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Penne (6 Pack)

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Vegan Pasta Carbonara

Vegan Pasta Carbonara is a creamy, rich experience that will satisfy that craving for the traditional dish minus all the calories.  Easy to make and packed with protein –  you get the best of both worlds!

Chickapea  is the perfect answer to creating a healthy pasta dish that is filling and gives you that flavor punch.  Finding a way to make this dish vegan was definitely a challenge considering that conventional carbonara contains cheese, milk and eggs but some soy milk, raw cashews and spices go a long way to finding that perfect solution!

I even made some vegan bacon!  I used sliced portobello mushrooms and panfried them till crispy with a simple salt, red pepper flakes and chipotle sauce for a kick.  You can also use sun-dried tomatoes (the dry kind) or even carrots would be fun.

With so many people switching to vegan and vegetarian diets, I find it both challenging and rewarding to find ways to turn popular, but not necessarily, healthy dishes into meals that your family can include in their regular meal rotation with confidence that they are meeting all their nutritional needs.

You can include cherry tomatoes and maybe some peas and basil if that’s your jam.  As always, this recipe is versatile enough to add your own spin according to your tastes.

Robyn from Simply Fresh Dinners is Chickapea’s recipe creator and shares a new recipe with us once a month. To see more of her creations, you can check out her Instagramand Facebook feeds.

We’re crushing on these vegan pasta dishes right now:

We’re almost into fall and we’d love to see what you’re cooking.  Share your dishes with us on Instagram and hashtag @chickapeapasta and #chickapeapasta so we can celebrate the new season with you.

5 from 10 votes
Vegan Pasta Carbonara
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 
Vegan Pasta Carbonara is a creamy, rich experience that will satisfy that craving for the traditional dish minus all the calories.  Easy to make and packed with protein -  you get the best of both worlds!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: vegan pasta carbonara
Servings: 4
Author: Robyn Gleason
Ingredients
  • 16 ounces Chickapea Pasta penne ( 2 boxes)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 3/4 cup soaked cashew nuts
  • 10 ounces soy milk
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp nutritional yeast
  • pinch of cayenne
  • 1.5 tbsp liquid smoke
  • handful of fresh parsley
  • 1 cup vegan cheese, (optional, to garnish)
Instructions
  1. Soak cashews overnight.

  2. Cook Chickapea pasta according to direction, reserve one cup of pasta water

  3. Heat olive oil in large pan on medium heat.  Add garlic, mushrooms and onions.  Saute until mushrooms are brown and onion is translucent.

  4. In blender combine cashews, milk, paprika, yeast, liquid smoke, salt and pepper. Blend on high until creamy; add small amounts of olive oil at a time until emulsified, blend on low speed.

  5. Add sauce to pan with mushroom mixture, heating throughout.  Add pasta and reserved pasta water if necessary to thin. (I prefer mine a little creamier and didn't add any water)l  Toss pasta with cream and mushrooms and until coated.  Cook until you have a shiny glaze.

     

  6. Top with parsley and cheese if desired. Serve immediately.