Vegan Spring Pasta: Campanelle With Creamy Tahini Sauce Charred Asparagus + Za'atar

{"handle":"vegan-spring-pasta-recipe-campanelle-with-creamy-tahini-sauce-charred-asparagus-and-zaatar-from-rachael-ray","title":"Vegan Spring Pasta: Campanelle With Creamy Tahini Sauce Charred Asparagus + Za'atar","seoTitle":"Vegan Spring Pasta: Campanelle With Creamy Tahini Sauce Charred Asparagus + Za'atar | Rachael Ray","seoDescription":"Rach shares a yummy vegan pasta recipe made with a creamy tahini sauce, spring veggies (asparagus) + the Middle Eastern spice blend za'atar.","image":"https://images.ctfassets.net/vmuke7sdou62/6Yqn7gZOiwKnljFvMAT7s7/edf8882844bc0d0ea341d07a1e52fd84/15141_vegan_spring_pasta.jpg_itok_Ms3XgcKp","ingredients":"

For the creamy tahini sauce:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
• 1 tablespoon harissa paste or rose harissa or 1 fresh hot chili pepper, chopped
• ⅔ to ¾ cup tahini (ground sesame sauce)
• Salt and fine black or white pepper
• Juice of 1 lemon
• About ¾ cup water

For the pasta:

• 1 bunch asparagus, cut on the bias into large pieces
• 1 bunch scallions or 4 spring onions, cut on the bias into large pieces
• Non-aerosol olive oil spray
• Salt and pepper
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 pound gigli (aka campanelle), a lily-shaped short-cut pasta or other short pasta
• 4 tablespoons

","preparation":"

Serves: 4

For the sauce, warm oil in a small skillet over medium heat and swirl garlic a minute or so, add harissa or fresh chili and combine, cool a bit. Place in food processor with tahini, season with salt and pepper, add juice of 1 lemon and turn on processor, then stream in water to form smooth sauce, transfer to a bowl.

Hold a spear of asparagus at both ends, bend and snap. The end is a measure for where to trim the bunch. Ends can be cooked in stock and softened to puree for soup.

Trims tough tops and roots of scallions or spring onions.

Heat a cast iron skillet or large nonstick skillet over medium-high to high heat with a spray of oil. Add the asparagus and scallions or spring onions, in 2 batches if necessary, and season with salt, brown 2 to 3 minutes, turn and cover 1 to 2 minutes more. Cook the cut lemon as well to char. Douse the cooked asparagus and spring onions with ½ the charred lemon.

Undercook pasta by 1 minute in salted boiling water, reserve ¾ cup boiling water and drain. Return to hot pot and combine with tahini sauce and add the hot water as needed to thin a bit to coat pasta with velvety sauce. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Add half the asparagus and onions and the remaining juice of ½ charred lemon. Transfer to serving bowl and top with remaining asparagus and scallions or spring onions and za'atar.

","tags":"Rachael Ray Show, Pasta, Spring, Vegan","publishDate":"2021-04-26T11:00:00Z","status":"Publish","author":"Rachael Ray","externalUrl":"https://www.rachaelrayshow.com/recipes/vegan-spring-pasta-recipe-campanelle-with-creamy-tahini-sauce-charred-asparagus-and-zaatar-from-rachael-ray"}