Vegan Spinach Fettuccine Alfredo
This creamy, decadent vegan spinach fettuccine alfredo is easy enough to whip up on a weeknight, but fancy enough for a special occasion!
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 package vegan bacon, chopped (I like Upton's Naturals)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups vegetable stock (I like Better than Boullion "no chicken"), see note
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 5 ounces spinach (one "bag" from the grocery store, or equivalent)
- 1 pound fettuccine pasta
- salt (for pasta water)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When it boils, liberally salt the water and cook pasta according to package directions.
- In the meantime, drizzle 1 Tablespoon into a large pot over medium heat.
- Add the chopped bacon and cook for about 5 minutes, or until crispy.
- Add the walnuts and toast for 1 more minute.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and walnuts from the pot and set aside.
- Add the remaining 3 Tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Sprinkle the flour into the oil and stir to make a paste. Cook for a minute or so, allowing the flour to cook and lose the raw flavor, making a roux.
- Slowly drizzle in the vegetable stock, whisking the roux as you go to make a creamy sauce. Stir in the pepper. Lower heat and set aside while the pasta finishes cooking.
- When the pasta has finished cooking, ladle out about a half cup of pasta water in case you need to thin the sauce, and set it aside. Then drain the pasta in a colander.
- Place the spinach in the pot on top of the cream sauce. Pour the drained hot pasta onto the spinach to wilt it, and toss liberally until the sauce has completely coated the pasta and the spinach is wilted. If the sauce is not "saucy" enough, you can add some of the reserved pasta water to get the consistency the way you like it. Remove from heat.
- At this point you can mix in the bacon and walnuts, or you can save them to sprinkle on top of each portion.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
*If you'd like to save on ingredients, you can also use the pasta water instead of the veggie stock. Simply ladle out 2+ cups of the salted, starchy pasta water at the end of cooking, before draining.