This colorful and delicious Tahini Pasta with Fresh Veggies is a light yet creamy dish that is perfect for a quick lunch or dinner. Packed with colorful veggies, tender pasta, and a homemade tahini dressing, it is a high-protein, refreshing, and flavorful salad dish.
You can serve it as a side with your favorite bread or soup, or enjoy it alone as a main dish for a light lunch.
Incorporate native spices, herbs, and grains for a taste of your region's culinary heritage.
Table of contents
If you have your pasta and veggies ready, it comes together in just 5 minutes.
About the Recipe
This Tahini pasta salad is a fresh, light, creamy, and super-indulging vegan pasta salad that tastes so good. With so many varieties of ingredients, each bite of this pasta has a burst of colors, textures, and various flavors.
Imagine a bowl with a combination of pasta and salad, featuring soft macaroni, fresh veggies, and chickpeas, all topped with a creamy, dairy-free tahini dressing. Sounds exotic, doesn’t it?
The tahini dressing adds a lovely richness to this pasta salad without any addition of cream or mayonnaise.
Plus, the mix of fresh and pickled veggies, tahini, and spices makes every bite super tasty. Another great thing is that it is quite a versatile salad, so you can add whatever veggies or beans you have on hand. You can also adjust the seasoning in the dressing according to your taste preference.
This easy-to-make, delicious tahini pasta salad is one of those salads that everyone will love! And why not? It is loaded with veggies, chickpeas, pasta, and fruits, so there is something for everyone to enjoy!
Plus, it is healthy, quick and easy to make, and stays fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days. So it is wonderful for meal prep or weekday lunches.
So are you ready to make it?
Why You Will Love This Recipe
This Tahini Pasta
✓ is creamy without cream or mayo
✓ has so many textures
✓ is high-protein & vegan
✓ can also be made gluten-free
✓ is loaded with veggies
✓ is so flavorful & delicious
✓ is very versatile
Ingredients
For Salad
-
Cucumber: Added for crunch, color, and refreshing flavors.
-
Red Bell Pepper: They add some sweet and crisp texture and a beautiful red color to this salad.
-
Red Onion: You will need thinly sliced onion. It gives pungency and flavor to this salad.
-
Purple Cabbage: I have used sliced purple cabbage for crunch, color, and nutrients. You can also use regular cabbage here if you prefer that.
-
Cherry Tomatoes: The sweet and juicy tomatoes balance the creamy dressing.
-
Pickled Peppers: They are added for a tangy and spicy kick that elevates the overall flavor of this salad.
-
Macaroni: I have used cooked macaroni as a base for this salad recipe for a soft and satisfying feeling. Macaroni holds the dressing perfectly, but you can also use other pasta like penne, rotini, or any of your favorite varieties of pasta.
-
Purple Grapes: I have added a bit of grapes for a beautiful color and surprising sweetness. If you don’t like the sweetness in your salad, feel free to skip it.
-
Chickpeas: They are added for protein and to make this salad more filling.
For Tahini Dressing
-
Tahini: You can use both homemade and store-bought tahini for giving a nutty, creamy base to the dressing.
-
Lemon Juice: It adds some brightness and a refreshing taste to balance the creamy richness.
-
Maple Syrup: It is added for a sweet taste that blends all the other flavors.
-
Salt & Black Pepper: Basic seasoning to bring everything together.
-
Smoked Paprika: It adds a hint of smoky heat.
-
Garlic: Adds an aromatic flavor to this dressing.
-
Water: You will need some water to thin out the dressing and to give it a pourable consistency.
Variations
Pasta Variety
I chose macaroni, but you can also use other pasta varieties like fusilli, penne, pipe, rigatoni, or any of your favorite pasta shapes.
Other Veggies
You can also use other veggies like carrots, zucchini, corn, olives, or fresh herbs.
Topping
I have topped this salad with some toasted sesame seeds. You can also use other toppings such as nuts like almonds or seeds like sunflower seeds for added texture.
