White Bean Pasta Carbonara

This creamy white bean pasta carbonara is a plant-based take on the classic and made with beans and cashews for a creamy sauce. The bacon is replaced with smoked tofu, and the whole dish only takes 20 minutes to make. Serve with fresh cilantro and enjoy this plant-based take on carbonara!

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 12 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 180g extra-firm smoked tofu
• 1 tsp olive oil (see notes for oil-free)
• 3/4 cup cooked white beans (butter, cannellini or navy)
• 1/2 cup roasted unsalted cashews
• 1/2 lemon (about 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice)
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup water
• Pasta for 2 (200-225g, gluten-free if needed)
• Fresh cilantro and/or basil

Equipment

• Lined baking sheet
• Large pot
• Blender

Instructions

1. Boil water in a medium-sized pot, then cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Cut the block of tofu into slices, then cut into small pieces about 1-1 1/2 inches long and 1/4 inch wide and thick.
3. Drain and rinse the beans.
4. To a blender, add beans, cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt and water. Blend until smooth and creamy, adding up to 1/4 cup more water if needed.
5. To a non-stick frying pan on medium heat, add olive oil and the tofu pieces, stirring frequently.
6. After a few minutes, once the tofu pieces are slightly golden, pour the pasta sauce into the pan and reduce heat to medium-low.
7. Once the pasta is cooked, add it to the pan with the sauce, saving a bit of pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.
8. Serve with fresh cilantro or basil, and salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!

Notes

*For an oil-free version, omit olive oil and use a good non-stick pan when frying the tofu.

*Depending on the strength of your blender, you may need to soak cashews in boiling water before blending. I find the best blender for cashews is a bullet blender (you won’t need to do any soaking!).