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Restaurant-Style Carbonara
50 min
Main
Servings
Total
50 minPrep
20 minCook
30 minContains
soy
tree nut
gluten
Free from
peanut
sesame
Ingredients
Smoked tofu
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14 oz (400 g)firm tofu, pressed
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1 Tbsp (15 mL)dark soy sauce
-
-
1 Tbsp (15 mL)vegetable oil
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½ tspground black pepper
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½ tspdried thyme
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¼ tspgarlic powder
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¼ tsp
Pasta
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14 oz (400 g)dry spaghetti noodles
Vegan carbonara
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2 cups (480 mL)water
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¼ cup (32 g)cornstarch
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1½ Tbsp (21 g)unsalted vegan butter
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¾ tspsalt
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¾ tspgarlic powder
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¼ tspground turmeric (optional, for colour)
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1 tsp (2 g)ground black pepper
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¾ tsp
Toppings
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½ tspground black pepper
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½ tsp
Make your own
Directions
- Line a baking tray and preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C)*.
- Dice the tofu into ½ inch (1 cm) cubes. Then transfer to the baking tray.
- In a small bowl, mix the rest of the smoked tofu ingredients.
- Pour this sauce over the tofu and toss to coat.
- Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain when al dente.
- Meanwhile, add the water and cornstarch to a sauté pan. Don't turn on the heat yet. Stir until dissolved.
- Then add the nutritional yeast, butter, salt, garlic powder, and turmeric.
- Then turn on the heat to medium-high. Whisking frequently, until bubbly thickened, about 6 - 7 minutes. Keep covered, warm on very low heat until serving.
- Add the cooked pasta, pepper, and kala namak. Toss until coated.
- Divide into bowls and top off with the smoked tofu bits. Sprinkle with parmesan, extra black pepper and kala namak**. Enjoy!
Notes
- * We recommend top and bottom heating (not fan-assisted/convection).
- ** Some of the kala namak's flavour diminishes when stirred into the sauce, so be sure to sprinkle additional kala namak on top when serving!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- When reheating, add splashes of water as needed to loosen up the sauce.
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Plate method
The Plate Method is a visual tool that helps us ensure our dietary needs are on track. Touch the image below to see how this recipe measures up.
Grains & Starches 82%
• dry spaghetti noodles
Proteins 18%
• firm tofu
• nutritional yeast flakes
• vegan parmesan
Fruits & Veggies 0%
Calcium
• firm tofu
Fat
• vegetable oil
• unsalted vegan butter
• vegan parmesan
Nutrition info
Focusing on numbers can harm our relationship with food. Instead, our philosophy is to Nourish the Cells & the Soul. For specific nutrition needs due to a medical condition, consult a dietitian or physician. While we strive to provide accurate nutritional information, we cannot guarantee its accuracy. See our disclaimer for details.
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Discussion & Rating
The dish is ok, the sauce and tofu go well together; however it didn't give carbonara vibes because of the tofu flavorings. I was a bit disappointed. The recipe is not bad, but not carbonara!
Amazing!
So delicious! The sauce honestly doesn’t have much flavor alone, so the smoked tofu is essential. My husband and I both agreed the photos of the tofu were way too blackened, so we only did 20 minutes and were very happy at the slight char they had at that point. The only thing I would change in the future is half the amount of turmeric powder as it was too yellow instead of the light or pale yellow we were wanting and increase the amount of salt. I’d happily make this one again!
Wanted to give 3 stars but I think maybe it's a "me" issue? The texture with the corn starch was very off-putting in the finished dish. Accidentally used non-vegan butter though so I'm wondering if the fats or dairy in that just didn't mix well? The starch didn't dissolve much in the water to begin with and then the sauce thickened up so quickly it was kind of a congealed mess once mixed with everything 😅. The flavors were SO good though! Will have to give this a try if the PUL team or any other users have any advice!
🥹 I never thought i’d get to have carbonara again!
Just made this for one vegan, one vegetarian, and one omni who recently had Carbonara in Italy. All cleared their plates and marveled at this uniquely delicious dish.
I had been wanting to try this for a while and it didn’t disappoint, it was delicious! The tofu didn’t turn out as crispy and dark as the image suggests, so next time I might try to spread the pieces out more on the tray and cook it at a higher temperature.
Super easy recipe to follow (I bought the smoked tofu though) and the sauce is surprisingly similar to non-vegan carbonara, both in texture and flavour! Great recipe to surprise (and convince) doubtful Italian friends 😉😄
The tofu part was great but unfortunately the pasta part wasn’t very flavorful
Easy and great taste!
loooooooooved it! will be making it again!
I wanted to skip the tofu part so I bought fake bacon instead. Now I think the tofu part must have been important, because the smell of the sauce on its own actually put me off. My husband didn’t love this dish either.
This was quite good! I didn't have dark soy sauce so increased the amount of regular soy sauce. Is it worth tracking down dark soy sauce for the future (yes, I'll be making this again!)? Also, I increased the amount of vegan parmesan on top. I have missed having carbonara in my life! I find most other vegan white sauced based pasta recipes do not quite live up to my memories of non-vegan versions. This one was different and in a very good way. Thank you!
The sauce in this dish is spot on! I really couldn’t tell that it was plant-based. I, however, didn’t particularly love the addition of the tofu. Despite its crunchy exterior, its soft interior gets lost in the texture of the spaghetti. Maybe slicing the tofu into thinner pieces would make it crunchier and complement the dish better.
My husband and I really enjoyed this dish. He usually only wants red sauce pastas but he said he would happily eat this again 😊
Delicious and easy to make! 😋
Amazing! Really Restaurant-like👌
I have made this recipe twice and it’s so good! This marinade has become my go to for tofu. I marinated some tofu, pan fried, and put it on a sandwich. 😋
This was absolutely divine! It's going on my list of favourite pasta recipes to make again (all of which are PUL may I say! 😆).
As a true Roman i can only say this was delicious!
REALLY really yummy!
First time I ever used nutritional yeast, Kala Namak and Liquid Smoke. It all comes together so well and tastes absolutely divine 🤍
I was sceptical at first but this was amazing! I roasted the tofu in the pan because I didn’t feel like heating up the oven. It was still great ☺️. I also didn’t know how easy it is to make your own vegan Parmesan!
Really nice. Made it for my mum who is fasting this period, nice twist! We don't eat tofu so I added sun dried tomatoes instead. 😊 Thanks for the idea!
Seriously good. It really gives the feeling of a carbonara. Mine was a bit too salty but I think that was my bad as I don't have kosher salt. Otherwise perfect.
New fave pasta recipe for sure!
Question! Maple syrup is quite expensive here.. any suggestions for replacements?
My non-vegan boyfriend and I love it! He loves Italian cuisine and has tried different versions of vegan carbonara for me (❤️). This one is a recipe that we'll definitely make again! Thank you
This pasta was amazing! I served it to my family of non-vegans and they loved it and asked me to make it again. I used smoked pepper corns to garnish which added to the smokiness of the tofu. Thank you!
this was *unfathomably* good—this is going in our regular rotation
DELICIOUS!!
As soon as I saw the new PIL video I knew I had to make this! It was incredible, and don’t skip the Parmesan! We loved the bacony bits so much. Will definitely make again!!
Super tasty! I skipped the liquid smoke because it was the only ingredient I didn’t already have at home but I’ll try it next time. I also didn’t have fresh cracked pepper so I used ground pepper instead. I subbed one to one and it was a little bit too peppery, so if anyone reading this is in the same boat, start with less and you can add more as needed.
As an Italian, thank you! It's hard to come across vegan versions of classics and this was delicious!