Since we have been eating vegan, my boyfriend, Charlie, is constantly requesting vegan takes on his pre-vegan favourites. This week’s “Charlie- Challenge” was to make a vegan carbonara!
Traditionally, carbonara is made with eggs, bacon or pancetta and topped with parmesan cheese – essentially the least plant-based it could be. By now, I have perfected the cream sauce substitute with cashew cheese so that was an obvious choice. I added miso and mustard to help give it that umami taste that the eggs would normally provide.
However, the pancetta/bacon part was definitely the most daunting. Charlie is NOT a fan of tofu, so when I told him I was making the bacon pieces out of tofu he was highly sceptical. Lo and behold, he loved everything about the dish and specifically told me that he was trying to get extra tofu bits on his plate!
Success: Charlie Challenge complete!
kinda carbonara
Equipment
- high-speed blender or food processor
Ingredients
Vegan Bacon Bits
- 26 grams olive oil extra virgin
- 30 ml soy sauce
- 4 grams garlic minced
- 5 grams miso paste
- 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
- 150 grams tofu cut in thinly cut strips
Sauce
- 75 grams cashew nuts
- 22 grams nutritional yeast
- 15 ml lemon juice
- 13 grams olive oil extra virgin
- 4 grams garlic minced
- 120 ml unsweeted non-dairy milk
- 8 grams miso paste
- 10 grams mustard of choice
Pasta
- 400 grams spaghetti
- 1 handful spinach
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak raw cashews in boiling water for 15-20 minutes.
- Preheat to the oven to 200°C (400°F) and prepare a pan with parchment paper.
- Mix the bacon marinade together in a shallow bowl or container and then put in the tofu and make sure all pieces are covered and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Once sufficiently marinated, take out tofu pieces and lay flat on a prepared baking tray.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until crispy.
- Meanwhile, boil a large pot of water and cook pasta according to instructions and before straining the pasta save some of the pasta water in a mug or cup.
- Once cashews are soaked, mix all ingredients in a high-speed blender until completely combined.
- Add the sauce to the pasta, adding additional pasta water to help thin out sauce to desired consistency.
- Stir in bacon bits and handful of spinach in warm pasta to wilt the spinach and warm the sauce.
