Featuring simple ingredients that deliver bags of flavour, it's a great one to cook up on a busy weeknight or for a quick lunch.
If you haven't tried adding tahini to a pasta dish before, you're in for a treat. Simply stir it in towards the end of cooking and watch those tinned tomatoes transform into a deliciously creamy sauce.
This recipe is great as it is, or with a few additions such as mushrooms, spinach, or frozen peas. For more speedy vegan dinner ideas, check out my recipes for easy hummus pasta and 5-minute peanut noodles.
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What is tahini?
Tahini is a smooth paste made from ground sesame seeds. Popular in Middle Eastern cuisine, it can be used as a spread, dip, or ingredient in other recipes such as baba ganoush, salad dressings, or this homemade hummus.
With an earthy flavour that's nutty and ever so slightly bitter, it's a great way to add an instant creaminess to pasta sauces.
Light v dark tahini
When it comes to tahini, you're likely to come across 'light' and 'dark' variants. Light tahini is made from sesame seeds with the outer husk removed, whereas dark tahini is made from unhulled seeds.
Dark tahini tends to have a stronger, more bitter taste. In recipes like this pasta sauce, I'd recommend using the lighter variety.
What do I need?
This creamy pasta dish is nice and simple in terms of ingredients. It includes:
- Aromatics in the form of red onion, garlic, and fresh basil
- Tinned plum tomatoes for the bulk of the sauce
- Light tahini for creaminess
- Extra flavour from the dried mixed herbs and nutritional yeast
How to make creamy tomato tahini pasta
Once you've prepared the ingredients, get your pasta cooking in some salted boiling water (follow package instructions). It usually takes around 10-12 minutes, which should give you time to cook the sauce.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the sliced onion. Fry gently on a medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring regularly.
Once the onion has started to soften, add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
After a couple of minutes, add in the tinned tomatoes, dried herbs, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Break the tomatoes apart thoroughly using a wooden spoon, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 5 minutes, stir in the tahini and nutritional yeast. The sauce will probably be quite thick, in which case you can add some of the pasta cooking water to the pan (the starchy water helps to thin out the sauce while still keeping it thick). Cook for another 2 minutes, adding more pasta water as necessary.
Roughly chop most of the basil and add this to the pan. Stir well, adding more salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast to taste.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add to the pan with the sauce. Don't worry about draining it too thoroughly – that starchy water is your friend. Stir well to coat the pasta and serve.
Serving suggestions
This simple pasta dish is great as it is, with a few extra basil leaves to finish it off. If you want to mix it up a bit, try sprinkling over some nuts, seeds, or a spoonful of four-ingredient cashew parmesan.
Recipe FAQ
Although tahini is made from sesame seeds – which are themselves an allergen – it may not be suitable for those suffering from other allergies such as tree nut or peanut allergies. If you're unsure, seek expert medical advice.
Provided you use a GF pasta variety, this recipe will be 100% gluten-free.
Store this pasta in the fridge for up to four days. The tahini sauce may become a little clumpy, but it should thin out after reheating.
I don't tend to freeze many pasta dishes, but you can certainly freeze tahini and this should keep well for up to six months.
Variations and tips for tomato tahini pasta
- Other additions: This dish would be great with other ingredients such as sliced mushrooms (in with the onions) or spinach or frozen peas (added to the pasta pot for the last couple of minutes).
- Tinned tomatoes: Any tinned tomatoes will do, but if you want the best results I'd go for a higher-end tin of plum tomatoes (just like in this spaghetti arrabbiata).
- Fresh tomatoes: Feel free to replace the tinned tomatoes with an equivalent amount of fresh tomatoes (around 5-6 medium). These may take a little longer to break down and form a sauce, and you may need to add extra pasta cooking water.
- Make it a lighter meal: If you want to turn it into a lighter lunch or starter, try swapping out the pasta for spiralised courgette (zucchini noodles).
