With half a million people taking on Veganuary this month, we bring you a Comfort Food Friday recipe for plant-based spaghetti carbonara.
If you’ve committed to going meat and dairy-free for the Veganuary challenge, you’ll need some inspiration on what to cook and what to eat.
And what could be better than a comforting recipe from Gousto that gives you that warm feeling we all need in the dark months – and a dish that is also plant-based?
January is the month of fresh starts, health kicks and for some, giving up animal products. This year a record-breaking 500,000 people in the UK are committed to Veganuary, a challenge to eat only plant-based foods for a month – that’s a 25% increase from last year.
This super easy vegan carbonara is rich and creamy and will be ready in less than 20 minutes. You’ll recreate the creamy soy sauce cream, meat-free bacon and miso paste, which adds an umami richness to the sauce.
Gousto’s in-house nutritionist Ellie Bain’s top tip for Veganuary is to include protein with every meal.
“Adults need between 45g and 55g of protein for a balanced diet. Nuts, seeds, pulses, quinoa and tofu are all packed full of protein and can be seamlessly substituted for meat and fish in many recipes,” she said.
If you missed any of our other Comfort Food Friday recipes, you can find them here.
Plant-based spaghetti carbonara
(Serves 2)
Ingredients
- 1 shallot
- 1 tomato
- 1 garlic clove
- 50g rocket
- 1 tbsp white miso paste
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 190g spaghetti
- 120g meat-free bacon rashers
- 250ml single soya
Method
- Boil a kettle, then chop the meat-free bacon into small, bite-sized pieces, peel and finely dice the shallot and peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic.
- Add the spaghetti to a pot of boiled water with a large pinch of salt and bring to the boil over a high heat
- Cook the spaghetti for 8-10 minutes or until cooked with a slight bite then drain, reserving a cup of the starchy cooking water
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chopped meat-free bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes or until golden and crispy all over.
- Once done, transfer the crispy meat-free bacon to a bowl and return the pan to a medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the diced shallot with a pinch of salt and cook for 2-3 minutes or until starting to soften.
- Once starting to soften, add the sliced garlic and cook for 1 min further or until fragrant.
- Meanwhile, combine half of the cider vinegar (save the rest for later) with 1 tbsp olive oil in a bowl and give it a good mix up for your dressing.
- Once the garlic is fragrant, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the single soya, miso paste and remaining cider vinegar
- Season with a pinch of salt and a generous grind of black pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes or until thickened to a double cream-like consistency.
- Once the sauce has thickened, stir the cooked spaghetti through the sauce with half the crispy meat-free bacon and give everything a good mix up until the pasta is fully coated in the sauce to complete your plant-based spaghetti carbonara
- Wash the rocket, then pat it dry with kitchen paper, and dice the tomato.
- Serve the plant-based spaghetti carbonara and top with the remaining crispy meat-free bacon and a grind of black pepper.
- Combine the rocket and diced tomato and serve to the side and drizzle over the dressing.