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Vegan Cashew Carbonara Pasta with TVP Bacon

Pretty pasta + creamy cashew carbonara sauce + flavorful TVP bacon = a match made in heaven! This totally unauthentic, but delicious vegan carbonara pasta dish needs to be on your dinner table soon!

Vegan Cashew Carbonara Pasta with TVP Bacon

This Vegan Carbonara Pasta Dish combines three things that I love:

  • fancy-looking pasta: I use mafaldine pasta.
  • homemade cashew cream: I use it for everything lately. Creamy pasta sauces. Curries. It’s the perfect substitute for full-fat coconut milk.
  • flavorful TVP Bacon Bits: They are easy to make, crunchy, and tasty. And I want to put them on everything.

I love simple pasta dishes that look fancy enough to serve for date nights or special dinners.

About the pasta: Mafaldine pasta is also known as “reginette” or “frilled pasta” because of its ruffled edges that resemble a queen’s crown or the waves of the sea. The name “mafaldine” is a reference to Princess Mafalda of Savoy. Mafaldine pasta is a long, flat, and wide noodle that is often cut into strips that are about 0.5-1 inch wide. Mafaldine pasta has a slightly rough texture that allows it to hold onto sauces well, which makes it perfect for this creamy pasta dish.

A note on the blender: It’s really easy to make cashew cream in a small blender (like a NutriBullet or Ninja). If your blender’s container is bigger, you might have to double or triple the cashew cream ingredients for it to work properly and to be really smooth.

Vegan Cashew Carbonara Pasta with TVP Bacon

How to make this Vegan Cashew Carbonara Pasta with TVP Bacon

As always you will find the whole recipe in the box below but I want to give you an overview of the key ingredients and basic steps with step-by-step photos first.

The ingredients

You will need:

  • For the cashew cream (if you don’t want or can’t make your own cashew cream, you can use store-bought unsweetened cashew cream, oat cream or soy cream)
    • cashews (I use roasted + salted; add salt to taste if you’re using unsalted cashews)
    • lemon juice
    • water
  • For the vegan Bacon Bits:
    • soy granules / soy crumbs / TVP
    • water
    • soy sauce
    • paprika powder
    • dried thyme
    • salt
    • liquid smoke
    • plant-based, neutral oil such as canola oil or sunflower oil
  • pasta (I used mafaldine pasta but you can use whatever you like)
  • fresh parsley (optional, for a bit of color)

The basic steps

cooking pasta
Step 3: Boil the pasta. Then drain but save the pasta water.
Cashew Sauce and Pasta in the pan
Step 4: Add the cashew cream to the pan. Thin the sauce out with pasta water as needed. Add more salt to taste. Then add the drained pasta.
Vegan Cashew Carbonara Pasta with TVP Bacon in the pan
Step 5: Mix well until the pasta is coated with carbonara sauce. Then add half of the vegan bacon bits, stir again.
Vegan Cashew Carbonara Pasta with TVP Bacon
Step 6: Add the pasta onto plates, top with the rest of the vegan bacon bits, and freshly chopped parsley.

More Delicious Vegan Pasta Recipes

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Cheers, Bianca

Vegan Cashew Carbonara Pasta with TVP Bacon

Vegan Cashew Carbonara Pasta with TVP Bacon

Bianca Haun | Elephantastic Vegan
Pretty pasta + creamy cashew carbonara sauce + flavorful TVP bacon = a match made in heaven! This totally unauthentic, but delicious vegan carbonara pasta dish needs to be on your dinner table soon!
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian, Vegan
Servings 2 people
Calories 679 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Cashew Cream

  • 1/2 cup cashews salted and roasted
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

TVP Bacon Bits

  • 1/2 cup Soy Granule
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika powder mild
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
  • 1/2 tablespoon plant-based oil (sunflower oil or canola oil)

Pasta & Topping

  • 1/2 pound pasta I used Mafaldine pasta
  • 2 teaspoons fresh parsley chopped

Instructions
 

  • For the cashew cream: Add the cashews, lemon juice, and water to a blender. If you have the time, let it soak (even 10 min would be fine). Then blend until completely smooth.
    cashews in blender
  • For the TVP Bacon Bits: Add soy granules, water, soy sauce, paprika powder, dried thyme, salt, and liquid smoke to a hot pan. Stir to combine. Let it cook until the soy granule has absorbed the water. Then add oil and let it cook further until they are crispy and brown.
    Vegan Bacon Bits made with TVP in the pan
  • Boil the pasta in a large pot with water. Then drain but save the pasta water.
    cooking pasta
  • Add the cashew cream to the pan. Thin the sauce out with pasta water as needed. Add more salt to taste. Then add the drained pasta.
    Cashew Sauce and Pasta in the pan
  • Mix well until the pasta is coated with carbonara sauce. Then add half of the vegan bacon bits, and stir.
    Vegan Cashew Carbonara Pasta with TVP Bacon in the pan
  • Then you can add the pasta onto plates, top it with the rest of the vegan bacon bits and freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!
    Vegan Cashew Carbonara Pasta with TVP Bacon

Nutrition

Calories: 679kcalCarbohydrates: 102gProtein: 32gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gSodium: 478mgPotassium: 491mgFiber: 9gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 264IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 120mgIron: 7mg
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Recipe Rating




Anna smith

Monday 12th of June 2023

This pasta is amazing!!! I added some vegan broth powder to the cashew cheese sauce to help with its flavour and helped thicken it up.

This dish was so much better than i expected- thank you!