A professional vegan chef has shared a simple recipe for spaghetti carbonara, but it doesn’t contain eggs, cheese or pancetta, unlike a more traditional version of the much-loved pasta dish
A professional chef has shared the ultimate recipe for spaghetti carbonara – and it’s completely vegan.
Veganuary is in full swing, and many of us have vowed to forgo meat, eggs and dairy products until the end of January. While it may feel as though this is a big sacrifice, plenty of vegan chefs and home cooks are on hand sharing simple recipes to make eating plant-based that little bit easier.
One such content creator is Tara’s Vegan Treats, who works as a private chef and regularly shares plant-based recipes on TikTok in a bid to make eating vegan that bit easier. For those craving a creamy carbonara but wanting to leave animal products off their plate, Tara’s recipe is perfect and even packs a protein punch thanks to the silken tofu used to make the creamy sauce.
“I’ve been a private chef for a while now, and vegan for even longer,” she said. “Probably one of my most requested dishes is carbonara. So let me show you a really simple way to veganise this creamy, carby classic with seven ingredients.”
To make this recipe for three to four people, you will need:
- 300g spaghetti or linguine
- 300g silken tofu
- 200ml unsweetened oat milk
- 100g grated vegan cheese
- 120g vegan bacon
- 50g vegan butter (Tara prefers to use unsalted)
- 6 garlic cloves
- Black pepper and sea salt to taste.
Tara also provided step-by-step instructions to ensure you can’t go wrong making the dish. See the method below:
1) Bring water to a boil and add pasta.
2) In a blender, combine silken tofu, vegan cheese, plant-based milk, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
3) Finely chop the garlic. Melt the butter in a pan before adding the garlic and cooking for three to four minutes on a very low heat.
4) When this is done, add the garlic and melted butter to the tofu mixture and blend again.
5) Dice your vegan bacon. In the same pan you used to fry off your garlic, cook to packet instructions.
6) Once the bacon is ready, add the tofu sauce and allow to simmer for five to six minutes, stirring frequently.
7) Finally, drain your cooked pasta and add to the sauce. Stir thoroughly to ensure it is coated and serve up.
In the comments, fellow plant-based foodies were quick to share their tips to make the recipe pop even more. One person wrote: “Nutritional yeast and black salt are also great additions.”
Nutritional yeast is a healthy ingredient that is high in B12. Not only that, but it adds a cheesy flavour to vegan dishes. Black salt, also known as kala namak, adds an eggy flavour reminiscent of a more traditional Italian carbonara. Be warned that it has a strong, sulphuric smell and a strong, salty flavour, so you may want to hold off on adding more traditional salt until you’ve tasted the dish.
“This looks incredible,” said another, while a third added: “Absolutely love this, never thought I’d like a British-style carbonara but it’s phenomenal.”