Creamy Sesame Tahini Pasta

This creamy and delicious, asian inspired tahini pasta is easy to make and only takes a few minutes. It’s rich in healthy fats and protein, making it a filling and nutritious meal.

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Ingredients for Creamy Sesame Tahini Pasta

Before making this recipe, make sure you have all the ingredients you need. If you don’t have one of the ingredients, substitutions are listed below.

Noodles: Any wheat based noodles will work. I used soba noodles, but you can use thin spaghetti, somen or ramen instead.
Garlic: I used minced garlic from the jar because it’s the most convenient for me, but fresh garlic works great as well.
Ginger: This adds such a nice flavor to the dish. I use the frozen cubes of ginger that you can get in the frozen section of the grocery store, but fresh is also great.
Tahini: The star of the dish. I wouldn’t recommend replacing this ingredient, but in a pinch you can use almond butter, peanut butter or sunflower seed butter as an alternative.
Soy sauce: You can substitute tamari or coconut aminos.
Sugar: This can be replaced with honey, agave nectar or maple syrup.
Sesame oil: Adds a nutty flavor to the dish. If you don’t have any you can omit it completely.
Rice vinegar: You can substitute with rice wine vinegar or mirin.
Green onion: Optional, but add some nice flavor and color to this dish.
Sesame seeds: Optional, but a great garnish that ties the whole dish together.

How to make Creamy Sesame Tahini Pasta

First, prepare your noodles or pasta based on the instructions on the package. Reserve some pasta water for the sauce. Drain and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the pasta water, garlic, ginger, tahini, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and rice vinegar. Whisk until well combined.

Add sauce to the noodles and toss until the noodles are well coated in the sauce. Top with green onion, sesame seeds and other toppings of choice. Then enjoy!

What kind of noodles or pasta should I use?

I love this dish because you can really use any noodles or pasta you have available to you. I used soba noodles for this recipe, but this dish would also work well with somen noodles, ramen noodles, thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta.

Really any wheat based noodles will work as long as they are long and thin. I personally try to get whole wheat noodles or pasta when I can due to the extra fiber. I also think the flavor of whole wheat noodles adds to the dish.

What can I add to these noodles?

As for toppings, green onions and sesame seeds are my favorite to throw on top. But, you can also add on a variety of other toppings. I personally love adding cucumber, chili oil and a soft boiled egg for extra protein.

What is tahini made out of?

Tahini is made out of ground sesame seeds. It is one of the main ingredients of hummus, along with chickpeas, olive oil and spices. This creamy paste is commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking in dishes such as taratoor and baba ganooj.

Is tahini good for you?

Yes! Tahini is rich in healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. It also contains about five grams of protein per two tablespoon serving. It’s a good source of vitamin B1 (thiamine), copper, manganese, phosphorus, selenium and zinc.

What does tahini taste like?

Tahini has a nutty taste, similar to other nut butters like peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower seed butter and cashew nut butter. It is earthy and grainy, with a creamy texture.

Does tahini go bad?

Yes, tahini does go bad. It has a shelf life of about 1-2 years. After opening, it should last about 4-6 months. You can extend this time by keeping it refrigerated, but this isn’t required. I personally keep it in the refrigerator and give it a nice stir before using it in a recipe (it does tend to separate).

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