Hazelnut Tahini Pasta Recipe

I keep a pretty full pantry (to say the least). I love to have a variety of oils, vinegars, grains & nuts on hand… but every now and then “on hand” becomes completely out of hand. This little sauce came about one day when I was cleaning out my shelves and found five separate stashes of hazelnuts. Some were newly purchased, some were tucked waaay in the back. Also, back beyond my immediate reach was a still-pretty-new-yet-forgotten-about jar of tahini.

I had pasta noodles to use up, but this would be great as a dressing drizzled over a farro salad, or over greens with roasted sweet potatoes.

It doesn’t puree as smooth as cashew-based sauces (and it’s definitely not pretty). It’s a bit on the grainy side, but has that nice tahini tang and also a bit of sweetness from the hazelnuts.

You may have noticed already, but this recipe was posted as a little L&L feature over at the The Chalkboard last week.

hazelnut tahini pasta

Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Serves: serves 2, with extra sauce

Ingredients

for the sauce:

1 cup unsalted hazelnuts, toasted & shelled
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup tahini
juice of 1 lemon
¼ olive oil
salt, pepper
water, as needed to thin (about ¼ cup, if necessary)

for the pasta:

8 oz. pasta, plus some reserved pasta water
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups of brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
a few pinches of red pepper flake
salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

Toast your hazelnuts well. (In a 300 degree oven for 15 or so mins, or in a skillet for about 5).
Make the sauce by pureeing the hazelnuts, garlic, tahini, lemon and olive oil in a high speed blender. Drizzle water, as necessary to get your blade moving. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cook pasta according to the package directions.
In a large skillet heat olive oil. Add the shaved brussels sprouts into the skillet in one layer (you might have to work in batches if they don’t all fit). Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Let them cook for a minute or so (until they begin browning), and flip. Cook for another couple of minutes until the edges are golden.
Remove the brussels sprouts from the pan and toss them with the pasta and as much or little sauce as you like. Add a little pasta water, as needed, to create a creamy sauce. Top with toasted hazelnuts and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Notes

Raw cashews, walnuts, or blanched almonds can be substituted for the hazelnuts.

I used quinoa noodles but use whatever pasta you like.