As a growing number of conscious consumers are looking to more ethically sourced, plant-based products, we at Pasta Evangelists want to celebrate vegan cuisine, producing inspiring and enjoyable dishes that can be enjoyed by all. And we get it, Italian cuisine isn’t immediately accessible to those following a plant-based diet - exquisite cheeses and rich egg pasta spring to mind… Fear not, our plant-based friends! We present to you our vegan carbonara recipe, our take on the wickedly indulgent and iconic Roman classic. Though the prep may appear a little daunting, it is deceptively easy to prepare a deliciously creamy vegan carbonara.

This isn’t our first foray into plant-based cuisine, either. As you’d probably understand, we’re passionate about pasta, and we believe it should be a dish accessible to all. As luck would have it, vegan pasta is extremely easy to make, and fresh, homemade pasta further elevates an already tantalising vegan meal.

 

Our impossibly creamy vegan carbonara recipe

Serves 3-4

Prep time: 6 hours

Cook time: 15 minutes

Calories: 468 per serving

Ingredients

• 1 cup of cashews
• ¾ cup vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 onion, minced
• 300g white closed-cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup of green peas
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 400g Homemade vegan pasta

Method

• Soak your cashews for 4-6 hours in warm water with a pinch of sea salt.

• Rinse your cashews and place in a food processor with the vegetable stock, nutritional yeast, minced garlic, minced onion and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blend until smooth and velvety.

• Stir fry your mushrooms in extra virgin olive oil until golden brown.

• Add the peas and continue to fry for a few more minutes.

• Stir in your cashew carbonara sauce and mix until combined.

• Serve immediately with a fresh vegan pasta of your choice topped with some vegan cheese.

 

What pasta should I serve with my vegan carbonara?

Spaghetti is perhaps the most traditional pairing with Carbonara, though this pasta is not typically vegan. Allow us, then, to introduce Pasta Bianca, or ‘white dough’ - prepared using flour and water only. Stemming from Cucina Povera (poor cooking), pasta Bianca also boasts the benefit of being incredibly easy to make, as the cooking tradition is one centred  on simplicity, dictated by limited available resources. We cover our favourite traditionally vegan shapes, including orecchiette, strascinati and trofie in our article on How to Make Vegan Pasta.

Can’t get enough of vegan pasta? We offer a number of plant-based dishes on our blog - why not get started with these vegan pesto recipes?

Every week Pasta Evangelists offer a range of vegan and vegetarian dishes, all made with the freshest quality ingredients. Use code BLOG10, and we’ll even give you 10% off your first order.