vegetarian carbonara

Cheesy, eggy, carby goodness, this vegetarian carbonara with mushroom bacon was inspired by my recent trip to Italy!

Vegetarian Carbonara with Mushroom Bacon

cremini (baby bella) mushrooms

olive oil

Worcestershire sauce

garlic clove, grated

Salt,

spaghetti

pasta water

eggs

pecorino romano

parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper,

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toss mushrooms with olive oil, Worcestershire sauce and garlic and season with salt, to taste. Bake at 350 degrees F until crispy, about 45-60 minutes. Set aside.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti until just before al dente. Reserve pasta water before draining spaghetti.

While spaghetti is cooking, in a medium bowl whisk together eggs and egg yolks. Whisk in cheeses and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, add 1/4 cup reserved pasta water and bring to boil. Add spaghetti and cook, tossing constantly, until al dente and water is reduced by half, about 1-2 minutes.

Whisk 1/4 cup pasta water into egg mixture and slowly pour into dutch oven, stirring constantly, until a glossy sauce is formed. Season with salt, as needed. Thin sauce with remaining pasta water, as needed, one tablespoon at a time, until sauce is consistency of heavy cream. Stir in mushroom bacon.

Serve with freshly cracked black pepper and grated cheese.

Stir roasted cauliflower, hazelnuts, eggs, double cream and thyme into penne pasta for a vegetarian version of the classic carbonara

Roasted cauliflower & hazelnut carbonara

cauliflower (about 700 grams), cut into small florets

thyme, leaves picked

hazelnuts

penne

parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated

tbsp double cream

parsley

<p>Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the cauliflower with the oil, thyme and seasoning, and spread out on a large baking tray. Roast for 15-20 mins until starting to soften and caramelise. Sprinkle the hazelnuts over the cauliflower and cook for another 5 mins until the nuts are lightly toasted and the cauliflower cooked through. Meanwhile, cook the pasta following pack instructions.</p>

<p>Drain the pasta, reserving the cooking water, then return to the pan. Take the baking tray out of the oven and add the cauliflower and hazelnuts to the pasta, then stir in the Parmesan, egg, cream, parsley and 1 tbsp of cooking water. The heat from the pasta should be enough to just cook the egg without scrambling it. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash more cooking water. Check the seasoning and serve.</p>

This Vegan Carbonara is inspired by the traditional Italian dish - with a Vegan Carbonara Sauce that is both creamy and eggy and served with delicious smoked tofu bacon bits.

Vegan Carbonara

17.6 oz spaghetti ((500 g))

shallots (finely sliced)

salt

garlic

tsp white miso paste

yeast

chickpea flour

black salt (kala namak)

dairy-free cream ((250 ml))

black pepper (freshly cracked)

(fresh)

oz smoked tofu, drained ((225 g))

tbsp tamari soya sauce

Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Cook the pasta

Cut your smoked tofu into tiny cubes.

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet and sauté the tofu cubes for a few minutes until crispy on all sides.

Drizzle in the tamari and stir to evenly coat the tofu cubes.

Remove from the heat after 1-2 minutes or once the tamari has started to caramelize. Set aside until ready to serve.

Prepare the vegan bacon pieces

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the finely sliced shallots and a pinch of salt and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until softened.

Add the crushed garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.

Add the white miso paste, nutritional yeast, chickpea flour and black salt (kala namak) and give everything a brief stir to combine, then

Pour in the dairy-free cream, then Heat whilst stirring regularly until the vegan Carbonara Sauce thickens.

Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the sauce and toss until the pasta is coated in the sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of plant-based milk or a cup of pasta water to thin it out.

Remove from the heat and season to taste with black pepper.

Create the Carbonara Sauce

Serve the vegan carbonara pasta with the smoked tofu on top and garnish with fresh parsley.

Serving

This is hands down the best vegan carbonara you&#39;ll ever eat! Silky spaghetti noodles are coated in an ultra-creamy, cheesy golden sauce and topped with vegan pancetta and black pepper.

