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Simple Tahini Lemon Sauce For More Filling Salads and Vegetables
Tired of oil and vinegar mixes to dress your dishes?
Switch it up by using tahini as your dressing base.
Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds, similar to peanut butter. It is a versatile ingredient that serves as a blank slate for various sauces, dressings, and dips like this one.
This tahini sauce recipe is as easy as it gets. It provides a lemony, salty, and garlicky punch to your dishes. It is in my regular rotation of meal prep dressings.
I love how creamy and substantial this tahini dressing is. It adds depth and richness to grains, roasted vegetables, salads, and beans to name a few. It really feels like another filling ingredient is added to the dish.
This easy tahini sauce can be made thick or thin by adding more or less water (more on that below). Adding more water will make it thinner and more suitable for salads. Leaving it thicker makes for a great dipping sauce for raw vegetables or falafel.
Keep reading for how to make tahini sauce!
How Long Does this Tahini Lemon Sauce Keep?
This sauce will last covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Mason jars are perfect for making meal prep dressings like this one. They are easily sealed and have measurements on them for easy mixing.
These 16 oz. jars are the best size for dressings. They are big enough for a one or two week batches, but small enough to easily fit inside your refrigerator door. (Note: I used an 8 oz. jar in this post because all my 16 oz. jars were filled with an early spring batch of pickles!).
Let’s Talk About the Ingredients
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Tahini – Tahini is a ground sesame seed paste. Think of it as peanut butter, except it’s sesame seeds that are ground rather than peanuts. It is a key ingredient in hummus, baba ghanoush, and Eastern Mediterranean cuisine. Liquids (like water and lemon) need to be added to tahini in order to thin out the paste.
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Lemon – Look for lemons that are fully yellow and are a little soft when gently squeezed. This bit of softness means that the lemon is full of juice. This citrus squeezer is the only one you’ll need for the rest of your life.
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Garlic – When picking garlic, choose a bulb that is heavy and firm with tight skin. It shouldn’t have any soft spots.
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Water – Warm water works best for mixing the ingredients together. Tahini will solidify a bit when cold, so the warm water helps the thinning process.
How Can I Use this Tahini Lemon Sauce for Meal Prep?
This sauce will last about a week covered in the refrigerator.
As a rule of thumb, if a dressing doesn’t have any fresh ingredients in it, it should last close to a month. If it does (like this one with garlic and lemon), it will last closer to a week.
If you’re looking for a dressing that lasts longer, try this balsamic vinaigrette. It is just oil and vinegar and will last up to a month.
Store this dressing in a jar so you can easily store it and have it on-hand throughout the week. This sauce adds great richness to a variety of dishes.
What Can I Use This Tahini Lemon Sauce On?
Tahini is an important in Eastern Mediterranean cooking. So, this sauce is especially suitable for dishes within that cuisine.
Here are a few ideas to make a meal out of this sauce.
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Falafel – You can’t go wrong with a traditional Mediterranean dish like falafel. Chickpea patties like these are delicious. Top with this sauce.
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Roasted Sweet Potatoes and/or Vegetables – Top these roasted sweet potatoes and/or vegetables with this sauce. This will add tons of flavor and richness to a meatless dish.
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Salad – Make a thinner sauce by adding more water. This will create more of a dressing type of consistency appropriate for salads.
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Chickpeas – Combine chopped up herbs or greens with canned or dried chickpeas. Top with this sauce.
Do I Really Need to Whisk in a Separate Bowl?
No, you don’t actually need to whisk ingredients together in a separate bowl. If you are using a large enough jar, you can whisk directly in the jar. If you don’t have a whisk small enough to fit inside the jar, use a fork and give it a good shake.
Want More Dressings? Check These Out.
Tasty sauces and dressings are a secret weapon for any cook. They can turn a dish from average to delicious in a matter of seconds.
Top off a dish with one of these delicious recipes and it will taste better:
Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
- 5 Tbsp. tahini
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/4-1/2 cup warm water
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
Instructions
- Whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, oil, and 1/4 cup water. If needed, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time based on the consistency you desire. Transfer to a jar or other resealable container and store covered in refrigerator for 5-6 days.
Nutrition