Vegan carbonara butter beans

Imagine the most creamy, smoky delicious carbonara pasta but instead of pasta were using beans! This super quick and easy bean dish is an indulgent flavour bomb you'll be eating on repeat.

This one might ruffle a few feathers because some of the internet isn’t keen on messing with Italian classics however we love to veganise all the best things in life over at the plant bowls and eating more beans is always a good thing so lets get stuck in to these beauties that I call carbonara butter beans. I truly love beans and butter beans are giant silky white beans that just increase my joy every time I eat them and they’re also healthy!? Win win! I whipped together a super simple creamy silken tofu sauce to coat these gorgeous beans, chucked in some crispy vegan bacon lardons and there you have it. Super simple to make, extremely satisfying, healthy and meal prep friendly. If you love pasta carbonara and beans you will be making these over and over again! Thank me later!

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Ingredients and substitutes-

• Butter beans- I used bold beans queen beans available in the UK as they are really good quality giant beans. Tinned butter beans are also fine and if you prefer you can use any other white beans you like or have in your cupboard already this could even work with chickpeas if that’s what you have!

• Vegan bacon- I like THIS original vegan bacon for its structure and flavour, it makes great ‘lardons’. However you can use any vegan bacon or swap out for sun dried tomatoes if you prefer to have a less processed alternative.

• Silken tofu- Silken tofu work so well as a thick creamy sauce with a protein boost. Once blended up with some flavour enhancers you’ll never tell your sauce is tofu based. It a healthier alternative to using cream and works perfectly on the creamy butter beans.

• Nutritional yeast- This can be bought in most supermarkets and is the king of cheesy flavours in vegan cooking. Nutritional yeast added to creamy silken tofu gives for a slightly cheesy creamy sauce.

• Black salt- Also known as kala namak is a type of salt that adds an eggy flavour. As carbonara is traditionally made with eggs the addition of black salt gives our vegan version a little hint of egginess.

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Top Tips!

Blending-

I use a high speed blender to make the sauce smooth however the silken tofu is very soft so you could try using a food processor or a whisk however the sauce wont be as glossy as a high speed blender.

Sauce-

 I made my sauce thick but if you prefer it a little thinner just add some more soy milk to the blender.

Bacon-

If you prefer this dish not to be ultra processed feel free to add sundried tomatoes in place of the bacon bits.

And now for the recipe!

Creamy vegan carbonara butter beans

Serves- 2 Time- 15 minutes

Ingredients-

• 570g butter beans

• 120g vegan bacon

• 300g silken tofu

• 50 ml soy milk

• 2 garlic cloves minced

• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

• 1 tsp black salt

• 1 tsp ground black peppercorns

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Method-

1. Chop the vegan bacon into lardon size pieces and fry off in some olive oil. Remove and set aside.

2. Now for the sauce- in a high speed blender cup add the silken tofu, nutritional yeast, soy milk, garlic, black pepper, salt and lemon juice. Blitz until a smooth sauce is achieved.

3. Put the pan you cooked the bacon in on a low heat and add the sauce. Keep this on a light simmer until it thickens slightly.

4. Add in the butter beans and simmer until the beans are warmed through and the sauce is at your desired consistency.

5. Add in the bacon for the last couple of minutes of cooking.

6. Serve up topped with some extra bacon bits and some fresh parsley.

7. Enjoy!

FAQ-

·         Can I meal prep these?- I know you’ll love these beans so much that you’ll want to take them for lunch again the next day! Just pop them in a Tupperware in the fridge and reheat in the microwave with the lid rested on to slightly steam them to ensure they don’t dry out when microwaving.

·         Can this sauce be used for other dishes?- Yes, this is my go to vegan carbonara sauce so can be used with pasta instead if you like. Its super versatile so use in place of any creamy sauce.

Why not try these other bean recipes?

• Greek style giant beans

• Butter bean curry

• Vegan orzo minestrone cannellini bean soup

Did you make this recipe?

Snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @theplantbowls I'd love to see it!

Click here to watch the recipe video

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