This vegan, gluten-free creamy carbonara pasta with shiitake bacon is everything carbonara pasta should be. It's rich, bacon-y, salty, comforting, peppered, and satisfying.
If the best things in life are free, then the second best thing in life is probably pasta.
It's only a smidge pricier than free, and it's reliable, filling, and oh-so-yummy. Plus, it's probably one of the first things that most of us learned how to cook (in either macaroni or spaghetti form), which also makes it nostalgic and memory-inducing.
This dish is a play on the crave-worthy carbonara pasta that tends to incite full tummies, wondrous minds, and comforted spirits. What is it about pasta? And more importantly, what is it about pasta dressed simply and seasoned well? It always gets me in the very best of ways.
Since traditional carbonara is made with eggs and a mound of parmesan, this one got a stealthy vegan makeover that will have you doing a double-taste. Tender linguine is tossed in a creamy sauce that's made by blending roasted zucchini, garlic, and shallots with nutritional yeast, almond milk, white wine vinegar, black salt or truffle salt (to add that eggy goodness), regular sea salt, and black pepper. Then, the pasta is mounded high and topped with salty hemp seed parmesan, crunchy shiitake bacon, and a sprinkling of fresh parsley (you know, to keep things balanced). The result is a dish that hugs the heart with health without sacrificing flavor.
Shout out to my pasta lovers: although this says it serves 4-6, if you enjoy this kind of meal as much as Dan and I do then you'll probably get about 3-4 servings out of it. Skimpy pasta servings need not apply in our kitchens.
Creamy Carbonara Pasta with Shiitake Bacon | vegan, gf
Ingredients
For the Shiitake Bacon
- 2 ½ cups sliced shiitake mushrooms (make sure you de-stem them before slicing)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- â…› teaspoon smoke salt (can substitute more sea salt)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Hemp Seed Parmesan
- ¼ cup hemp hearts
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
For the Creamy Carbonara Pasta
- 3 ½ cups peeled and sliced zucchini (about 3 medium zucchini)
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 shallots, peeled and cut into quarters
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ¾ cup plain almond or rice milk
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons arrowroot powder
- ½-3/4 teaspoon sea salt OR ½ teaspoon sea salt + ¼ teaspoon kala namak (i.e., black salt) or truffle salt (for an egg-like taste)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 16 ounces brown rice linguine, cooked according to package instructions*
Garnish
- fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
To Make the Shiitake Bacon
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Add the shiitakes, olive oil, smoke salt, sea salt, and black pepper to the pan. Toss to thoroughly coat.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, turning and flipping every 5-8 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from oven and transfer the shiitake bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel. Pat off excess oil and let cool.
To Make the Hemp Parmesan
- Add the hemp hearts, nutritional yeast, and sea salt to a food processor. Process for 1-2 minutes and transfer to a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To Make the Carbonara Pasta
- Turn the oven up to 400F.
- Add the zucchini, garlic, shallots, and olive oil to a pan. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through baking.
- Add the roasted zucchini mixture to a blender along with the nutritional yeast, almond or rice milk, white wine vinegar, arrowroot powder, sea salt + black/truffle salt, and black pepper. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Whisk continuously for 3-4 minutes until thickened.
- Add the cooked linguine to a large serving bowl. Pour the creamy sauce over top and toss to coat, adding in the pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
- Divide between bowls, and top with the hemp seed parmesan, shiitake bacon, and fresh parsley.
- Serve.
Notes
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I got to taste the shitake bacon last Sunday and loved it! Can't wait to taste it with this recipe. Looks fabulous!
Thank you! The whole mushroom bacon thing is surprisingly tasty!
O-M-G this looks drool-worthy! Pasta is my favorite food and it's definitely the best thing in life, ha ha! ;) I love that the sauce has zucchini in it. I need to make this ASAP!
Thanks, Meredith! Pasta seriously is THE best. The zucchini adds creaminess, which is so perfect for this sauce, as it's a great way to sneak extra veggies into a meal that is typically veggie-less. I hope you have the chance to make this one! :)
Looks so delicious Ashley!! Zucchini is my very favorite veggie! I make a spicy red pepper soup made from roasted red peppers and zucchini all puréed into a saucy soup. It is a great way to create a sauce without the added calories. This looks major YUMMO!!
Thanks so much, Brandi! And zucchini??? Don't even get me started on how much I love the little green guys! I think I average about six a week because they are so versatile. Your spicy red pepper soup with zucchini sounds amazing. I'll have to pop over to checkout that recipe!
This looks absolutely amazing - I love how you used hemp hearts for the parmesan. I am so excited to try this :D Are the shiitake mushrooms fresh or dried?
WOW this carbonara looks SO creamy and delicious. I am loving the idea of a shiitake bacon especially, a recipe I need to try!
Wow does this look good! Very cool how well vegetables replace animal products. This one's going on the must-make list.
that looks super yummi!!!!! i definitivly have to try this recipe :)
i was wondering where you get your rice noodles from? do you purchase them from the internet?
best wishes!
