Vegan Mushroom Carbonara
My famous vegan mushroom carbonara is known far and wide for its tempting flavors and irresistible vegan mushroom bacon! It's the dish you need to turn your non-vegan family and friends into believers that vegan dishes are as good if not better than the original!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 284kcal
Ingredients
- 16 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
Mushroom Pancetta
- 3 cups shitake mushrooms finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Carbonara Sauce
- ¼ cup low sodium vegetable stock
- ⅓ cup unsweetened soy milk
- ½ cup pasta water
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tso kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
For serving
- ¼ cup parsley roughly chopped
- ¼ cup vegan parmesan
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Reserve ½ a cup of the pasta water before draining.
Mushroom Pancetta
- While the spaghetti is cooking, add the extra virgin olive oil, shitake mushrooms, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper to a pan over medium heat. Cook until crispy, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Carbonara Sauce
- While the mushrooms are cooking, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the cashews. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Then drain.
- Add the drained cashews, vegetable stock, unsweetened dairy-free milk, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and paprika to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
Putting It All Together
- Drain the pasta, and add it back to the large pot. Add the cashew sauce and mushroom pancetta. Toss it all together until completely combined.
- Serve topped with fresh basil, vegan parmesan cheese, and optional red pepper flakes.
Video
Notes
Tips for Making Vegan Mushroom Carbonara
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- Use high-quality pasta. The key to telling if pasta is high quality is to look at the color. It isn't made with added preservatives if the color is a distinct yellow color. However, if it's more of a bronze color, it is made with added preservatives. Opt for brands that are made in Italy for authentic pasta.
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- Before draining the pasta, save some of the cooking water. The starchy water helps create a creamy sauce when mixed with the egg and cheese mixture.
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- Once the pasta is cooked, please remove it from the heat and add it to the cashew cream carbonara sauce.
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- The mushroom pancetta is already salty, so go easy on the sat added to the sauce.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 248mg | Potassium: 250mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 312IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 3mg