Raw Vegan Zughetti alla Carbonara

Who says you can’t enjoy a nice carbonara when you’re eating raw? You certainly can with this raw vegan zughetti alla carbonara! Traditional spaghetti alla carbonara is a cream sauce pasta, made with eggs, bacon, and fresh cracked pepper. But in this raw vegan zughetti alla carbonara, we’ll be using cashews for the cream sauce, black salt for the eggs, and raw vegan coconut bacon from the previous post for the bacon, and zucchini pasta, aka zughetti, for the pasta. A much healthier alternative without sacrificing any of the flavor. You’ll still be able to enjoy your beloved carbonara!

Simple to make, but before I get into the instructions, I’d like to discuss a couple of the ingredients. I mentioned earlier that we will be using black salt in place of eggs in the cream sauce. Basically, black salt is very high in sulfur which helps give vegan recipes an egg like flavor. It is a really cool “secret” ingredient for many vegan chefs. Now, it’s not mandatory for the recipe, but I would suggest getting some in the future purely for the flavors you can get using it. For the time being just use whatever salt you have on hand. (Hopefully Himalayan, sea salt, or real salt!) Here is a link if you’re interested in getting black salt.

The other ingredient I want to discuss is the nutritional yeast in the cream sauce. Regular readers of the blog have seen me use it before. Nutritional yeast is a yellow, flake like or sometimes more powdered substance that contains a complete protein chain, vitamin B12 and fiber. It is sensational for giving a cheese like flavor to foods and a must for “cheesy” raw vegan dishes. (Please don’t confuse it with bakers or brewers yeast though. It is not the same and will ruin your recipe!)

I like the Red Star brand most.

Now, let’s start making some carbonara! First, you’ll have to soak the cashews for 2-4 hours. Then drain and rinse well. When the nuts are ready, we’ll make the zughetti. Making zughetti or “zoodles” is very easy using a spiralizer. I got this one from Amazon and it works great. You can also find spiralizers at kitchen equipment stores and through the internet.

Cut off the ends of the zucchini before putting it into the spiralizer. A few turns of the crank and PRESTO! Zucchini noodles or zughetti or zoodles or.  .  .  Okay, you get the idea. Cut the zughetti a few times to make shorter pieces so it’s easier to eat. Unless that is, you’re sharing it with someone and you want a Lady and the Tramp moment!

I used yellow zucchini for the pictures to make it look more like pasta, but you can use regular green zucchini. Put the noodlized zucchini into a bowl, lightly drizzle some olive oil, and add a pinch of salt. Massage the noodles a little, and let it sit for a few minutes to let it releases water.

While we let the noodles sit, we’ll make the sauce. Add all the ingredients for the sauce into the blender, and blend until smooth. Pour the sauce into a large bowl.

Right before you’re ready to serve, ring out the noodles well. Carefully fold in half of the coconut bacon reserved for the topping into the sauce, toss in the zughetti and combine. Plate it and top with the remaining coconut bacon. Finish it off with some fresh cracked pepper and chopped parsley. Serve immediately! As the zughetti sits, the salt from the sauce will draw water out from the noodles. So unless you want to eat carbonara soup, it’s best to eat it right away.

It taste as beautiful as it looks. Definitely give this one a try!

Zughetti alla Carbonara

 

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Prep time

2 hours

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

2 hours 20 mins

 

Author: Mariko Sakata

Cuisine: raw food, raw vegan, gluten-free

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

Carbonara sauce

• 1½ cups cashews
• ½ cup coconut bacon
• 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1¼ teaspoons black salt or salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
• ½ cup water
• 
  

Zughetti

• 6 medium sized zucchini
• A light drizzle of olive oil
• A pinch of salt
• 
  

For toppings

• 1 cup coconut bacon
• Some fresh cracked pepper to taste
• Some chopped parsley

Instructions

1. Soak the cashews for 2-4 hours. Drain and rinse well.
2. Use the spiralizer and turn zucchini into zucchini noodles. Cut them into shorter pieces to make it easier when you eat.
3. Put them into a bowl, and lightly drizzle some olive oil, and add a pinch of salt. Massage the noodles, and let it sit for a few minutes to let it release water.
4. Add all the ingredients for the carbonara sauce into the blender and blend until smooth.
5. Right before you're ready to serve, ring out the noodles well.
6. Gently fold in half the amount of the coconut bacon set aside for topping into the sauce. Toss in the zughetti and combine.
7. Plate it and top with the remaining coconut bacon. Finish it off with some fresh cracked pepper, and chopped parsley.
8. Serve immediately!

Notes

Yellow zucchini was used in the pictures to make it look more like pasta, but you can just use a regular green zucchini.

Once you mix the zughetti with the sauce, serve immediately. As the zughetti sits, the salt from the sauce will draw water from the noodles, so it's best to eat it right away.

Keeps for 2 days in the refrigerator, but the longer it sits, the more watery it becomes.

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