Spaghetti Carbonara

It is difficult to imagine a dish based essentially on bacon and eggs as something that could become vegan and taste good. But this recipe might change your perception.

Carbonara sauce is a Roman specialty. No one really knows how the sauce came into existence, but it has remained an Italian favorite since the early 1940’s. It is also known as one of the most difficult sauces to master for aspiring Italian cooks. The sauce should be creamy – almost custard-like as the eggs combine with pasta cooking water, garlic, a splash of wine, black pepper, salty Roman cheese and a healthy portion of extra virgin olive oil. This rich base is tossed with spaghetti and seasoned liberally with salty and smoky pork.

So in other words…no problem in making it vegan, right?

After a few failed attempts, my vegan version turned out to be simple to make…that is as long as all the key ingredients were on hand. You will need to begin by making a quick round of Rice Paper “Bacon”, that should take you less than 30 minutes. Next, make sure you have some soft silken tofu, soy yogurt, white miso paste, nutritional yeast and a starch-based vegan egg replacer. Of course, you also need some spaghetti, although you can use other types of pasta. Finally, a high-speed blender makes the mixture extra smooth.

So, that’s it. Are you ready to make hearty pasta dish that will no doubt become one of your favorites?

Difficulty: simple to moderate
Yield: makes about 4-6 servings