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Whole-Wheat Pasta with Yogurt and Tahini

Whole-Wheat Pasta with Yogurt and Tahini

By Elizabeth GermainMarch 8, 2018

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    25 minutes

While we recommend robustly flavored whole-grain pasta to complement this creamy, nutty sauce, traditional pasta also was delicious. Short pasta such as orecchiette, farfalle and penne worked as well as flat noodles, like fettucine and tagliatelle. Adding the lemon zest to both the toasted walnuts and tahini sauce gave the dish a double layer of flavor. The ratio of yogurt to tahini was key to a full-flavored, creamy sauce. A bit of olive oil helped emulsification. Use a good-quality tahini made from toasted sesame seeds; if it’s salt-free, you may need to adjust the seasoning.

Tip

Don’t substitute traditional yogurt for Greek-style or the sauce will be too thin. While 2-percent Greek-style yogurt will work, we preferred the richness and creaminess of whole-fat. Nonfat Greek-style yogurt had a chalky texture and lacked flavor.

Ingredients
  • 2

    garlic cloves, finely grated

  • 1

    teaspoon grated lemon zest, plus 3 tablespoons lemon juice (1 to 2 lemons)

  • ½

    cup walnuts, finely chopped

  • 1 ½

    teaspoons cumin seeds

  • 2

    scallions, trimmed and minced

  • Kosher salt

  • ¾

    pound whole-wheat pasta

  • 1

    cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt

  • ⅓

    cup tahini

  • 2

    tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Step 1

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the garlic and lemon juice and let sit for 10 minutes.

In a small skillet over medium-low, toast the walnuts and cumin seeds, stirring frequently, until golden brown and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the scallions, ½ teaspoon of lemon zest and pinch salt.

Step 2

Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water, then return the pasta to the pot.

Add the yogurt, tahini, oil, remaining lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt and ½ cup of the reserved pasta water to the lemon juice-garlic mixture and whisk until smooth.

Add the sauce to the pasta and toss until evenly coated. Stir in half of the walnut mixture. Transfer the pasta to a platter or individual bowls, then garnish with the remaining walnut mixture.

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