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Vegan Carbonara (Made with Avocado instead of egg yolks) Servings: 4 Recipes are rated from 1 to 5 forks, with 1 fork being the easiest and 5 forks the most challenging.

Avocados are a great cholesterol free substitute for the fat in egg yolks, and this recipe may sound strange but it is absolutely delicious! Pasta Carbonara lovers who want to avoid the unhealthy aspects of eggs will love this simple recipe and will not believe how great it tastes. Traditional Carbonara is made by adding the hot pasta to a mixture of egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper. This plant based version replaces the egg yolks with avocado and the cheese with nutritional yeast. Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup diced yellow onion
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 medium avocado (about 3/4 cup of flesh)
• 1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (soy, almond, cashew) (or more as needed - do not use coconut milk)
• 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 3 strips bacon style tempeh - or other plant based bacon substitue
• 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
• 8 ounces whole wheat linguine noodles
• 1 pinch salt (salt to taste)

Optional Garnishes:

• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 12 cherry or grape tomatoes - sliced in half
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts or pine nuts

Special Equipment:

No special equipment is required.

 

Preparation Method:

Place a large pot of water over high heat to boil for the pasta while preparing the carbonara sauce.

Scoop the flesh from the avocado and place in the jar of a blender. Add the lemon juice and pulse the blender a couple of times to blend the avocado and lemon juice to prevent the avocado from turning brown.

Heat the olive oil (or ¼ cup of water for oil free) in a non-stick pan over medium heat and add the onions and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the onions become translucent. Remove from the heat and add to the blender with the avocado. Add ¼ cup of the non-dairy milk and the nutritional yeast and blend. If the mixture is too thick, add additional non-dairy milk until the mixture blends easily but is still thick. Continue to blend until the garlic and onions have pureed. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and add 1 to 2 teaspoons of fresh ground black pepper and stir.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until tender but with a little bite (al dente).

While the pasta is cooking, crumble the tempeh bacon into the pan used to cook the onions and place over medium heat. Cook the bacon until it begins to crisp then add it to the bowl with the avocado mixture.

When the pasta is done, do not dump the pasta water, you will use some of it to finish the sauce. Use a pasta server or slotted spoon to add the pasta directly to the bowl with the avocado mixture and stir. If you decide to strain the pasta, reserve two cups of the cooking liquid before straining. Add a half cup of the pasta water to the bowl with the pasta and stir to create a creamy sauce. Add more water if necessary to reach your desired consistency.

Serve garnished with additional black pepper, toasted nuts, parsley and sliced cherry tomatoes if desired.