Eggless Carbonara Recipe with Tempeh
This Eggless Carbonara is the perfect way to get your carbonara fix without the eggs. Instead of bacon, the recipe calls for smoked tempeh. A whole-foods plant-based recipe that is ready in minutes. A perfect classic weeknight dinner veganized!
Servings: 2 servings
Equipment
- pot to cook pasta, shallow sauce pan to prepare carbonara
Ingredients
- 120 grams dry pasta, such as spaghetti or tagliatelle (4.2 oz)
- 50 grams almond butter; for best color results, use white but regular or roasted works too (1.7 oz)
- 5 tablespoons nutritional yeast (25g)
- 250 mililiters water (1 cup)
- 150 grams smoked tempeh, cubed (5.2 oz)
- 1 small yellow or white onion
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (swap with vegetable broth, if making oil free version)
- 1 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons pasta water (60ml)
- salt and black pepper to taste, or 1 tablespoon miso paste
Optional add in (around 70g / 2.4 oz)
- edamame, mushrooms, bell pepper, olives, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, green peas, sun-dried tomatoes, or arugula
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Using a whisk, mix the almond butter, nutritional yeast, and water. Cut smoked tempeh into small cubes, to represent "bacon". Peel onion and chop finely.
- Heat olive oil in a pan. Sautée smoked tempeh in it for about 5 minutes, until browned and crisp. Add onion and fry for another 2 minutes. Then add almond butter mix and lemon juice. Add pasta water and let carbonara sauce boil briefly and thicken. Toss edamame, or other vegetables, if using it. Season with salt (or miso paste) and pepper to taste. Simmer until desired consistency and thickness is reached.
- Toss the cooked pasta in the sauce. Serve and optionally drizzle with a little more olive oil.