This garlic lemon herb tahini dressing is creamy, herb forward and easy to whip up boasting multiple uses from salads to vegetables to meats!
You know that tiny bit of anxiety you get when you bring a dish to a party, set it on the table and then secretly spend the rest of the time praying people will eat it?
No? Just me?
Well that’s what happened with this on Easter.
My mom asked me to bring a side dish of vegetables so I threw together some barely cooked asparagus, raw shaved zucchini and stuffed green olives in the biggest pasta bowl I have, dressed it with just some olive oil, lemon and garlic and then went to work on this dressing to be served on the side.
I used a basic tahini dressing recipe as inspiration but literally just starting throwing things like lemon and fresh herbs into the food processor with abandon and adjusting after a few pulses here and there. Making a homemade salad dressing is forgiving like that.
You should see the notepad I write recipes on, this one looks like something out of A Beautiful Mind, minus the whole genius/schizo part.
I’ve only had tahini in my hands for literally a week now, but I can 100% say that this will be one of my go to uses for it.
It basically turned what would otherwise be called a pesto into an amazing lemon herb tahini dressing with savory garlic undertones.
Put it on a salad (like a delicious tatsoi salad), drizzle it over raw, grilled or roasted vegetables (like this roasted romanesco or grilled artichokes), use it as a pasta sauce, maybe an unconventional hollandaise sauce over eggs…
Possibilities = endless with this garlicky lemon herb tahini dressing.
Don’t worry, I did actually wash the basil that went into the dressing.
I can’t even tell you how much the sand on those leaves is bothering me in this picture (deep breaths).
So I sit down with my plate of food assuming no one will say anything about the vegetables when there’s french toast casserole, potato leek casserole, a ham, a lamb roast, muffins and 10 desserts strewn across the kitchen counter resigning to the fact that I’ll probably be taking home every damn zucchini ribbon that I spent 30 minutes peeling and guess what?
It happened.
That “oh my gosh, who made this?” question that everyone hopes is about their dish.
I turn around expecting to see someone with their face full of dessert to see my aunt with a forkful of veggies raised in the air looking around for someone to claim it as theirs.
All I could do was smile.
Veggies with lemon herb tahini dressing for the win.
It may not have bitchin’ in its name but it sure acts like it.
MORE RECIPES WITH TAHINI TO TRY:
Roasted sweet potato, squash and chickpea fall salad
Blueberry White Bean Salad with Tahini Turmeric Dressing
Yogurt Tahini Mediterranean Carrot Salad
Garlic Herb Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup parsley
- 1/4 cup basil
- 1 clove garlic
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
I’m slobbering looking at this! All my favorite things in one dressing. I would probably drink that as a smoothie…just kidding?
I totally get nervous when I bring a new dish too…but rarely get raves over veggies. Definitely trying this salad dressing! I just bought tahini too and have been loving it in hummus…but now I’m seeing worlds of new opportunity for it. Thank you!
I am so on this, Gina. Love the flavors. Tahini makes such great sauces. Love it!
I need to know where you get these super cute spoons!
haha the sandy basil looks like it has fur! =) Mine gets like that too — the green onions in my garden are also covered with sand at all times. And my peppers are stunted… and…. hot garden mess over here =)
The dressing looks amaaaaazing as always chica! Your photos keep getting better and better! xo
best. feeling. ever. :)
Everything in this dressing sounds wonderful. It’s another must try SOON! Yes, I pray that people will eat my dishes too. It always makes me sad when I go home and whatever I brought was barely touched. It irks me that people would rather go for some cookies from Walmart than something homemade. Or go for the Costco sides rather than something someone obviously worked hard on.
Ohhhh… it’s like tahini pesto! You could totally put bitchin’ in the name. I’m definitely going to try this out!