Vegan Carbonara Pasta

Ingredients (for 2 servings):

• 250 g penne or spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 200 g mushrooms, 1/2 finely sliced and 1/2 finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp mustard
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (seasoning)

Ingredients for the carbonara sauce:

• 100 g cashews
• 240 ml water
• 2 tbsp yeast flakes
• 1/2 tsp Kala Namak salt
• 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Preparation:

• Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain and optionally mix with a little olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking.
• Heat a frying pan with olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and sauté both for 3 minutes.
• Slice half of the mushrooms and chop the other half. Then mix soy sauce, maple syrup, mustard, liquid smoke and paprika seasoning in a small bowl.
• Add the mixture to the pan with the mushrooms and sauté over high heat for 5 minutes until the liquid has evaporated.
• For the vegan carbonara sauce, put the ingredients in a blender and puree everything until you get a creamy consistency.
• Add the cooked pasta and sauce to the mushrooms in the hot pan. Cook for a minute, stirring constantly, until the pasta has absorbed the sauce and the sauce has thickened slightly.
• Season with salt and pepper and optionally top with vegan parmesan alternative.