Tahini Noodles

Tahini Noodles are a deliciously quick and easy meal. In this simple recipe, your favorite pasta is tossed together with vegetables and savory tahini sauce. It can be served warm or cold, and it's terrific for either lunch or dinner. This dish comes together in less than half an hour, making it ideal for busy weeknights. It's vegan with a gluten-free option.

Tahini Noodles

Years ago I had come across a recipe for tahini noodles, and I made them many times. They were quite tasty, but somehow they fell out of our meal rotation. It’s been so long now, that I can’t remember where I found the recipe. Recently I've had a hankering for tahini and noodles, so I decided to recreate the dish.

This type of meal is usually served in the hot summer months, but I like it just about any time of the year. It's kind of like an amped up version of sesame noodles, which is usually a dish consisting of noodles tossed in a soy sauce based sauce along with scallions.

What is Tahini?

Tahini is a paste that’s made from ground sesame seeds. It can be bitter straight of out the jar, but when mixed with other ingredients, it magically transforms into a lush and creamy paste. I use it regularly to make salad dressing, but it can be used in many different ways. I also like to add it to smoothies and even pair it with chocolate.

In most grocery stores, tahini can be found near the peanut butter. Some grocery stores also keep it in the ethnic food area.

Because different brands of tahini can vary in texture, you may need to add more liquid that I’ve specified in the recipe. If you find the sauce is too thick, add more water, a teaspoon at a time.

How to Make Tahini Noodles

This recipe is super easy to make!

First you cook the noodles according to the package instructions. If your noodles are to be cooked in a pot on the stovetop, you can cook the broccoli along with them by adding the broccoli to the pot a minute or two before the noodles are done.

If you're using rice noodles that just need to be soaked in boiling water for a few minutes, you can steam your broccoli in a separate pot. To do this, I add about an inch of water to a large pot and place a steamer basket inside of it. I fill the basket with the broccoli florets, bring the water to a boil, cover the pot, and let it cook for about 5 minutes. The broccoli softens and turns bright green.

Once your noodles and broccoli have been cooked, you mix up the tahini, lemon juice, water, tamari, mustard, garlic powder, sea salt, and red pepper flakes to make the sauce. You can do this by placing all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisking briskly, your can throw them all into a blender. I like to use the twister cup of my Blendtec.

Next you toss everything together, making sure you coat the noodles and vegetables well with the tahini mixture.

Finally you serve your noodles topped with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.

How to Customize Your Tahini Noodles

You can easily alter this recipe to your liking or to accommodate ingredients that you have on hand.

• Thinly sliced red peppers can be used instead of carrots – or in addition to them.
• You can add edamame to the dish
• If you're not a fan of broccoli, you can use green beans instead.
• You can use parsley instead of scallions to garnish your noodles.
• Add more red pepper flakes if you want to add more heat to your dish.
• If you follow a gluten-free diet, be sure to use gluten-free noodles. I like to use Thai rice noodles.
• You can use zucchini or carrot noodles, if you want to up your vegetable intake!

Serve your noodles warm or cold. This dish is really refreshing served cold on hot summer days. It travels well, so it's perfect for lunch at the office. And since it comes together quickly, it's great for busy weeknights.

Tahini Noodles

Dianne

Tahini Noodles are a deliciously quick and easy meal. In this simple recipe, your favorite pasta is tossed together with vegetables and savory tahini sauce. It can be served warm or cold, and it’s terrific for either lunch or dinner. 

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Fusion

Servings 4 servings

Calories 341 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 8 ounce package noodles (spaghetti, linguine, rice noodles, etc.)
• 1 bunch broccoli chopped into small, bite-sized florets (about 5 cups)
• ½ cup tahini
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 2 carrots shredded or julienned (about 2 cups)
• 2 cups shredded or thinly sliced green cabbage savoy, napa, or green cannonball
• 2 scallions sliced
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Instructions

 

• Cook the noodles according the package instructions. If your noodles are to be cooked in a pot on the stovetop, you can cook the broccoli along with them by adding the broccoli to the pot a minute or two before the noodles are done. 
• If you’re using rice noodles that just need to be soaked in boiling water for a few minutes, you can steam your broccoli in a separate pot. To do this, I add about an inch of water to a large pot and place a steamer basket inside of it. I fill the basket with the broccoli florets, bring the water to a boil, cover the pot, and let it cook for about 5 minutes. The broccoli softens and turns bright green.
• Drain the pasta and broccoli, and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
• Mix together the tahini, water, lemon juice, tamari, mustard, garlic powder, sea salt, and red pepper flakes to make the sauce. You can do this by placing all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisking briskly, your can throw them all into a blender. If the mixture seems too thick, add more water, a teaspoon at a time.
• Place the noodles and broccoli in large bowl and gently toss in carrots and cabbage. Add the tahini sauce, and gently mix to coat everything.
• Top the dish with scallions and sesame seeds.
• Serve warm or at room temperate. It can also be refrigerated and served cold.

Calories: 341kcal

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More tahini recipes you might enjoy include:

• Tahini & Tofu Kale Salad
• Mocha Tahini Shake
• Lemony Tahini Dressing
• Tahini Truffles

More noodle recipes you might enjoy include:

• Peanut Carrot Noodles
• Shirataki Noodle Stir-Fry
• Coconut Curry Noodles
• Thai Tofu Noodles
• Sesame Noodles