Creamy Pasta Carbonara

Heat the olive oil (1 tbsp) over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. Add the onion (0.5 yellow), chopped, and saute until translucent. Add the garlic (2 cloves), minced, and saute until fragrant. Turn off the heat.

Add the sauteed veggies to a blender along with the raw cashews (1.75 cup), nutritional yeast (0.5 cup), dijon mustard (1.5 tbsp), and neutral unsweetened plant milk (2 cups). Blend until smooth.

Taste the sauce and blend in additional [salt] and [pepper] to taste.

Bring a large pot of [water] to a boil and add the salt (1 tsp). Add the spaghetti (1 lb) and boil per the package’s instructions until al dente. Scoop pasta water (2 cups) out of the pot and drain the [pasta].

While the [pasta] is boiling, melt the vegan butter (3 tbsp) over medium heat in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the sliced cremini mushrooms (16 oz) and season with salt (1 tsp) and ground black pepper (0.5 tsp). Saute until softened and nicely caramelized.

Add the [pasta] to the pan with the [mushrooms]. Reduce the heat to low and add the sauce. Toss until the sauce has thoroughly coated every strand of [pasta]. Add some of the reserved [pasta water] as needed if the sauce is too thick.

Serve warm, garnished with chopped fresh parsley (0.25 cup).