Tahini Mushroom Fusilli

Tahini Mushroom Fusilli

This one genuinely surprised us the first time we made it. We weren't sure tahini had any business being in a pasta dish, but trust us on this one, it absolutely does. The mushrooms go deep and savoury, the tahini makes everything creamy and rich without any dairy, and the whole thing comes together in 20 minutes flat. It's the kind of weeknight dinner that feels way more impressive than the effort you put in, and we keep coming back to it again and again.

Cook: 20 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Microplane or fine grater
  • Large colander
  • Deep frying pan

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp plant-based butter
  • 1 red onion
  • 500g mushrooms
  • 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 8 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 125ml white wine
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 3 tbsp miso paste
  • 5 tbsp runny tahini
  • 500g fusilli pasta
  • 100g baby spinach
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • nutritional yeast
  • 10g chives
  • olive oil

Method

1

Prepare the ingredients

  • Quarter the mushrooms
  • Peel, trim and dice the onion
  • Peel and grate the garlic
2

Cook the mushrooms

  • Warm the olive oil and butter in the deep frying pan over medium heat
  • Add the onions and a pinch of salt and fry for 3-4 minutes
  • Add the mushrooms, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and garlic to the pan and stir into the onions for 4-5 minutes until they start to soften and sweat down
3

Prepare the pasta

  • Cook the pasta according to packet instructions in a large pot of boiling salted water
4

Finish the mushrooms

  • Turn the heat of the mushrooms up, pour in the white wine and cook off the alcohol
  • Add the nutritional yeast, miso and tahini to the pan and stir to combine
  • Add two ladles of the pasta water and stir to create a creamy sauce (add more pasta water to reached desired consistency)
  • Taste and season to perfection with pepper and brown sugar
5

Finish and serve

  • Remove the thyme, rosemary and bay leaf from the pan
  • Drain the pasta into a colander and pour into the frying pan
  • Throw in the spinach, fold to combine, spoon into serving bowls, season with nutritional yeast, olive oil a few chopped chives and serve immediately

Tips & Variations

  • Get the mushrooms golden: Don't rush this step. Give them space in the pan and let them colour properly. Crowded mushrooms steam instead of fry and you lose all that lovely depth.
  • Tahini brand matters: Some tahinis are bitter, some are smooth and almost sweet. We find a good quality light tahini works best here. It's worth spending a little more on this one.
  • Save your pasta water: Before you drain the fusilli, scoop out a big mug of the starchy cooking water. Adding a splash when you bring the sauce together helps it cling to the pasta beautifully.

Why This Works

The trick here is letting the mushrooms properly sweat down with the rosemary, thyme and bay before you add anything else. That's where all the flavour builds. The tahini then goes in at the end and coats everything in this silky, nutty sauce that you genuinely wouldn't believe is plant-based. It's a proper flavour bomb.