Creamy Harissa Tahini Pasta Sauce

Black cast iron skillet with spaghetti in creamy light brown sauce with asparagus, spinach and red pepper slices

Creamy Harissa Tahini Pasta Sauce

This harissa tahini pasta sauce is ready in 20 minutes, so it is perfect for busy weeknights. It is rich, creamy, and spicy. If you are looking for a super simple pasta recipe, this will be your new best friend. Serve it with asparagus and spinach or mix and match it with your favorite veggies and toppings.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Dairy-free, Egg-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free, Soy-free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword harissa pasta, harissa tahini, tahini pasta, tahini pasta sauce

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 660kcal

Author Nandor Barta

Equipment

Ingredients

Harissa tahini pasta sauce

2 Tbsp Harissa paste it is more like a sauce and not like tomato paste consistency
½ cup Tahini
¼ cup Lemon juice (freshly squeezed) 1 large lemon
¼ tsp Sweet smoked paprika powder
½ tsp Garlic powder
¼ tsp Onion powder
⅛ tsp Black pepper
¼ tsp Salt

Other ingredients

2 servings Pasta we used spaghetti, but you can choose any other pasta
1 Tbsp Sunflower oil
1 bundle Asparagus
3 cup Fresh spinach leaves
¼ cup Reserved cooking water or none depending on your desired consistency

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients

Boil pasta in a large pot of water as per packet instructions. Don’t drain them in the sink, but reserve some pasta water.
Wash spinach leaves. If you have baby spinach leaves, you don’t need to chop them. We used spinach leaves we grew in our garden, which tend to be much larger, so we needed to chop them.
Prepare asparagus. First, rinse them, then snap them. Where they break, they break. You can’t snap them at the wrong place. They break where the asparagus gets woody and hard. Discard the bottom or use them in veggie stock. If the end of the asparagus still feels too thick after snapping, you can peel the bottom inch or two with a vegetable peeler. Cut them into pieces about 2 inches long (2-3 cm).

Making the pasta sauce

Add sauce ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl (spicy harissa paste, tahini, lemon juice, salt, onion, and garlic powder). Mix well with a spoon or spatula. No need to blend them since they are easy to combine.
Add a bit of water if needed until you reach the desired consistency. It should be more like a sauce and not a paste at the end.

Mixing everything together

Preheat a cast-iron skillet to medium heat on the stove and add oil. Add asparagus and sprinkle a bit of salt and black pepper. Cook them for approx. 10 minutes.
Lower the temperature and add spinach. Stir them well and wilt them for approx. 1-2 minutes until the leaves reduce their size.
Remove the skillet from the heat and add cooked pasta. Mix them well.
Finally, add the harissa tahini sauce and mix them well. If you feel the sauce is too thick, loosen it with a couple of tablespoons of pasta water you previously reserved. And you are ready! Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Don’t overcook the sauce – Remove the skillet from the heat before adding the sauce to the pasta and the fried veggies. Tahini, as well as other types of nut butter, have a tendency to thicken when they are heated.
Choose your tahini wisely – If you end up with a bitter pasta sauce, the most probable reason for that is the tahini brand you used. Our favorite is this brand* since it has no bitter after-taste.

Nutrition