Vegan Pasta Recipes: Creamy Stroganoff

You might think that by going plant-based you have been condemned to tomato-based pasta dishes forever!

But what if I told you you can still enjoy a nice creamy bowl of pasta?

In fact, what if I told you that you can also garnish your dish with crispy vegan “bacon” strips?

If that sounds good, read on.

A couple of notes on this recipe before you get started:

don’t worry if you don’t have access to a vegan Worcester sauce alternative – the recipe will still work without it, although if you would like a bit of kick for your dish, you might want to add a few chili flakes.
If you don’t have scales, just estimate the amount of pasta you expect to feed two people. And if you end up with more than you expected, why not take it to work and reheat it for lunch?

Prep time: 15-20mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Servings: 2

Ingredients:

140g dry pasta (any type)
250g mushrooms
½ tin coconut milk
1 onion
2-3 garlic cloves
1 tbsp vegetable stock powder or 1 vegetable stock flavour pot
1 tbsp vegan Worcester sauce
½ tbsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 stems of dill
½ tsp salt

If making bacon-flavoured rice crisps to garnish, you will also need:

2 sheets rice paper
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp water

Equipment:

Frying pan
Pasta pot (basically a pot suited to the amount of pasta you have)
Knife and chopping board
Kitchen scales
Wooden spoon
Colander

If making bacon-flavoured rice crisps to garnish, you will also need:

Small bowl or cup
Pastry brush
Baking parchment
Oven tray
Scissors

Method:

1. Fill the pot with water to about halfway, add salt and put the pot on the stove on a high heat setting to bring the water to the boil.

2. While the water is heating up, slice the mushrooms into thin slices and chop the onion and garlic finely. Open your coconut milk.

3. Once the water boils, add your chosen pasta – it can be anything from spaghetti to fusilli to conchiglie.

Cooking time should be specified on the packaging, but use your own discretion. You are aiming for ‘al dente', as we will be later cooking it with the sauce as well. Usually about 10 minutes is sufficient.

4. Heat 2 tbsp oil in the pan. Then add mushrooms, onion and garlic, and continue stirring from time to time to avoid burning.

5. If you’re making “bacon” crisps, use the time you have while the pasta is cooking and the mushrooms are frying to make a marinade.

In a cup or a small bowl, mix olive oil, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and water. You want an oily, slightly chunky consistency. Lay out your rice paper sheets on a chopping board and use your pastry brush to gently wet rice paper with cold water.

Once you’ve added some water, place one sheet on top of the other.

Carry on using the pastry brush to coat the softened sheets with marinade. Using scissors, cut the rice paper into strips. Now lay out in lines, a slight distance apart, on an oven tray with baking parchment.

6. At this point, if the pasta is sufficiently cooked, use the colander to drain the water and let the pasta sit there for a few minutes.

7. Once your mushrooms have a lovely golden crisp colour, add the coconut milk, vegetable stock, mustard seeds and Worcester sauce alternative if you’re using it. Turn the heat down and let simmer.

8. Heat the oven to 200°C and place the tray with rice paper crisps on the middle shelf. Cool for about 3-5 minutes, checking on them occasionally to avoid burning them.

These crisps cook really quickly, but because of the variation in moisture content and depending on how thick you’ve applied your marinade, time may vary, so it’s best to keep an eye on them.

9. Chop the dill. Add ⅔ into the pan, and leave the rest for garnishing.

10. Finally, add the pasta to your frying pan, and let simmer for another few minutes, letting the pasta absorb some of the flavor.

Voila!