This Vegan Carbonara is extra creamy thanks to its rich, cashew nut based sauce. It’s a plant based take on an Italian classic. Get the recipe below.
Today I’m sharing one of my favourite vegan pasta dishes. If you follow a plant based diet you probably live off of pasta. It’s a store cupboard staple that is conveniently vegan as it’s only made with durum wheat semolina and water. Ideal right?
One of my favourite ways to serve pasta is with a rich, creamy sauce. The first pasta dish that comes to mind when I think of creamy dishes is carbonara!
Carbonara is a Roman pasta dish made with eggs, hard cheese, cured pork and cracked black pepper. Doesn’t sound very vegan does it? But it’s still one of my favourite creamy pasta dishes.
To make it vegan I make a sauce using soaked cashew nuts. They create an incredibly rich and creamy sauce that clings to the spaghetti strands perfectly.
Making the cashew cream does take some time (you’ll need to soak your cashews overnight or boil them for 15 minutes) to make them soft but the wait is well worth it!
You then simply flavour the cream with nutritional yeast, garlic and onion powder, salt and cracked black pepper. It’s delicious!
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Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this recipe:
- Cashew nuts
- Nutritional yeast
- Lemon
- Garlic
- Onion powder
- Salt and pepper
- Spaghetti
- Olive oil
- Leek
- Vegan bacon
- Mushrooms
- Parsley
Of course some of the ingredients used in a traditional carbonara aren’t vegan (like the creamy sauce, fresh pasta and bacon).
You can of course make this recipe with dried pasta (and in fact those are the instructions I’ve used in the recipe). But, if you want to take this recipe to the next level then find out more about how to make your own fresh vegan pasta by following the recipe here.
You can’t make carbonara without bacon (or cured pork). So, we’re going to have to rely on a meat substitute for this part of the dish. There are lots of good vegan bacon brands out there now. THIS and Richmond are both really good.
La Vie also make lardons which were practically made for this job! They’re already cut up into the perfect tiny cubes and have a wonderful smokey and salty flavour.
Step-by-step Instructions
- Step 1: boil the cashew nuts until plump and soft
- Step 2: blend the cashews along with the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, onion powder and water until you have a creamy sauce
- Step 3: cook the pasta according to the packet’s instructions
- Step 4: saute the leeks in a frying pan
- Step 5: add the mushrooms and bacon to the pan and cook until the bacon is crispy and the mushrooms have softened
- Step 6: pour over the sauce and cook until just bubbling
- Step 7: drain the pasta and add to the pan, tossing to coat the pasta in the sauce
- Step 8: serve with extra cracked black pepper and a sprinkling of parsley
Substitutions
If you need to make some changes to the ingredients then don’t worry, you can make the following swaps:
- Meat substitutes: if you didn’t want to use processed vegan bacon then you could add some smoked tofu cut into small cubes or strips.
- Garlic: you can use lazy garlic or garlic powder in place of fresh garlic.
- Leek: instead of leek, why not use a white onion that’s thinly sliced.
Variations
Feel like you want to add a twist to your carbonara? Why not try one of these variations:
- Extra cheesy: add vegan parmesan or another vegan cheese to the sauce for a really cheesy flavour.
- Added spice: the black pepper in this recipe gives some heat but why not add chilli flakes for some extra spice!
Equipment
To make this recipe you’ll need to gather together the following kitchen equipment:
- Knife
- Chopping board
- Frying pan
- Saucepans
- High speed blender
- Colander
Serving suggestions
You could serve this with a light green salad. But my favourite accompaniment is my garlic tear and share bread!
Storage
This is one dish that’s best served fresh. I don’t recommend making it in advance or reheating.
The recipe
Creamy Vegan Carbonara
This Vegan Carbonara is extra creamy thanks to its rich, cashew nut based sauce.
Ingredients
- 120 g cashew nuts
- 200 ml water
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 0.5 lemon juice only
- 2 cloves garlic
- 0.5 teaspoon onion powder
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 250 g spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 leek thinly sliced
- 120 g vegan bacon lardons or streaky bacon cut into cubes
- 200 g mushrooms
- 2 tablespoon parsley finely chopped
- 0.5 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Instructions
-
Boil the cashew nuts for 15 minutes until plump and soft.
-
Drain the cashews and place to one side to cool.
-
Once cool, add them to a blender along with the nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice, onion powder and salt.
-
Blitz the cashews on high, slowly adding water until you have a creamy sauce.
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Next add the pasta to a pan of salted boiling water and cook for 15 minutes or in accordance with the packet’s instructions.
-
While the pasta is cooking add the leek to a pan with the olive oil and saute for 2 minutes until softened.
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Next add the bacon and mushrooms to the pan and cook for another 5 – 8 minutes until the bacon is crispy and the mushrooms are cooked.
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Add the creamy sauce to the pan until just starting to bubble.
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Drain the pasta and add to the sauce and toss well until it’s all combined.
-
Serve with a sprinkling of parsley and cracked black pepper.
Nutrition
Calories: 574.96kcalCarbohydrates: 67.19gProtein: 21.27gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 4.29gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8.05gMonounsaturated Fat: 11.67gCholesterol: 0.6mgSodium: 748.01mgPotassium: 660.18mgFiber: 6.49gSugar: 5.59gVitamin A: 539.52IUVitamin C: 7.05mgCalcium: 59.6mgIron: 5.02mg
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