Name: Vegan Carbonara
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 24 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: 200 g king oyster mushrooms (*If you cannot find them, regular oyster mushrooms will work well too – make sure you weigh them down with a heavy baking dish during the first few minutes of grilling. Other types of mushrooms (portobella, chestnut / cremini) should also work but some minor changes to the cooking method (oven temperature and baking duration, for example) may be needed. Also, do not salt regular mushrooms until after grilling. Otherwise, sub with whatever plant-based bacon creation is your favourite: tofu, tempeh, almond bacon, coconut bacon – the list goes on.); 15 ml olive oil; 15 ml balsamic vinegar (quality); 20 ml tamari (or soy sauce); 5 ml maple; 1 tbsp nutritional yeast; 1 clove garlic (very finely grated); 0.5 tsp smoked paprika (sweet); 1 pinch salt (a generous pinch); 200 g spaghetti ((GF if needed)); 30 ml olive oil; 1 clove garlic (large, finely diced); 120 ml vegan single cream (**I like Oatly. If you aren’t able to find vegan cream you like, use and extra tablespoon of olive oil, 120 ml soy milk and 2 tsp of cornstarch to thicken the sauce and make it cling to the pasta better.); 10 g white miso paste; 2 tsp lemon juice (or 1 tsp apple cider vinegar); 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (heaped); null to_taste black pepper; null to_taste salt; null to_serve fresh parsley (chopped); null optional breadcrumbs (***I make coarse breadcrumbs from leftover Turkish pide, which we enjoy on a regular basis. I let it go stale and then crush it coarsely using a pestle and mortar. I keep it in a jar in my pantry. You can do the same with any quality bread – foccacia, sourdough etc. or simply use shop-bought coarse breadcrumbs (like panko).); null optional vegan parmesan

Instructions

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1

Slice king oyster mushrooms (200 g) lengthwise and mix all marinade ingredients: olive oil (15 ml), balsamic vinegar (15 ml), tamari (20 ml), maple (5 ml), nutritional yeast (1 tbsp), garlic (1 clove), smoked paprika (0.5 tsp), and salt (1 pinch).
2

Place [king oyster mushroom slices] in a large shallow dish and pour the marinade over. Coat well and let marinate for a few hours (longer is better), flipping occasionally.
3

Heat a [grill pan] on low heat. Lay marinated [king oyster mushroom slices] on it. Cook until charred without touching, then flip and continue until cooked. Chop into bite-size pieces.
4

Alternatively, bake mushrooms in an [oven] at 190°C/375°F for about minutes (25), flipping once halfway.
5

Cook spaghetti (200 g) in salted [water] until just below al dente. Reserve pasta water (120 ml) before draining.
6

Heat a large [frying pan] on low heat. Add olive oil (30 ml) and let it warm before adding garlic clove (1 large), finely diced.
7

Sauté the [garlic] on low-medium heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently to prevent browning, which can impart a bitter taste.
8

While garlic sautés, whisk vegan single cream (120 ml) and white miso paste (10 g) together until smooth.
9

Add a splash of [pasta water], lemon juice (2 tsp), and tbsp nutritional yeast (2 heaped) to the garlicky [olive oil]. Stir until emulsified, then add the [vegan single cream]/[miso] mixture. Whisk well and season with [black pepper] and [salt] to taste. Add more [pasta water] to thin or [vegan single cream] for richness if desired.
10

Toss the cooked [spaghetti] in the sauce quickly, then add the chopped [king oyster mushrooms] and [fresh parsley].
11

Divide between plates. Sprinkle with [optional toasted coarse breadcrumbs] and [optional vegan parmesan] and fresh [black pepper].