The Best Vegan Carbonara

block extra-firm tofu, pressed (or use chopped mushrooms)

soy sauce

tomato paste

garlic powder

liquid smoke (or 2 tsp smoked paprika)

raw cashews

vegetable broth

nutritional yeast

turmeric

onion powder

lemon juice

black salt (or regular)

black pepper

spaghetti (or other pasta)

basil (chopped)

black pepper (for serving)

Vegan Parmesan (optional)

Press the tofu: Drain the tofu and wrap it in a clean tea towel. Place a plate or pan on top of the wrapped tofu, and put a couple of heavy books or a cast iron pan on top of that. Let the tofu press for at least 30 minutes if possible.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut the tofu into small cubes. In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, tomato paste, olive oil, garlic powder and liquid smoke. Add the tofu pieces and stir well to coat in the sauce.

Dump the tofu/sauce mixture onto the prepared pan and spread the tofu out evenly. Bake in the oven for 35-50 minutes, flipping the tofu over once halfway through cooking. Be careful not to burn the tofu; how long will depend on the firmness of your tofu and the water content, which can vary even after pressing. Remove once chewy and blackened in places and set aside.

Make the Tofu &quot;Pancetta&quot;

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Pour the hot water over the cashews and let soak for 5 minutes.

Drain the cashews and discard the soaking water. Add them to a blender along with the vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice, black salt and black pepper. Blend until very smooth. Set aside.

Make the Cream Sauce

Boil the noodles according to package instructions, then drain and return back to the pot. Add in the cream sauce and stir over low-medium heat until the sauce thickens somewhat. If it gets too thick, add a little water and stir until it thins a bit.

Serve immediately with tofu &quot;pancetta&quot;, fresh basil, black pepper and vegan parmesan, as desired. Enjoy!

The Rest

Yum! I just wanted a quick lunch so I whipped this up, didn't take long at all. I was surprised by how much this thickened up with just 60 seconds in the pan - I was worried it wouldn't be creamy enough and threw in some extra cashews, but it definitely was and I should have trusted the recipe😂. I cooked the pasta very al dente before adding in the sauce, as I don't like the pasta to overcook. I added yellow pepper for a slightly sweeter taste and I subbed onion powder for spring onion for a low fodmap version (left out the garlic). I also added some chilli flakes for a bit of an extra kick!
 

Super tasty, thank you! :)

I just made this! - well, the sauce, which was DELICIOUS and so simple! I had some vegan bacon, so I used that instead of making the tofu pancetta (if you're in the UK I highly recommend diced This Isn't Bacon, it went absolutely perfectly in this dish.) My (non-vegan!) boyfriend wanted carbonara so I decided to give this recipe a try and we both absolutely loved it. Rich, creamy, and flavourful. Definitely use black salt if you can, it adds that slight egginess that carbonara has. This recipe is now firmly in my repertoire!

I've been making this for my family (includes 2 young kids) for over a year and it is a family favorite! It gets made at least 2-3 times a month. I even introduced my meat-eating neighbors to it and now they make it at home!

I'm making this for dinner tonight for the first time so I premade the tofu pancetta and blended the sauce. I'm not even sure I'll have any pancetta left by dinner, it is SO GOOD I can't stop snacking on it!

This was great! My kids really don't like the taste of nootch (weirdos!). Any thoughts on how this would be without it? I will probably try it again leaving it out. And will garnish my plate with it haha!

The sauce was suuuuper yummy and simple! The tofu was a little wetter, even after pressing for 1+ day. I might try to add a little corn starch to make it crunchier, and use the liquid smoke instead of the smoked paprika to make the pancetta taste stronger. Overall super filling meal that was visually gorgeous!

We made this recipe this past Sunday for my youngest birthday. It was so delicious and tasty. I’ve never used liquid smoke before and actually used the smoked paprika as well. Having the fresh basil and think it’s the absolute best thing to complement the other flavors. Will definitely make it again !!!

Hi Nora, we just tried this Carbonara and it's super yummy, thanks for sharing!
I ended up finishing the red sauce for the tofu with some corn tortilla tips  bcs it was too good to go to waste haha.
The only thing I have encountered with most pasta and cashew sauces is that it comes dry really fast, what do you suggest to make it less dry?

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