Dinner, Gluten-free, Oil-free

White Bean Pasta Carbonara

vegan white bean pasta carbonara cashews butter beans cannellini beans smoked tofu recipe dairy free

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!).

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vegan recipe cookbook ebook minaelles kitchen plant-based plate

My e-Cookbook: The Plant-Based Plate

New recipe e-book with 60+ plant-based recipes by Minaëlle’s Kitchen! This cookbook has one goal: to help you include more delicious plant-based dishes in your diet.

My e-Cookbook: The Plant-Based Plate

New recipe e-book with 60+ plant-based recipes by Minaëlle’s Kitchen! This cookbook has one goal: to help you include more delicious plant-based dishes in your diet.

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Minaëlle

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Welcome to my kitchen! My name is Minaëlle and I am a plant-based recipe developer from Canada. I share easy, healthy, and tasty plant-based recipes to help you eat more plants!

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