Play Me a Recipe

Creamy Tahini "Mac & Cheese" With Tater Tots

October 16, 2020
5
1 Ratings
Photo by JULIA GARTLAND. PROP STYLIST: SOPHIE STRANGIO. FOOD STYLIST: DREW AICHELE.
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 55 minutes
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

Join cookbook author Hetty McKinnon as she boils, sauces, tops, and broils her way through her tater-tot-topped Creamy Tahini "Mac & Cheese" recipe. Short, nubby pasta and vibrant green beans get cloaked in a tahini-boosted sauce, topped with an impressive number of tater tots, and baked until crisp.

This recipe was featured on our new cook-along podcast Play Me a Recipe. Listen as Hetty boils, tosses, bakes, and tots her way through this dish, offering tips and backstory along the way.Hetty Lui McKinnon

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 pound short pasta
  • Sea salt
  • 7 ounces green beans, cut to 1-inch lengths
  • 1/2 cup (135 grams) tahini paste
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Handful of chopped scallions or chives
  • 2 pounds frozen tater tots, defrosted
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 400˚F.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add the pasta, stirring. Cook according to the packet instructions until al dente, adding the beans for the last 60 seconds and cooking until the veggies are crisp and bright green. Reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, drain the pasta and veggies.
  3. For the creamy tahini sauce, add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and the reserved pasta water to a blender or small food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. If the sauce is too thick, add more water to thin it down. Add the nutritional yeast, olive oil and stir to combine. Season well with sea salt and black pepper.
  4. Add the creamy tahini to the pasta and beans along with a splash or two of the reserved pasta cooking water and scallions and toss together to combine. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and arrange the tater tots over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tots are golden. Serve hot.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Amber Romina Cassell
    Amber Romina Cassell
  • Coral Lee
    Coral Lee
  • Mishnial S
    Mishnial S

4 Reviews

Mishnial S. November 12, 2020
Second Amber's comment - no amount listed for the Tahini.
 
Coral L. November 18, 2020
Hi Mishnial! Thanks for flagging as well. I've added in the missing amount.
 
Amber R. November 8, 2020
Ummmm... there’s no tahini on the ingredients list.
 
Coral L. November 18, 2020
Hi Amber! Thanks so much for flagging. The missing amount has been re-added.