How to Make Easy Vegan Spaghetti Carbonara
Spaghetti carbonara is one of those recipes I’ve always been so intimidated by because it can easily go the wrong way. With that being said, once I finally dived into creating my recipe, I realized it’s not even difficult to make… like, AT ALL! This vegan spaghetti carbonara is easy and quick to make and is an ultra-comforting dish!
What is spaghetti carbonara?
Spaghetti carbonara is a popular Italian pasta dish from Rome made with egg, hard cheese, cured pork, and black pepper. The cheese is typically pecorino romano, Parmigiano-Reggiano, or a mix of both. Spaghetti is definitely the most common pasta used, but it’s not uncommon for people to use other styles of pasta instead. Typically guanciale or pancetta are used for the cured pork, but some people use other meats such as bacon.
Let’s talk about my vegan version of spaghetti carbonara!
I decided to stick with the popular choice of spaghetti for my pasta. I boil it in salted water until just past al dente. Before I drain the spaghetti, I spoon out some pasta water to help create a creamy sauce later on.
When the spaghetti is nearly done cooking, I quickly saute applewood smoked vegan ham. I decided to use vegan ham instead of vegan bacon because it resembles pancetta more, in my opinion. Then I remove the pan from the heat and throw the spaghetti on top along with the reserved pasta water. I also add in a mixture of liquid Just Egg, vegan parmesan, salt, and pepper. I quickly stir everything together to create a rich, creamy, cheesy pan of vegan spaghetti carbonara deliciousness!
PST! HEY! Check out my “tiparooskis,” located below the written recipe, for some fun tips and ingredient add-ins!
If you make my vegan spaghetti carbonara recipe, don’t forget to post a picture to Instagram, tag me @chefsummerstorm, and #gardengrub so I can see your recreation!
How to Make Easy Vegan Spaghetti Carbonara
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- One 6 ounce package Sweet Earth applewood smoked vegan ham slices, small diced (Roughly 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp liquid Just Egg
- 1/2 cup vegan parmesan (I used Follow Your Heart's)
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. Make sure to season the water with a heavy pinch of salt. Before draining the pasta, save 1/2 cup of the cooking water- this is a MUST!
- In a small bowl, stir together the liquid Just Egg, vegan parmesan, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- When there are only a few minutes left of the pasta to finish cooking, place a large saute pan over medium heat. Once hot, add in the olive oil followed by the vegan ham. Saute for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Drain the pasta, making sure to save 1/2 cup of the water, and then place the pasta into the pan of the ham. Pour the 1/2 cup of water and the egg mixture on top of the pasta and immediately stir quickly until well combined and creamy. Do this step OFF the heat to avoid scrambling the egg mixture; however, you want to do this while the pan and pasta are still hot.
- Serve with more vegan parmesan and black pepper on top!
Tiparooskis
Welcome to my tip section of the vegan spaghetti carbonara recipe! Here I provide my top tips to help you perfect the recipe. Sometimes, I also give substitute suggestions that I think you may find helpful.
- You most definitely can swap the vegan ham out for vegan bacon! I know I said in the recipe post above that the vegan ham I use resembles pancetta more than vegan bacon does, but vegan bacon does taste delicious in this recipe too! I have tried this recipe using Sweet Earth’s hickory and sage bacon, and it was absolutely divine. The vegan bacon by the brand Light Life is also very tasty in this dish!
- If you want to level up the spaghetti carbonara flavor, I recommend adding minced garlic and freshly chopped parsley! Many people get ANGRY when they see garlic and parsley in a spaghetti carbonara recipe because it isn’t authentic, but I love the flavor these ingredients add. So when I’m not sharing the recipe with the internet, I like to saute garlic in with the vegan ham and add chopped fresh parsley into the dish at the very end. Give it a try. I don’t think you will be disappointed!
Like pasta? ME TOO. Check these other recipes out!
- That Viral Feta Cheese Pasta
- The BEST Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
- Baked Vegan Eggplant Parmesan Over Spaghetti
- The ONLY Vegan Mac and Cheese Recipe You Need
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2 Comments
NewbieVegan
Made this last night and it was fabulous! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
garden grub
That’s amazing to hear! So glad you enjoyed the carbonara! 🙂