Vegan carbonara

Vegan carbonara

Ideal for a speedy and delicious vegan dinner during the week this is an incredibly simple plant-based twist on the traditional carbonara.

Preparation time
less than 30 mins

Cooking time
30 mins to 1 hour

Serves
Serves 4

Dietary
Vegetarian

By Ben Rebuck
From Saturday Kitchen

Ingredients

  • Garlic bulb, 1
  • Truffle oil, 1 tbsp
  • Smoked salt, 1 tsp
  • Silken tofu, 200g/7oz
  • Nutritional yeast, 15g/½oz
  • Cashew nuts, 50g/1¾oz, soaked and water reserved
  • Black salt, ½ tsp
  • Miso paste, 1 tsp
  • Vegetable oil, 1 tbsp
  • Vegan bacon, 200g/7oz, chopped, or vegan bacon lardons, plus extra to serve
  • Pasta, 500g/1lb 2oz, such as mafalda or spaghetti
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Vegan hard cheese, 75g/2½oz, grated, to serve

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C Fan/Gas 6).
  2. Prepare the garlic:
    • Cut the top off the garlic bulb.
    • Drizzle with truffle oil and sprinkle with smoked salt.
    • Wrap the garlic bulb in kitchen foil.
    • Place in a small roasting tin and roast for 30–40 minutes.
    • Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
  3. Make the sauce:
    • Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into a blender or food processor.
    • Add silken tofu, nutritional yeast, soaked cashew nuts, black salt, and miso paste.
    • Add a small amount of the cashew soaking water to loosen the mixture.
    • Blend until smooth, adding more water if needed to reach desired consistency.
  4. Prepare the vegan bacon:
    • Heat oil in a frying pan.
    • Fry the vegan bacon until crispy.
    • Remove from pan and set aside.
  5. Cook the pasta:
    • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
    • Cook pasta according to package instructions.
    • Before draining, reserve some pasta cooking water.
  6. Combine the dish:
    • Return drained pasta to the pot.
    • Add the prepared sauce and half of the crispy vegan bacon.
    • Stir in at least one ladle of reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.
    • Add more pasta water if needed to reach desired consistency.
  7. Serve:
    • Divide the pasta among serving plates.
    • Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, grated vegan hard cheese, and the remaining crispy vegan bacon.

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