Serving Suggestions
This pasta tastes great when served as a meal on its own or enjoyed as a side with grilled veggies, soup, sandwich, grilled cheese, or wrap. This Tahini Pasta is also wonderful for picnics and potlucks! You can also pair it with other salads like Chickpea Salad, Apple Salad, Strawberry Salad, Kiwi Salad, Avocado Salad, and Peach Salad for a brunch party.
Storage Suggestions
Refrigerate
This salad keeps well for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. To store, transfer the salad to an airtight container. You can serve it both chilled or at room temperature.
Longer shelf life: For longer storage, keep all the components like pasta, veggies, and dressing separately and assemble the pasta salad when you are ready to serve it.
Important Tips and Tricks to Make Tahini Pasta Salad
-
Dressing: Feel free to adjust the amount of dressing according to your taste preference.
-
Seasoning: After tossing, taste the salad and add more salt and pepper if needed. You can also use other seasoning like cumin powder, or sumac to this dressing.
-
Serving: If you like, sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds or extra paprika on top right before serving.
-
Dressing storage: If you’re storing the dressing separately, it might thicken after storing. In that case, stir in a splash of water to make it creamy again.
-
Customize: Adjust the lemon, salt, or maple syrup to get the flavor just how you like it.
-
Gluten Free: To make this salad gluten-free, use a gluten-free blend of pasta.
Tahini Pasta Salad (Step-by-step photo instructions)
Make the Dressing
- In a bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic. Gradually add water to make it pourable, whisking until smooth and creamy.
Make tTahini Pasta Salad
- In a large bowl, combine cucumber, red bell pepper, red onion, purple cabbage, cherry tomatoes, pickled peppers, macaroni, grapes, and chickpeas.
- Pour the tahini dressing over the salad. Toss well until everything is evenly coated. Your creamy, colorful Tahini Pasta is ready! Transfer the pasta to a serving dish, garnish with toasted sesame seeds and red pepper flakes, and serve chilled or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recipe Card
Tahini Pasta Salad [Recipe]
★★★★★
(Rating: 5 from 8 reviews)
| Prep time 🕐 | Cook time 🕐 | Total time 🕐 |
|---|---|---|
| 15 mins | ||
| Category ☶ | Cuisine ♨ | Serves ☺ |
| Salads | International | 6 |
| Nutrition Info ⊛ | Serving size ⊚ | |
| 263 calories | 1 |
INGREDIENTS
For Tahini Pasta Salad
- 1/2 cucumber, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup purple cabbage, sliced or shredded
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons pickled peppers, sliced
- 3 cups boiled macaroni
- 1/3 cup purple grapes, halved
- 2 cups chickpeas, cooked or canned (drained)
For the Tahini Dressing
- 5 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Water, as needed
INSTRUCTIONS:
Make the Dressing
- In a bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic. Gradually add water to make it pourable, whisking until smooth and creamy.
Make tTahini Pasta Salad
- In a large bowl, combine cucumber, red bell pepper, red onion, purple cabbage, cherry tomatoes, pickled peppers, macaroni, grapes, and chickpeas.
- Pour the tahini dressing over the salad. Toss well until everything is evenly coated. Your creamy, colorful Tahini Pasta is ready! Transfer the pasta to a serving dish, garnish with toasted sesame seeds and red pepper flakes, and serve chilled or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
WATCH RECIPE VIDEO: Click the play button and video will load ...
NOTES:
- Adjust the lemon, salt, or maple syrup to get the flavor just how you like it.
- To make this salad gluten-free, use a gluten-free blend of pasta.
If this recipe helped you, then please spread the word by sharing and subscribing to us on YouTube to get more such Recipe Videos.
Your feedback is so helpful for me and other My Ginger Garlic Kitchen readers. So, for Facebook and Instagram, please mention @MyGingerGarlicKitchen or #mygingergarlickitchen. I would love to see your photos. :)
Author: Anupama
Recipe Source Link: https://www.mygingergarlickitchen.com/tahini-pasta-salad/
