If you’re someone who loves a creamy dish, but doesn’t like mayonnaise then this could be just the pasta salad for you. The creamy base is made from tahini, a ground sesame paste that gives just the right hint of flavor for a dish like this. Combined with the white beans and many veggies in the recipe this could be a complete meal. It’s pretty much a full meal in a bowl, but perfect for side dishes and potlucks -or any night when you don’t really want to spend a long time cooking.

To start this recipe you’ll need to cook any type of short pasta to the package directions. You can use ditalini, macaroni, gemelli, twists, or even wagon wheels.

The next step is to bring some water to boil in another pan and gently blanch the yellow squash and green beans. To blanch all you need to do is to cook the veggies for 1 minute in the boiling water then dunk them in cold water to stop the cooking. When you do this the veggies remain crisp, but aren’t raw.

This technique works wonders when you want to strike the perfect balance between fresh and cooked vegetables.

For this pasta salad I used canned artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, and some Kalamata olives. This last ingredient adds a savory umami flavor to the salad that’s irreplaceable. These olives really elevate this dish in a special way. I used the ones from the deli section that are marinated in herbs and oil.

The creamy dressing is a mix of tahini, dijon mustard, and apple cider vinegar. There’s also lemon zest and juice to contribute some citrus flavor to the recipe.

To add to the bright flavor there’s also some red onion and some fresh basil, too. It all comes together for a really flavorful and hearty side or main dish. Even if you love mayo you won’t miss it in this extra creamy, extra flavorful pasta salad.