Hi Caro! I usually buy my brown rice pasta at Whole Foods, and Tinkyada is my favorite brand because it doesn't become mushy while cooking. I hope this helps, and best wishes to you too!
oh my goodness !YUM
Thanks, Cristina!
That looks absolutely delicious. Can't wait to try it out.
Thanks, Daire! I hope you enjoy it :)
I substituted rutabaga noodles for the pasta and it was amazing. This is my new favorite.
Cool, I got try! I just will leave the black salt out, I don't miss any of those tastes, thankfully. Loved the shiitake bakon addition, never tried before.
This looks sooooo good! Can't wait to try it - would apple cider vinegar work instead of white wine vinegar? Thanks!
Thanks, Annie! Yes, ACV works great in this recipe! I'll add that in as an option too. Enjoy!
Absolutely amazing. I've been experimenting with vegan cooking lately and I'm so glad I found your website. I was skeptical, but it turned out way better than I could have ever imagined. Thanks for posting!
I just made this and it's wonderful !!
I made this recipe last night exactly as outlined and my (non-vegan) boyfriend and I both loved it. The Shiitake mushroom ‘bacon’ is addicting!! I am so happy to have found your food blog because I have been struggling to find a consistent source of –delicious – vegan recipes.
In addition to this recipe I made 3 of your smoothie recipes and I am in love. Making and enjoying your recipes makes me feel more confident in the kitchen and in taking this vegan journey. Your recipes are helping me really learn all the great things I CAN eat and I CAN cook with. I have never bought a medjool date before, let alone hemp seeds, so I just want to thank you because you have a gift putting these recipes together. Excited to try the Creamy Sundried Tomato & Avocado Pesto and the Grilled Avocado & Romaine Caesar Salad tonight! Also, looking forward to your book :-)
Thank you!!
I've lost count of how many times I've made this now. My wife and I absolutely love it, and I'm often coming back here for more ideas. You're making me look good in the kitchen; thank you!
Aww Steve! Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback on the recipe. Means so much to know it's been a hit in your home!
Has someone tried this without baking the zucchini shallots and garlic but putting them straight into the blender (and then cooking longer the sauce)? How did it turn out?
This stuff is amazing! Worth the steps. I have to eat gluten free and I don't do well with dairy or eggs, but go figure that carbonara is one of my favorite tastes and this certainly satisfies! I'll be making this again. Thanks for the great recipe! I did skip the shallot and arrowroot because I didn't have any and then I used it straight from the blender because I didn't want to wait any longer. So good. Just got the cookbook, I need to try more :)
So glad you're enjoying the recipe, Christinea! Thanks for taking the time to come back and share your feedback and adjustments. Thanks also for supporting my cookbook—means so much! Happy cooking to you. xo
I absolutely loved this recipe! So many new ideas like shiitake bacon which made it fun to cook. I didn't have an smoke salt so I used a little bit of liquid smoke on the mushrooms. Came out great! Definitely going to make shiitake bacon more often! I tried to find truffle salt and couldn't at any of my local stores. Would definitely be curious to taste the egg flavor it would give the dish.
I do have one question though. My sauce came out really green once I blended the zucchini. It tasted really good...but I ended up using a small amount of sauce so the dish wasn't so green looking. When I look at your picture, I don't see a green sauce. How did you manage that (or what did I do wrong?) thank you again for a fabulous dish! Love your site...
Hi, Sara! So happy to hear you enjoyed the dish. Thanks for taking the time to come back and share your feedback and rating—means so much!
As for the green sauce, I'm guessing you maybe forgot to peel the zucchini (as noted in the ingredients list)?
You are right! I totally didn't pay attention to the peeled part which you did clearly write (whoops!) Ok, well next time I will remember because there definitely will be a next time! Luckily the taste wasn't comprised....thanks for clearing it up...What I also love is the zucchini added some depth without making it feel heavy. As much as I love cashew based sauces they can be a bit too much at times..this actually was a very light dish...
what kind of gf pasta did you use?
Hi, Ale! I used brown rice linguine (Tinkyada brand).
How far in advance can the shitake bacon be made?
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How far in advance can the shitake bacon be made?
Thank you!!
Hi, Marna! I'm so sorry I'm just getting to this now (was off for the week on vacation with family). See my reply to your more recent comment! :)
So.....I made this last night and it was delicious! My husband and son, loved it especially the shitake bacon with the cream sauce. They bragged about it to some friends today. I over heard them..., ' The cream sauce was made from zucchini and the bacon was shitake mushrooms she put in the oven. They turned out crispy and tasted just like bacon!!' .... :) …. you certainly made me look good! Thank you!!! I was wondering how long in advance can I make the shitake bacon. How long will it stay crispy if I don't use it straight away? I was wondering in case I want to make it in advance to cut down initial cooking time.
Cant wait to try more recipes! Thank you so much!
Hi, Marna! Ahh, I love that your husband and son were bragging about the recipe to friends—best kind of feedback for you (and for me, too)! The shiitake bacon is really best fresh from the oven but can be made ahead of time (a day or two) and refrigerated, but it will lose its crispiness and be more of a chewy bacon. Thanks for taking time out of your day to come back and share your thoughts and rating—means so much.