Creamy Vegan Carbonara
This vegan carbonara features spaghetti tossed in a creamy, cheesy, and garlicky sauce made with plant-based cream, vegetable broth, and nutritional yeast. The vegan bacon bits add smokiness and a satisfying chew, making this dish hearty and so comforting. No eggs, no dairy, nut-free, and ready in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 5.3 ounces (150 g) uncooked spaghetti
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil
- 1/2 cup (67 g) vegan bacon bits
- 3 tbsp (42 g) vegan butter
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 tbsp (24 g) nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp (14 g) ketchup
- 1 tsp (5 g) Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) plant-based cream
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable broth
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp kala namak salt
- 1 tsp (4 g) cornstarch (diluted in 2 tsp water)
- 1/8 to 1/4 tsp salt adjust to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the spaghetti and cook according to the package instructions. In the meantime, prepare the bacon bits and the sauce.
- Sauté the bacon bits. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the bacon bits and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and crispy. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Sauté the garlic. Heat the butter in a deep non-stick skillet. Once melted, add the garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Then, add the nutritional yeast, ketchup, Dijon mustard, plant-based cream, vegetable broth, ground black pepper, kala namak salt, and diluted cornstarch. Cook the sauce for 2 minutes, stirring regularly, until it has slightly thickened. At this point, taste the sauce and add more salt if needed. I ended up adding a bit more than 1/8 tsp salt.
- Combine. Drain the spaghetti and add it to the sauce along with the sautéed bacon bits. Toss until well combined and serve immediately!
Notes
Make the lardons ahead. If using homemade lardons, make a full batch in advance and store them in the refrigerator (they also freeze well for up to 2 months).
Salt the pasta water generously. Use about 3/4 tsp salt per 4 cups of water. Undersalted pasta will make the whole dish taste flatter, regardless of how well-seasoned the sauce is.
Reserve some of the pasta water. I recommend saving about 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining. Use it to loosen the sauce if it has thickened too much when tossing.
Plating. For a restaurant-style presentation, use kitchen tweezers to take a portion of spaghetti, place it inside a ladle, and twirl until it forms a nest. Then, carefully transfer to a plate and garnish with chopped chives and black pepper.
Serve immediately. Like most pasta dishes, this one is best served right away. The longer it sits, the more the pasta absorbs the sauce, and the drier the texture becomes.
