Plant-Based Spaghetti Carbonara with Tempeh Bacon and Sweet Potato Spirals

Indulge in this plant-based take on carbonara to your heart's content

This recipe is super quick and easy to make and recreate in your own kitchen for a fast 30-minute weeknight dinner when the last thing you want to do is cook and you wish you were more into meal-prepping. 

The carbonara recipe is the result of playing around with the ingredients in my kitchen and mixing together different recipes. I got the seasoning recipe for the tempeh bacon from my wonderful Christmas present, the Fresh Cookbook. I changed a few things because I did not have all the ingredients in my kitchen so I will add it seasoning mixture to the recipe below as well.

I would 100% recommend including sweet potatoes into your version of this recipe. If you don't have a spiralizer, simply chop the sweet potatoes into little cubes or thin slices. The sweetness is the perfect balance with the savory tempeh bacon. But basically, the sweet potatoes are non-negotiable in my opinion!

So, without further delay, let's make some plant-based pasta! And as a reminder, like all of my recipes, the amounts are for approximately two people or for a single person plus leftovers, so adjust accordingly.

Cashews soaked in hot water, spiraled sweet potatoes, and marinated tempeh bacon

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Serves: 1-2


Ingredients:

Tempeh Bacon:

• Half a block of tempeh 
• 1 Tbsp paprika (smoked paprika would also work well)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder 
• 1/4 maple syrup 
• 1/4 soy sauce (or tamari) 
• 1/4 olive oil

Carbonara Sauce:

• 1/2 cup plain cashews - soaked for at least 30 mintues.  
• 1/2-1 cup water 
• 1/2 cup nut milk of choice
• 1 Egg (optional) 
• 1 garlic clove 
• 1/2 a white onion 
• 4 Tbsp Olive oil or coconut oil for frying

Other:

• Pasta of choice - I used a quinoa rice spaghetti and the amount depends on how many people you are cooking for. 
• 1/2 a sweet potato - peeled and spiraled 
• Parsley for garnish 
• Plant-based parmesan for garnish

Instructions:

Prep and Bacon:

1. Chop a clove of garlic and half an onion. 
2. Spiral half a sweet potato (or chop into small cubes or slices).  
3. Make the bacon seasoning by mixing everything together, cut the tempeh into slices, and pour the seasoning over top of the tempeh slices. Let it marinate for at least 10 minutes. 
• Optional: prepare the marinade the night or morning before and let the tempeh soak longer. 
4. Once steps 1-3 are prepared, boil water and begin to cook the pasta. Then start with the sauce.

Carbonara Sauce:

1. Place the garlic, onion, and olive oil/coconut oil in a large pan at medium heat. 
2. Meanwhile, place the cashews, water, and nut milk of choice in a blender or food processor and blend, to create a thick milk consistency.
3. If you want, add a beaten egg to the cashew sauce, and mix together.  Set the cashew sauce aside. 
4. Fry the marinated tempeh bacon pieces in the frying pan until both sides look brown and cooked through. (The purpose of this is to heat the tempeh up and allow the marinade to stick to the tempeh.)
5. Remove the tempeh strips from the pan onto a plate. Cut the tempeh into small bite-sized pieces. 
6. In the pan, add the sweet potatoes. If necessary, add a bit of water, nut milk, or oil to prevent sticking. 
7. Add the cashew sauce to the sweet potatoes and stir around.
8. Add the tempeh bacon back into the pan and stir. 
9. At this point, the pasta should be done. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan. 
10. Stir all the ingredients together until combined and the sauce is covering everything. 
11. Garnish with some plant-based parmesan and parsley.

Now, all there's left to do is enjoy! Share your meal pictures with me or any alterations you made!