'I'm a professional chef – this vegan carbonara is so good you won't miss meat'
A chef has shared the perfect spaghetti carbonara recipe with a twist – it doesn't contain any meat, dairy or eggs.
With Veganuary well under way, many of us will be leaving animal products off our plates for the whole of January. And while this might seem daunting, there are plenty of vegan chefs and home cooks on social media making the task more straightforward.
Tara's Vegan Treats hopes to do just that. Working as a private cook, she regularly shares plant-based recipes on TikTok in the hopes of spreading the word.
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For those craving a creamy carbonara but wanting to leave animal products off their plate, Tara's recipe is perfect and even packs a protein punch thanks to the silken tofu used to make the creamy sauce.
"I've been a private chef for a while now, and vegan for even longer," she said. "Probably one of my most requested dishes is carbonara. So let me show you a really simple way to veganise this creamy, carby classic with seven ingredients."
To make this recipe, for three to four people you will need:
300g spaghetti or linguine
300g silken tofu
200ml unsweetened oat milk
100g grated vegan cheese
120g vegan bacon
50g vegan butter (Tara prefers to use unsalted)
6 garlic cloves
Black pepper and sea salt to taste.
Tara also provided step-by-step instructions to ensure you can't go wrong making the dish. See the method below:
1) Bring water to a boil and add pasta.
2) In a blender, combine silken tofu, vegan cheese, plant-based milk, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
3) Finely chop the garlic. Melt the butter in a pan before adding the garlic and cooking for three to four minutes on a very low heat.
4) When this is done, add the garlic and melted butter to the tofu mixture and blend again.
5) Dice your vegan bacon. In the same pan you used to fry off your garlic, cook to packet instructions.
6) Once the bacon is ready, add the tofu sauce and allow to simmer for five to six minutes, stirring frequently.
7) Finally, drain your cooked pasta and add to the sauce. Stir thoroughly to ensure it is coated and serve up.
In the comments, fellow plant-based foodies were quick to share their tips to make the recipe pop even more. One person wrote: "Nutritional yeast and black salt are also great additions."
Nutritional yeast is a healthy ingredient that is high in B12. Not only that, but it adds a cheesy flavour to vegan dishes. Black salt, also known as kala namak, adds an eggy flavour reminiscent of a more traditional Italian carbonara. Be warned that it has a strong, sulphuric smell and a strong, salty flavour, so you may want to hold off on adding more traditional salt until you've tasted the dish.
"This looks incredible," said another, while a third added: "Absolutely love this, never thought I'd like a British-style carbonara but it's phenomenal."
