Tahini Pasta – Vegan!

Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Reserve one cup of cooking water right before you drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, drain the chickpeas and reserve the canning liquid. Add the peas into a large skillet over medium-high heat with a drizzle of oil and the smoked paprika. Cook the chickpeas for 10 minutes, shaking occasionally, until they start to brown on the edges. Remove them from the pan.

Roughly chop the parsley and mint together.

Into a food processor or blender, add the chickpea liquid, 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, and half of the toasted chickpeas. Blend to puree into a thin sauce. Taste, and add some salt or more tahini if you’d like. The sauce will be very thin.

Into the pan that you used to toast the chickpeas, add the tahini sauce and heat over medium heat. Stir to warm through, and add some of the pasta water if the sauce gets too thick. It’ll thicken quickly due to the starch in the garbanzo beans.

Add the pasta, remaining chickpeas and herbs into the sauce. Toss with tongs and taste. Add more salt if you’d like. Add cooking liquid or olive oil to smooth out the sauce so it evenly coats the pasta.

Serve with extra smoked paprika, sea salt, or herbs on top. Enjoy!