Tahini pasta with Brussels sprouts

Photo: Lazy Cat Kitchen

Orecchiette in a creamy, no-dairy sauce of tahini, miso, lemon and garlic, with roasted sprouts and toasted hazelnuts. Rich enough that no one asks where the cheese went.

From Ania Dziubinska at Lazy Cat Kitchen · @lazycatkitchen

Tahini and miso make a creamy sauce in a bowl with no cooking, and starchy pasta water turns it silky.

You need

• 300 g (10 oz) Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• Salt and pepper
• 300 g (10 oz) orecchiette or other short pasta
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 60 g (1/4 cup) tahini
• 1 tbsp white miso
• 1 to 2 tsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• Zest of 1/2 lemon and 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 240 ml (1 cup) pasta cooking water
• A handful of hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
• Optional: crisped vegan bacon or smoked tofu

How to make it

1. Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Toss the sprouts with 1 tablespoon oil, salt and pepper and roast cut side down 18 to 20 minutes, until browned at the edges and tender.
2. Meanwhile, bring a big pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente. Scoop out a full cup of the cooking water before you drain it.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the garlic, tahini, miso, maple syrup, nutritional yeast, lemon zest and juice with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Whisk in about 120 ml (1/2 cup) of the hot pasta water until smooth and pourable.
4. Add the drained pasta and the sprouts to the bowl and toss, adding more pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce coats every piece and looks creamy.
5. Season with salt, pepper and more lemon to taste. Serve with the hazelnuts (and vegan bacon, if using) on top.

Written in our own words from Ania Dziubinska's recipe, with their quantities. The original: Tahini pasta with Brussels sprouts, Lazy Cat Kitchen.

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