It’s been a while since The Eleuther’s last post so I thought I’d come back with a culinary bang 😁 It’s been a really busy time but I went on Winter holiday on Friday so I was determined to create something for you guys 🥰 I’m bringing this beautiful Carbonari recipe back with a baked twist! Vegan and gluten-free, this smoky staple is amazing for a cheesy Winter treat meal without the dairy 😍 And I’ve made it even more low-maintenance than the original which I didn’t even think possible 😳
I was looking to use up loads of the gluten-free pasta I already had open, so I used a mish-mash of spaghetti, penne and fusilli 😀 Basically, you can use whatever pasta you want ✌🏻
All in all, this meal will take around 90 minutes to prepare. But, the beauty is that about 70 minutes of that is oven time – with only an occasional stir required! This recipe serves four.
Cheesy like good macaroni, but smoky like a carbonara – all in bake form 😎
Ingredients:
> One small bulb of garlic.
> 2 tablespoons of parsley.
> One whole packet of Applewood’s Smoked Vegan Cheese (or a suitable alternative).
> One whole packet of Quorn Smoky Vegan Ham (or a suitable alternative).
> Two large tablespoons of vegan butter (I used Vitalie).
> One teaspoon of salt (I used a tablespoon of Tamari sauce to add to the smoky flavour).
> Four servings of gluten-free pasta of your choice.
> 300-400ml of soya milk (or plant alternative.
Method:
1) Cut the ‘stalk’ end off of a bulb of garlic. In an oven-safe container, place the garlic bulb (optionally, with a tablespoon of vegan butter dolloped on top) into the centre of your oven on Gas Mark 5.
2) Place your pasta in a pan; cover with a shake of salt and a drop of oil (preferably, olive oil but it doesn’t really matter). Cover with boiled water and cook to desired state. In the oven, the pasta will cook on – but it is likely to grow crisper on the top-level. I like to do my pasta al denté. When you are happy, remove from the heat and strain.
3) In a baking tray, spread out the pasta evenly. Add in the soya milk, parsley, vegan butter, salt/tamari sauce, and then the Quorn Ham – you can either cube it neatly, or tear it into pieces like I prefer to 😁 Then place the cheese central in the dish, either whole if you’re feeling lazy or grated.
4) When the garlic is roasted to your taste, remove it and add it to the pasta mix – you can squeeze the garlic out and then crush it or finely chop it, and then add to the mix. You should have some excess, which goes perfectly on some bread mixed with vegan to accompany the meal.
5) Place the baking tray in the centre of the oven on Gas Mark 5. Leave for around 70 minutes, stirring every now and then to ensure everything combines properly.
Bon appétit!