Name: Vegan Carbonara
Prep time: 22 min
Cook time: 52 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: 14 oz block extra-firm tofu (pressed (or use chopped mushrooms)); 0.25 cup soy sauce (low sodium); 0.25 cup tomato paste; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tbsp liquid smoke (or 2 tsp smoked paprika); 1.5 cups raw cashews; 2 cups vegetable broth; 0.5 cup nutritional yeast; 0.75 tsp turmeric powder; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tsp black salt (or regular); 0.5 tsp fresh ground black pepper; 12 oz spaghetti (or other pasta); 0.25 cup fresh basil (chopped); null null fresh ground black pepper (for serving); null null vegan parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

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1

Press the block extra-firm tofu (14 oz): Drain the tofu and wrap it in a clean tea towel. Place a plate or pan on top of the wrapped tofu, and put a couple of heavy books or a cast iron pan on top of that. Let the tofu press for at least mins (30).
2

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3

Cut the block extra-firm tofu (14 oz) into small cubes. In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce (0.25 cup), tomato paste (0.25 cup), olive oil (2 tbsp), garlic powder (1 tsp) and liquid smoke (1 tbsp). Add the tofu pieces and stir well to coat in the sauce.
4

Dump the tofu/sauce mixture onto the prepared pan and spread the tofu out evenly. Bake in the oven for [35-50 mins], flipping the tofu over once halfway through cooking. Be careful not to burn the tofu; how long will depend on the firmness of your tofu and the water content, which can vary even after pressing. Remove once chewy and blackened in places and set aside.
5

Bring water (4 cups) to a boil. Pour the hot water over the raw cashews (1.5 cups) and let soak for mins (5).
6

Drain the raw cashews (1.5 cups) and discard the soaking water. Add them to a blender along with the vegetable broth (2 cups), nutritional yeast (0.5 cup), turmeric powder (0.75 tsp), garlic powder (1 tsp), onion powder (1 tsp), lemon juice (1 tbsp), black salt (1 tsp) and fresh ground black pepper (0.5 tsp). Blend until very smooth. Set aside.
7

Boil the spaghetti (12 oz) according to package instructions, then drain and return back to the pot. Add in the cream sauce and stir over low-medium heat until the sauce thickens somewhat. If it gets too thick, add a little [water] and stir until it thins a bit.
8

Serve immediately with tofu "pancetta", [fresh ground black pepper], fresh basil (0.25 cup) and [vegan parmesan cheese], as desired. Enjoy!