Elyse Kopecky Dishes on Her Green Goddess Tahini Sauce

This versatile meal prep sauce can double as a green goddess dip for chips or veggies. “Homemade sauces are important for female runners because they’re made with healthy fats for hormone balance and spices or fresh herbs for fighting inflammation,” says Elyse Kopecky, best-selling co-author of Run Fast. Eat Slow. Don’t have a food processor or blender? This sauce can be made without an appliance by finely chopping the herbs and garlic and stirring all of the ingredients together.

Part of the Mastering Meal Prep with Elyse Kopecky video series. Plus, get how-tos and recipes for her Turmeric Coconut Curry and Apple Cider Vinaigrette sauces.

Read transcript and find the recipe, below:

ELYSE KOPECKY:

Anytime I’m meal prepping, I try to make one sauce as part of my routine. I love having sauces stashed in my fridge. It helps turn a bland meal into an amazing dinner that’s going to leave you satisfied.

One of my go-to sauces is our Green Goddess Tahini sauce. You can find this recipe in Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow. It’s really, really super versatile. And the flavor is amazing with all of the fresh herbs and garlic and lemon juice. I just love the spicy kick that adds and the creamy flavor that you get from the yogurt.

This sauce can be used as a dressing, a salad dressing, or as a sauce—it’s really multi-functional, multi-purpose. To make our beloved green goddess tahini sauce you will need half a cup of whole milk yogurt, preferably full fat and plain yogurt. You will need half a cup of fresh basil leaves and a quarter cup of fresh parsley leaves.

You’ll want to add a quarter cup of tahini, which is ground sesame seeds, and two tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice, about one large lemon or two smaller lemons.

You’ll also want to add one clove, a good sized clove, of garlic and a quarter teaspoon of sea salt.

Here’s how you make it: You will want a food processor, a small one will work or a larger one, or you could use your high-speed blender. We’re going to add to all the ingredients to the food processor and then simply whirl it up.

First, we have half a cup of whole milk yogurt. Pour that in there. And then we’re going to add a quarter cup of tahini, ground sesame seeds. And then we’re going to add our fresh herbs. I have half a cup of fresh basil leaves and a quarter cup of parsley. You just want to add just the leaves. Remove the stems and be sure to wash your herbs well and dry them before adding it to the sauce.

We are going to add a clove of garlic. You want a pretty good sized clove and just smash it down to remove the peel and throw that in with everything else. And then we’re going to add some fresh squeezed lemon juice. You want about two tablespoons. You can always taste your sauce at the end and add a little more lemon juice if it needs some more tartness to it. We’re going to add a fourth of a teaspoon of sea salt. You can always taste your sauce at the end and add a little bit more salt if it needs it, depending if you’re going to use it on bowls or dressing, you can play that up. So we’re going to pop the lid on here and just give this a whirl.

You want to blend it enough to really chop up the garlic, but your herbs just you’ll still see all the fresh flecks of herbs in there, it just makes it a really pretty sauce. I like to taste it and make sure, always taste things before you stash it in the way, make sure it doesn’t need any more salt or lemon or pepper. Perfect. This is one of my favorite dressings. Really good for fall salads and summer dishes—super versatile. I could almost drink this dressing, it’s so good.

Green Goddess Tahini Sauce Recipe

½ cup whole milk yogurt
½ cup basil leaves
½ cup parsley leaves
¼ cup tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

1. In a small food processor or high-speed blender, combine the yogurt, basil, parsley, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt.
2. Process until smooth and creamy.
3. If serving as a dip, use as is. If using as a sauce or dressing, add a little water to thin it to your desired consistency. Stays fresh for up to one week in the fridge.