Mushroom Carbonara
This vegan mushroom carbonara is one of my most comforting dishes to date. Piping hot noodles are tossed with a deeply savory plant-based carbonara sauce, creating a rich and creamy texture. Once the noodles are plated, they are showered with umami-rich shiitake bacon that will truly excite your taste buds. The crispy, salty bacon paired with the velvety, cheesy noodles makes for a seriously impressive vegan translation of the classic dish.
A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR
When World Animal Protection US asked me to partner up with them for their No Meat November campaign, I was thrilled. This initiative encourages people to incorporate more plant-based meals into their daily lives to reduce the number of animals suffering in factory farming systems, protect the planet, and improve our own health. Sounds good to me!
As a passionate vegan for over 19 years, it is incredibly important for me to help spread the message of veganism through delicious recipes. I chose this recipe specifically because it doesn’t use any vegan meats while still delivering on texture and flavor. My hope is that non-vegans will try it and be excited by vegan food! Swapping out traditional meat will not only help you to reduce animal suffering, but it is also good for your health and the environment. I am excited for you to try this dish and to share it with friends and family. I think they will be pleased!
INGREDIENTS FOR VEGAN MUSHROOM CARBONARA
Let’s review the ingredients for this vegan mushroom carbonara. Traditionally, the classic dish uses only a handful of ingredients. My goal is to recreate the same texture and flavor while only using plants and mushrooms. The foundation of the classic dish is pasta water with egg yolk, lots of freshly cracked black pepper, cheese, pasta water (and pasta!), and a salty, crispy meat like pancetta or bacon.
CREATING A VEGAN TRANSLATION FOR CARBONARA
To recreate the richness (and flavor!) of the egg yolks, I like to use a combination of powerful ingredients. Rich cultured plant butter combined with some fresh shallot and garlic for pungency, a drop of mustard for some sharpness, nutritional yeast for umami, and then a dusting of kala namak at the very end for an eggy, sulfur flavor makes for an excellent sauce.
To replicate the cheese, a simple swap of your favorite plant-based cheese will work nicely. (I especially love a mature cheddar-style cheese or a smoked variety!). Of course, black peppercorns are a must, as they will offer that classic hit of spicy, earthy flavor. And lastly, to swap out the meat, we will be using my famous shiitake bacon. It competes amazingly with the traditional crispy pancetta and I promise it will wow even the staunchest meat eaters!
MAKING THE SHIITAKE BACON
I have a few different approaches for making my shiitake bacon. This smaller-batch version uses a nonstick skillet and the whole batch is made on the stovetop. (The version in my first cookbook makes a much larger batch on sheet pans in the oven.) You can make this bacon in advance and simply set it aside to cool. Don’t be tempted to eat it all!
For the bacon, slice the shiitakes around ¼-inch thick and cook them down with a good amount of high-heat oil. Brown them nicely, add the marinade ingredients (tamari, nutritional yeast, and liquid smoke) and continue to cook, mixing often, until super crispy and deep in color. Once cooled on a plate, the bacon should be slightly firm in texture and outrageously delicious. This will work perfectly for the vegan mushroom carbonara.
MAKING THE CARBONARA SAUCE
For the sauce, I find that the best approach is to blend all of the ingredients and then to finish cooking the pasta with the sauce, so that the noodles absorb more flavor. To make the sauce, throw in all of the ingredients, set aside the container, and then cook the pasta. Once the pasta is al dente, transfer two cups of the hot pasta water to the blender. Lastly, blend all of the ingredients together until smooth, being mindful of the hot water.
COOKING THE PASTA
Once the sauce is blended and noodles are drained, transfer everything back into the original pot. Cook for a few additional minutes, stirring often, until the noodles become thick, creamy, and velvety. Yum!
PLATING THE VEGAN MUSHROOM CARBONARA
I suggest eating this dish immediately for the best results. Simply pile your desired amount of noodles into a bowl. (Hot tip: I like to slowly drape the noodles into a bowl that you are slowly spinning with your hand to create some height!) Then sprinkle over a showering of the bacon. You don’t need much as it is very salty and flavorful. Basically, a little goes a long way, y’all!
FINISHING TOUCHES
Finally, I love to add a few additional cracks of black pepper and a small dusting of kala namak. I would really invest in this black salt as it has a fantastic eggy flavor that really takes this dish over the top. You can head to my shop page to find out about my favorite brand, in addition to many other ingredients.
FAQs FOR THIS RECIPE:
You can totally make components of this vegan mushroom carbonara in advance. One, you can make the shiitake bacon a day or a few hours before. Two, you can measure out all of the blender ingredients, as you will only need to add hot pasta water when you are ready to make it. When your friends or family arrive, you can cook the pasta, blend and combine the sauce with the pasta, and garnish with the bacon! It really comes together quite quickly.
You can leave the bacon uncovered on the counter for a day or two and it will stay delicious. Also, you can keep it in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Lastly, if you want to bring it back to life, you can pop it in a hot oven and toast it for a few minutes.
