The Easiest Pasta Sauce Is Already in Your Fridge

Mezze is best known for anchoring a leisurely table, with bowls of dips and spreads that invite scooping with torn bread, passing plates, and lingering conversation. But those same tubs of baba ghanoush, muhammara, or labneh don’t have to stay tied to the full-on spread. With a few pantry staples and a little heat from your stove, they can just as easily provide a flavor-packed pasta sauce for a quick weeknight meal.

This approach works with both good-quality store-bought mezze and homemade leftovers. Take baba ghanoush or mutabal, for instance. Baba ghanoush is smoky and often left a little chunky, while mutabal is silky-smooth and tahini-forward. Either one transforms beautifully when warmed with olive oil, garlic, and a splash of starchy pasta water. When tossed with hot pasta and finished with a squeeze of lemon and a shower of Parmigiano-Reggiano, it turns into a luscious sauce, coating each noodle with smoky depth and savory richness. My go-to is a baba ghanoush pasta with blistered tomatoes and fresh herbs.

Muhammara works just as well. Made with red peppers, walnuts, and pomegranate molasses, it’s rich and nutty, with a tangy pop that brightens its depth. Loosened with pasta water and a drizzle of olive oil, it turns silky, clinging to the noodles with sweetness, richness, and just enough acidity. A final grating of Parmesan adds a savory edge that rounds everything out.

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Labneh can work, too. The thick, tangy yogurt doesn’t need much—just stir it straight into hot pasta with a little reserved pasta water until it thins into a creamy sauce. Top with mint, parsley, pine nuts, and a drizzle of robust olive oil for a vegetarian take on macarona bil laban.

Mezze doesn’t always have to arrive as an elaborate, meticulously garnished spread. Even distilled to a single dip with just a few ingredients, it still carries the spirit of sharing and comfort. Turning a tub of mezze into a quick pasta dish takes only minutes, yet the result feels deeply grounding. Just like that, a weeknight dinner becomes anything but ordinary.