Vegan Carbonara with Pumpkin

Vegan Carbonara with Pumpkin (Easy 20-Minute Pasta)

Enjoy a delicious twist on classic Italian comfort food with this easy Vegan Carbonara with Pumpkin! Made with creamy pumpkin purée, savory mushrooms, smoky tempeh bacon, and vegan Parmesan, this plant-based carbonara delivers rich flavor in every bite—without the eggs, meat, or dairy. Ready in just 20 minutes, this creamy vegan pasta recipe is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or a cozy fall meal. Serve it with a crisp green salad for a satisfying, plant-powered dinner the whole family will love. You can also make it gluten-free by using your favorite gluten-free pasta and gluten-free tempeh. I love to whip up this fall recipe and serve this vegan pasta dish right out of the pan to cut down on dishes and cleanup time. While you can use canned pumpkin puree, try homemade pumpkin puree to make this recipe even fresher. Learn how to make scratch pumpkin puree from fresh pumpkins with my own recipe here. This pumpkin pasta recipe is a great way to use up those fall pumpkins when the season is over! Watch my make this recipe in my own kitchen here! 

What is Carbonara?

It is a simple, rustic Italian pasta dish, which originates from Rome dating back to the 20th century. Its trademark ingredients are a long thin pasta, such as spaghetti or linguine, eggs, cured pork (bacon), hard cheese, and black pepper. To make this recipe vegan, I took a spin off the original roots of carbonara recipes to remove the meat, eggs, and cheese, and replace them with tempeh bacon and pumpkin for creaminess, flavor, and color. 

How to Make Carbonara

You start by cooking your pasta in boiling water until al dente. Then you reserve some of the pasta water for later. While this is cooking, you can sauté the tempeh bacon and mushrooms, and add the pumpkin, creamer, reserved pasta water, and seasonings. Then top with vegan parmesan cheese. Yum! 

Watch Sharon make this recipe in this Instagram video here.

Vegan Carbonara with Pumpkin

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• Author: The Plant-Powered Dietitian
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Make creamy Vegan Carbonara with Pumpkin in just 20 minutes! This easy plant-based pasta features pumpkin purée, mushrooms, tempeh bacon, and vegan Parmesan.

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Ingredients

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• Water, as needed
• 1 pound long, thin pasta (i.e., linguini, spaghetti, or bucatini)
• 1 1/2 cups reserved pasta cooking water
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 6 ounces tempeh bacon (or make it yourself; see below), sliced into small pieces, about ½-inches
• 2 teaspoons fresh or dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1 (15-ounce can) pumpkin puree (or homemade pumpkin puree)
• ½ cup Vegan parmesan cheese (or make it yourself here)

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Instructions

1. Add water to a large pot until it’s about half full. Cover, place on burner, and bring to a boil on high heat.
2. Add pasta, reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until al dente, following manufacturer’s instructions for pasta (i.e., about 7 minutes for many types of pasta). Remove cooked pasta from the water, drain, and set aside, reserving 1 ½ cups pasta water for later. 
3. While pasta is cooking, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add olive oil.
4. Add onions and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. 
5. Add mushrooms, tempeh bacon, thyme, black pepper, red chili pepper flakes, salt (optional), and ½ cup reserved pasta water, and sauté for 4 minutes.
6. Add pumpkin puree and stir well. Add 1/2 cup reserved pasta water and stir well.
7. Add cooked, drained pasta and stir gently until well coated. Add additional reserved pasta water as needed to create a moist, creamy texture.
8. Top with vegan parmesan cheese and serve immediately. 
9. Make 8 servings (about 1 ½ cups pasta per serving)

Notes

Learn how to make your own smoky tempeh bacon here—follow the recipe, except for omit the step of pan-frying or baking it. Just marinate the sliced tempeh bacon, drain it, and use the tempeh in step 5. 

Learn how to make your own pumpkin puree here.

To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta and tempeh. 

• Prep Time: 12 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: Entree
• Cuisine: American, Italian

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 337
• Sugar: 5 g
• Sodium: 455 mg
• Fat: 7 g
• Saturated Fat: 2 g
• Carbohydrates: 57 g
• Fiber: 5 g
• Protein: 12 g

Sharon’s 10 Favorite Pasta Recipes

• Vegan Pasta & Potatoes (Pasta e Patate alla Napoletana)
• Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Grilled Vegetables and Tomato Lemon Vinaigrette
• Rustic Pasta with Rapini, Fava Beans & Mushrooms
• One Pot Vegan Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli
• Vegan Swiss Chard Pecan Lasagna
• Pesto Fusilli Pasta Salad with Corn and Tomatoes
• Vegan Bolognese with Lentils and Walnuts
• Mushroom Bomb Lentil Pasta
• Fresh Cranberry Beans with Pasta and Greens
• Vegan Baked Mediterranean Lasagna

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