This vegan spaghetti Carbonara is insane. Every time I cook this for my family and friends, I get empty bowls, and demands for MORE! I know that Carbonara and vegan don’t usually go together in the same sentence, but in this recipe they DO! You will get the creaminess of a traditional sauce but without all that saturated fat.
Did you know that a portion of Carbonara at somewhere like The Olive Garden is about 1,400 calories for an entree-sized bowl, where is mine is about 300-400 calories for the same portion size
You can use any kind of gluten-free or regular pasta. I do recommend spaghetti to keep it like the traditional dish.
Serves 4
Cook your pasta, drain in cold water, and add a little olive oil to prevent it sticking together.
Vegan “bacon”
½ package Lightlife tempeh
2 tbsp Tamari sauce
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp liquid smoke
½ tsp smoked paprika
1tsp Braggs Liquid Aminos
1 tsp aged Balsamic vinegar (the syrupy kind)
Use a very sharp knife to cut paper-thin slices of Tempeh off the block (thin as you can without it crumbling).
Lay the pieces in a baking dish, not overlapping.
Mix together the marinade ingredients, and pour over the tempeh slices.
Leave to marinate for about one hour.
I recommend swirling the marinade over and around the slices, every now and again, to make sure they are getting marinated on both sides.
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F
Carefully lay the tempeh slices on a rack. Bake for approx 15 minutes, or until the slices are browned and becoming crispy. Alternatively, you can fry them in a little olive oil to get them really crispy.
Once baked or fried, allow the bacon to drain and cool on a couple of sheets of paper towel.
If you don’t want to make the bacon, you can always use a fake bacon, which I love, called Benevolent Bacon.
Creamy Sauce
3 tbsp olive or avocado oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp cornstarch
3 cups of plain soy or almond milk + ½ cup (for slurry)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp sea salt (may need more)
A few generous twists of ground black pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp yellow Miso (optional, but does add a depth of flavor)
1tsp Liquid Smoke
Instructions
Heat oil in a heavy saucepan over a medium heat.
Add the garlic, and cook gently for 1 minute – stirring to avoid the garlic browning.
Create a cornstarch slurry by mixing the cornstarch with enough of the non-dairy milk to create a thick “creamy” liquid.
Add the slurry to the pan, and add the remaining milk. Bring to the boil and whisk vigorously for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
Add the seasonings, as you continue to whisk.
Add a cup of the crumbled up bacon to the sauce and stir.
Add the pasta to the pot and combine well with the sauce.
Top with the remaining bacon bits, and vegan Parmesan.
Add vegan Parmsean shreds – I love the new one by Follow Your Heart
