Why You Should Be Putting Tahini in Your Pasta Salad

When it comes to pasta salad, I’m firmly in the no-mayonnaise camp. In an effort to avoid the whole mayo-laden dish sitting out in the hot sun conundrum, I usually dress my pasta salad in a light vinaigrette before serving it at a barbecue.

But what if you want something a little creamier? That’s where tahini comes in.

Tahini lends a little extra heft and substance to pasta salad without weighing it down. It also stands up to heat better than its mayo counterpart when left out on a sunny picnic table a little too long.

Mix the tahini with other traditional vinaigrette ingredients, like olive oil, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, garlic, honey, and Dijon mustard, and you’ve got a creamy vegan dressing that’ll set you up for pasta salad success all summer long.

→ Get the Recipe: Broccoli Tahini Pasta Salad from Love and Lemons