Name: Vegan Carbonara with Pumpkin
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 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)

Description

Make the best carbonara recipe ever with this Vegan Carbonara with Pumpkin, which is filled with the flavors of tempeh bacon, pumpkin, mushrooms, and pasta. This vegan carbonara is a healthy, easy one-dish meal you can get on the table in 20 minutes!

Ingredients

Scale

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

Add water to a large pot until it’s about half full. Cover, place on burner, and bring to a boil on high heat.
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.
While pasta is cooking, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add olive oil.
Add onions and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.
Add mushrooms, tempeh bacon, thyme, black pepper, red chili pepper flakes, salt (optional), and ½ cup reserved pasta water, and sauté for 4 minutes.
Add pumpkin puree and stir well. Add 1/2 cup reserved pasta water and stir well.
Add cooked, drained pasta and stir gently until well coated. Add additional reserved pasta water as needed to create a moist, creamy texture.
Top with vegan parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
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