Tahini Ranch Pasta Salad with Smoky Tempeh
A creamy Tahini Ranch Pasta Salad that is topped with oven roast smoky tempeh. Rich, flavorful and a great vegan lunch box meal idea.
While it does take some effort to plan and prepare lunches, the benefits are just on going. You save money, you are in control of the menu, and it allows you the ability to be present and mindful of your choices.
One thing that can prevent people from doing the planning and preparing is when a meal prep either takes too much time or effort to make. That’s why I love using pasta for a quick and easy meal. Usually takes less than 13 minutes to cook. Then you can pair it with a yummy sauce and an easy sheet pan of roasted veggies and tempeh like I did here.
Why You’ll Love This Make Ahead Lunch Recipe
- Easy to bring for lunches throughout the week. As the pasta sits, it will further absorb the flavors of the dressing making it tastier.
- This recipe is high in plant-protein thanks to a combination of the tempeh, tahini dressing and the pasta.
- It’s a flavorful vegan cold meal prep that’s easy to store for traveling and takes 30 minutes to prepare.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Tempeh: A fermented soy bean block. If you are not a fan of tempeh, you can absolutely change it out for other vegan protein sources like white beans or vegan sausage slices.
- Pasta: I used orecchiette, but many different pasta shapes can work for this. You can also boost some additional fiber and protein by using a bean based pasta as well.
- Tahini: Our main base to the ranch dressings. Make sure you use a good quality tahini like Soom Foods. (affiliate)
- Vegan Yogurt: Helps provide more creaminess and tang to the dressing. If you don’t have vegan yogurt, feel free to add more tahini and adjust to your desired flavor and taste.
- Dill: Both fresh and dry really help to elevate the flavors in the dressing.
How to Make this Tempeh Ranch Pasta Salad
Just 3 steps to the perfect lunch. Start by setting up your roasting tray. To do this, mix your tempeh marinade ingredients together and toss over your sliced tempeh pieces on a piece of foil. Fold the foil over itself to create a nice sealed pouch then place on a baking tray with your vegetables. Place the tray in the oven to bake.
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and cook your pasta according to instructions to achieve al dente consistency.
Check on your tempeh and open the pouch. If there is space on your baking tray, spread the steamed pieces of tempeh out on your baking tray onto a single layer then place back in the oven to finish roasting.
All that’s left is the sauce. I like to rinse the original bowl used for the tempeh marinade and use it to make the sauce (one less dish to clean). Whisk together all the ingredients until it starts to thicken and adjust the consistency as desired with extra water.
Combine the veggies with the pasta and tahini ranch sauce then top or mix in your tempeh and serve.
Tips for the Perfect Lunch
- Feel free to double the dressing if you’d like more of it to pour over your salad when ready to serve.
- Add the baked tempeh right at the time of serving. It helps to preserve it’s texture and provide a nice contrast to the creamy pasta.
- If you don’t wish to make your own marinated tempeh, feel free to use a pre-marinated tempeh to help save even more time.
- Cut your tempeh into nice thin strips so that the marinade penetrates the tempeh better.
Frequently Asked Questions
I would recommend not skipping the foil packet as it is providing a means to steam the tempeh in the marinade prior to dry roasting it all in the oven. This helps to remove the bitterness of the tempeh. If you like the taste of tempeh naturally, then feel free to skip that step.
If saving for meals throughout the week, I recommend storing the tempeh and pasta separately. You can add in your tempeh when you are ready to eat it. To store the pasta salad, add your pasta to individual airtight containers and place in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You might notice your pasta absorb more of the dressing as it sits in the fridge. To help restore the creaminess, add a splash of water and mix into the pasta before enjoying.
How to Serve
This meal is complete as is. If serving as a vegan lunch box option for school or work, it can be portioned into individual to go containers for easy meal prep along with a piece of fruit and any additional sides as desired such as extra vegetables and dip.
More Vegan Lunch Inspiration
- Lemon Tahini Quinoa Salad
- Pesto Pinwheels
- Protein Packed Avocado Chickpea Salad
- Veggie Pinwheels with Avocado Edamame Spread
- Winter Farro and Kale Salad
Tahini Ranch Pasta Salad with Smoky Tempeh
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A creamy Tahini Ranch Pasta Salad that is topped with oven roast smoky tempeh. Rich, flavorful and a great vegan lunch box meal idea.
Ingredients
Tempeh Marinade
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp liquid sweetener (I used maple syrup)
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1 block tempeh cut into the thin bite sized pieces
Pasta Salad
- 16 oz orecchiette pasta
- 1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 2 tsp olive oil
Tahini Ranch
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup plain unsweetened plant based yogurt
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 tsp brown or dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp dry parsley
- 1 tsp dry dill or 5 sprigs fresh dill, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3–4 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425F. In a small bowl, combine all of the tempeh marinade ingredients and whisk together. Then add the sliced tempeh and toss to coat.
- Pour all the contents of the bowl onto the center of a 12 inch sheet of foil. Fold the two long edges toward one another and fold over once or twice then crimp tightly. Fold and crimp each short end of the foil towards the middle so that the edges are all tightly sealed.
- Place the foil packet on one side of a parchment lined baking tray, and place the broccoli and cherry tomatoes on the other side. Toss the broccoli and tomatoes with some oil, salt and pepper and spread out on the pan.
- Place the tray in the oven to roast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, open the foil packet and remove the tempeh with a fork or tongs and place back on the baking tray on a single layer. Place back in the oven and continue to bake for an additional 15 minutes.
- Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil and prepare the pasta according to the package until cooked al dente.
- As the pasta cooks, make your ranch. Add all the ranch ingredients to a bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Drain your pasta, then dump your veggies in and pour in your dressing. You can also stir in your tempeh at this time, or if you prefer, you can top your serving of pasta with the tempeh.
Notes
Feel free to double the dressing if you’d like more of it to pour over your salad when ready to serve.
Add the baked tempeh right at the time of serving. It helps to preserve it’s texture and provide a nice contrast to the creamy pasta.
If you don’t wish to make your own marinated tempeh, feel free to use a pre-marinated tempeh to help save even more time.
Cut your tempeh into nice thin strips so that the marinade penetrates the tempeh better.
If after a few days the pasta has absorbed a lot of the sauce, you can rehydrate by mixing your pasta with a few splashes of water to make it saucy again.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
★ Catherine
This post contains affiliate links which means I will make a small commission if you purchase from those links. I only recommend and share products that I know, trust and personally use myself!
this sounds so good, any suggestion of a replacement for the Tahini? Would a ‘regular’ vegan ranch work?
Thank you!
Yes! Regular vegan ranch works really well here too. 🙂
This is delicious, Catherine! I think it’s the best preparation of tempeh I’ve ever had — I’ll definitely be making the protein and the whole recipe on repeat!
I’m so thrilled you loved it Elizabeth! Truly makes me so happy. 🙂
I made this with Yukon gold potatoes instead of pasta and it was delicious!!