This meal would be delicious with some roasted broccoli, brussels sprouts, or winter squash. Additionally, I think it would pair famously with a simple vegan caesar salad.
I think this recipe serves 5 people nicely, as it is very rich. (Or 4 very hungry people!)
IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE, TRY THESE PASTA DISHES:
One-Pot Hamburger Helper
Pantry Pasta
Fettucine Alfredo
ENJOY THIS VEGAN MUSHROOM CARBONARA!
And there you have it friends, my vegan mushroom carbonara. I hope that you try this recipe and love it as much as I do. If you do try it out, please leave a comment and a rating below and tag me on socials! I would love to hear from you.
Warmly,
Timothy
Mushroom Carbonara
Ingredients
Shiitake Bacon
- 6-7 ounces shiitake mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons high-heat oil, avocado or sunflower
- Pinch sea salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 ½ tablespoons tamari
- Few dashes Colgin liquid smoke
Pasta & Sauce
- 1 small shallot, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- ½ cup plant butter, chopped
- 3 oz vegan cheese, about 4 slices
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- Splash rice vinegar, or plain
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 heaping teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- Pinch sea salt
- 1 lb spaghetti pasta
- 2 cups pasta water
Instructions
Shiitake Bacon
- Prepare the mushrooms: Remove the tough bottom halves of the shiitake stems and keep the upper halves of the stems attached. Slice the caps into about ¼-inch thick slices. You want them to be slightly thick so once they cook up, they still have some chew to them but not so thick that they won’t become crispy. Just like traditional bacon!
- Cook the mushrooms: In a nonstick skillet, add the oil, sliced mushrooms, and a pinch of salt. Over medium-high heat, cook the mushrooms, stirring frequently, to cook out the liquid, allowing the mushrooms to become golden brown and crisp around the edges. This will take about 15 minutes.
- Finish: Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the nutritional yeast, tamari, and liquid smoke, mixing constantly as you add. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until the sliced shiitakes quite literally turn into bacon. They should become deeply golden brown and very crispy. When you hold up a piece, it should not be floppy, so add more cooking time until this is achieved. Transfer the shiitake bacon to a bowl or plate lined with a paper towel to let cool for a few minutes and it will become even crispier. Set aside and make the pasta.
Pasta & Sauce
- Boil water: Fill a large pot with water and place over high heat. Salt generously, mix well, cover, and bring to a boil. While waiting for the water to come to a boil, make the sauce.
- Make the sauce: To a high-speed blender, add the shallot, garlic, butter, cheese, nutritional yeast, vinegar, mustard, black pepper, and sea salt. Don't blend and set aside.
- Cook the pasta: Once the water is at a boil, cook the pasta according to box instructions, until al dente. (Keep in mind that you will cook the pasta with the sauce, so don't overcook it! It needs to be slightly hard in the middle. ) Once the pasta is done, measure out two cups of the pasta water and add it to the blender. Drain the noodles and transfer them back to the pot. Set aside, uncovered.
- Blend the sauce: Once the hot water is added to the blender with the other ingredients, cover and blend on high until very smooth, about 20 to 30 seconds.
- Combine: Pour the sauce over the pasta and use a pair of tongs to toss well to coat evenly. Cook over medium-low heat for about 2-3 minutes, until the sauce is thick and creamy and the noodles are fully cooked to your liking.
- Serve: Swirl a pile of noodles into bowls and sprinkle with shiitake bacon, a dusting of kala namak, and some additional freshly cracked black pepper. Enjoy immediately.
Looks delicious! Would it be a bad idea to try and use reconstituted dried mushrooms for this recipe? Also, what are your thoughts on using lentil-based pasta for this one? Thanks, looking forward to trying it!
Hmm, I think you could get away with using a rice- or potato-based gluten-free noodle but I am worried the texture of a lentil-based pasta might be a bit too dense for this recipe. That said, it could totally be delicious, that’s just my opinion. As for the dried mushrooms, you can make bacon out of them. The texture will be a bit different but still good! I have tried it before and I liked it. Not as much as with fresh, but I did still enjoy it! Hope this helps.
This vegan carbonara recipe is a warriors dream! Who knew 6 oz of shiitake bacon and a pinch of magic kala namak could make a meat lover weep with joy? The authors cooking instructions are clear as day, though I do worry about my nonstick pans soul after cooking whole batches of bacon. The suggestion to save leftover shiitake bacon is a masterstroke – finally, a use for those tempting dont be tempted snacks! Blending the sauce with hot pasta water sounds less like science and more like a culinary magic trick. And yes, eating this immediately is non-negotiable; trying to save leftovers would be a crime against taste buds! Timothy Pakron truly outdid himself here.
Wow, what a fantastic review!! This made my morning. So very happy to hear that you enjoyed this dish. It’s been a favorite of mine for some time now and I am happy to finally have it on the blog. Thank you for being here!