Ultimate Vegan Carbonara

CookingAddic This recipe is for vegan carbonara, for which I use cashew cream as a base, the flavours are so authentic it's hard to believe that it's vegan and if I were going to cook for any non-vegan and be sure to impress them, this would be the meal I'd choose. 

This carbonara is the perfect example of how vegan food doesn't mean just salad or that you have to miss out on anything through choosing a cruelty free lifestyle. I added mushrooms and tender stem broccoli to this version; growing up my favourite carbonara and/or dish ever was served at Legoland, it had mushrooms and broccoli in and was the most incredible thing I had ever tasted, in my opinion no other carbonaras I ever ordered or attempted to make came close to this, and all these years later I can  still remember the distinct flavour - this veganised recipe is so incredibly similar to that version from my childhood that it's no wonder I love this dish so much! As always pasta is best served immediately after cooking, so make up and serve straight away!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium red onion
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 250g chestnut mushrooms
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup cashew nuts
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup finely grated violife parmesan (~40g)
• 4 rashers vegan bacon (I used VBites cheatin' maple bacon)
• 300g linguine 
• 200g tenderstem broccoli
• 1 tsp dried/fresh parsley to garnish
• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Add the bacon to a griddle pan on a medium heat and cook until crispy - turning after 5 mins.
2. Dice the onion and add to a large frying pan on a medium heat with a splash of oil, saute for 5 minutes until it starts to soften, then mince the garlic and add this to the pan. Slice the mushrooms and also add these, along with the paprika and a pinch of salt. 
3. Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil and add the linguine, after 5 minutes add the tenderstem broccoli and boil for another 5. Add 1/4 cup of the cooking water to the frying pan and then drain the linguine and broccoli.
4. Meanwhile, make the cashew cream by blitzing up 1/2 cup cashew nuts and 1 cup of water until silky smooth, after the mushrooms have cooked down slightly add the cream to the pan and stir around. Using a fine grater, grate 1/2 cup of the parmesan and stir through the sauce, then reduce the heat to low. Cut the bacon into 1cm cubes and also add this to the sauce, along with the linguine and broccoli, toss together well. Serve up immediately, garnish with a grating of parmesan, a pinch of parsley and a good amount of freshly cracked black pepper and enjoy!