Roasted Carrots with Tahini Sauce
By Lee Jackson ↣ Published on: May 11, 2021
Sweet, nutty, and herbaceous – this simple Middle Eastern-inspired dish is the perfect addition to any Mediterranean or Middle Eastern feast. Learn how to make this flavour-packed side dish below.
As side dishes go, this is one of my must-have dishes in your arsenal. I've been making this wonderfully flavourful offering for years.
There's something so perfect about sweet, lightly charred carrots alongside a cooling, nutty Tahini sauce. Sesame and carrot are perfect together! Roasted simply, the tahini sauce acts as a sauce and dressing in one and couldn't be more perfect!
The earthiness of tahini is combined with lightly sour yoghurt to create a balanced, creamy sauce. It's absolutely delicious! There's a reason I make it time and again, and it's always the dish guests comment on - which is great as it's often the simplest to prepare. It's the perfect little treasure to have in your back pocket!
What is Tahini?
Tahini is an ancient ingredient that's created from grinding toasted sesame seeds into a paste. It has a slightly bitter, nutty flavour that acts as a base to many dishes around the World.
Sesame's origins are in Africa but the seed was cultivated in India and Myannmar over 3000 years ago. It remains one of the most popular crops around the world.
Sesame paste is popular around the Globe, notably in Chinese cuisine, Indian too but most popular in the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
Why it works?
It's easy - There's not a lot of hard work going into making this dish. Let the oven do its magic to intensify the sweet carrots while you whisk together the remaining ingredients. That's it, simple.
It's versatile - These carrots with tahini will pair beautifully with so many other dishes, from vegetables to meats, fish and poultry. This is just another reason why I love it so much.
Stuff You'll Need
This roasted carrot dish simple to put together. Here are some of the key ingredients you'll need - a full recipe is below.
- Carrots (obviously!) Grab some of the multicoloured varieties, they look great on the plate
- Greek yoghurt (plain)
- Tahini paste
- Pine nuts
- Good quality extra virgin olive oil
Step by Step
Making the roasted carrots and tahini sauce is really simple. This salad is done in a few simple steps.
- Roasting the carrots with a little olive oil for about 30-40 minutes
- Mixing together the tahini and yoghurt with some lemon and garlic for extra flavour
- Drizzling the sauce over the cooked carrots and garnishing with some pine nuts and greenery! Simple!!
Pro Tips
- This recipe also works well with other vegetables. Roasted or deep-fried cauliflower is very popular in the Mediterranean, especially in Lebanon. Roasted Brussels sprouts work well as do simple roasted potatoes.
- And they needn't be roasted, try over simple steamed veg for a flavour injection! Tahini is also wonderful drizzled generously over baked or steamed fish. The possibilities are endless!
Serving & Storage Suggestions
- To complete this dish, I like to scatter over lots of crunchy nuts - pine nuts, almonds and pistachio work well. I also love a fresh herbal hit of flavour too; parsley, cilantro dill and mint are my go-to herbs to scatter liberally just before serving.
- This salad doesn't need to be served hot, room temperature is perfect!
- You can spice up this recipe no end with the addition of the delicious herbal spiciness of Georgian Green Ajika sauce. A wonderful combo of fresh herbs and chilli - just drizzle a little over the carrots and tahini sauce when serving.
Fridge - Leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge for 2-3 days. I suggest letting them come up to room temperature and eating. I don't recommend freezing for this recipe.
Ready to get cooking?
So for a one-stop falvourful vegetable treasure, there really is no better than this amazing tahini treat. Carrots and tahini are made for eachother and the dish is so simple to make at home.
Get ready for the sweetest, nuttiest and all-round tastiest veggie dish I know. It's a staple in my household and I'm sure it'll become a fast-favourite in yours too. Hope you enjoy!
More Mediterranean style recipes
If you liked this recipe for carrots & tahini, I'm sure you'll love some more of my Med-style recipes.
- Tomato & Feta Salad
- Moroccan Blood Orange & Black Olive Salad
- Borani Kadoo (Afghani Squash Salad) | براني كدو
- Moroccan Matbucha – Tomato & Pepper Salad
- Fennel & Apple Salad
- Turkish Salad (Shepherd Salad)
- Hawaij Spice (Spice mix from Yemen)
- Shangleesh Salad (Lebanese Breakfast Salad)
- Pilpelchuma with Sweet Potatoes
Recipes featuring tahini paste
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Ingredients
- 1.5 lb Carrots
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the tahini sauce
- 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt (plain)
- 2 tbsp tahini paste
- ½ lemon (juice of)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 garlic clove (minced into a puree)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Other ingredients
- 2 tbsp parsley (or mint, dill or cilantro)
- 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts (or slithered almonds or pistachios)
- black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil (optional)
- red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
To Roast the carrots
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºFArrange the carrots on a baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil (about 1tbsp) and a light sprinkle of salt. Toss the carrots around to ensure they’re coated in a little oil.Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, turning a couple of times to ensure they get a nice char. Remove from the oven and let them cool slightly.
To make the tahini sauce
- While the carrots are roasting, whisk together the yoghurt, tahini paste, lemon juice, salt, minced garlic and extra virgin olive oil. Water down the sauce with 2-3 tbsp water to a creamy, but just pourable consistency (like whipping/double cream).
Finishing the dish
- In a dry frying pan, lightly toast the pine nuts and set aside.When the carrots are cooked and cooled a little, arrange them in a single layer on a platter and then drizzle over some of the tahini sauce. Scatter over the pine nuts and then sprinkle generously with the parsley. Season with black pepper and then finally add a few light drizzles of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes (if using).Serve hot or at room temperature with the remaining tahini sauce for guests to add is they wish.
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