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More vegan recipe ideas
If you liked this recipe, you may also enjoy:
- Easy Hummus Pasta
- 12-Minute Tomato & Basil Pasta
- Chickpea Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce
- Creamy Tempeh and Tarragon Pasta
- Tempeh Bolognese
- Easy Vegan Cheesy Pasta
- Creamy Vegan Mushroom Pasta
- Ultimate Vegan Lasagne
You can also check out my full list of vegan pasta recipes.
15-Minute Tomato Tahini Pasta (Vegan + Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 7-9 oz (200-250 g) dried pasta of your choice (gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1x 14 oz (400 g) tin plum tomatoes
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano or mixed herbs
- 3 tablespoons light tahini
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (plus more to taste)
- Small handful fresh basil, roughly chopped (leaves and stems, save some for garnish)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Once you've prepared the ingredients, get your pasta cooking in some salted boiling water (follow package instructions). It usually takes around 10-12 minutes, which should give you time to cook the sauce.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the sliced onion. Fry gently on a medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Once the onion has started to soften, add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
- After a couple of minutes, add in the tinned tomatoes, dried herbs, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Break the tomatoes apart thoroughly using a wooden spoon, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 5 minutes, stir in the tahini and nutritional yeast. The sauce will probably be quite thick, in which case you can add some of the pasta cooking water to the pan (the starchy water helps to thin out the sauce while still keeping it thick). Cook for another 2 minutes, adding more pasta water as necessary.
- Roughly chop most of the basil and add this to the pan. Stir well, adding more salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast to taste.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and add to the pan with the sauce. Don't worry about draining it too thoroughly – that starchy water is your friend. Stir well to coat the pasta and then serve with fresh basil and cashew parmesan.
Notes
- 12-Minute Tomato & Basil Pasta
- 5-Minute Peanut Noodles
- Creamy Tempeh and Tarragon Pasta
- Tempeh Bolognese
- Easy Vegan Cheesy Pasta
- Creamy Mushroom and Leek Tagliatelle
- Vegan Pasta Puttanesca
- Ultimate Vegan Lasagne
Nutrition
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Cindy Abraham
Tried this tonight and we both loved it! Thanks so much for sharing!
The Pesky Vegan
Great to hear, thanks very much for the review!
Angie
Monday is pasta night so will make this today. It took me awhile to learn to like tahini when I first went plant based; it seemed to bitter. Now I really like it and appreciate new ways to use it. Thanks!
The Pesky Vegan
Good stuff - hope it went down well!
Angie
This urned out excellent; both the hubs and I really liked it and it will be part of our pasta night rotation. I used Banza brand penne.
The Pesky Vegan
Great to hear, thanks very much for the review!
Steve
I've made this a few times for lunch now. Quick, easy and delicious! Nice one!
The Pesky Vegan
Great to hear, cheers for the review Steve!
Kenaz
Made this and got three portions out of it! It's just me, so when I cooked up the next portion, I added an extra medium tomato (needed to be used up) with a touch of stock, fried kale and soy, which I think balanced the tahini a bit better for my personal tastes. It made it taste so close to my childhood, non-vegan, favourite pasta bake, which has béchamel and pancetta in it, so extra kudos for getting something that hits those guilty pleasures! I'm certainly going to try the final portion as a pasta bake now! Good recipe, easy to follow, lovely results!
The Pesky Vegan
Good to hear you enjoyed it and that it reminded you of a childhood favourite, thanks!
Yvie
Love this recipe, tasty and quick and simple to make
The Pesky Vegan
Good stuff, thanks for the review!
Lynda
Can’t believe what a difference the tahini makes to this dish! This is going to be a regular runner in our house. Even my non- vegan husband loved it.
Have shared recipe with family too.
The Pesky Vegan
Great news, thanks for the review!
Joanna
Made this for the second time tonight. So quick and tasty. Definitely a favourite. Thanks for sharing!
The Pesky Vegan
Glad to hear you've been enjoying it, cheers!