Serves 4 || 30 Minutes
Photo by Justin Limoges
This vegan cacio e pepe with tempeh sausage is the weeknight pasta that earns its place in permanent rotation. Cheese and pepper. And more cheese and pepper. And also, while we are at it, even MORE cheese and pepper, please. Cacio e pepe is the hotness, and recreating the flavors vegan style is easy, breezy, cheezy. Almonds for that hard cheese texture. Cashews for creamy richness. Nooch and miso, the usual tricks, for that deep and tangy bite. And then, lucky us, black pepper is already vegan, of course. Use plenty of it.
Classic cacio e pepe is all about emulsifying cheese, pepper, and pasta water into something glossy and clingy. This cacio e pepe recipe hits that same energy with nuts doing the work.
If you want to take this vegan cacio e pepe recipe even further, finish with a sprinkle of homemade vegan parmesan or your favorite store-bought. Or go with my Vegan Almond Feta if you want something easy and homemade that brings even more cheesiness to the table.
Now let’s talk sausage. I crave tempeh sausage and that’s what I used for most of my vegan life until other things were invented. The tempeh gets crumbled and cooked in cast iron until browned and crispy at the edges, then seasoned with fennel, smoked paprika, thyme, sage, and a splash of tamari. It tastes like sausage because it is sausage. The fennel seed is the key player here, so chop it a little before adding so it blooms into the tempeh instead of just sitting there.
The sauce is a blender situation: almonds, cashews, miso, nooch, lemon, olive oil, water. It comes out slightly grainy from the almonds, which is exactly right. That texture gives it a parmesan-like quality that clings to the pasta instead of sliding off. If it were totally smooth it wouldn’t be quite right. It thickens quickly in the pan when you toss everything together, getting glossy and coating every strand of linguine, so keep it moving as you combine everything.
Freshly grind the black pepper directly into the sauce. It calls for one teaspoon to start but you can eyeball it. You want enough that you can see it and smell it. When in doubt, add more. This is cacio e pepe. There is no such thing as too much pepper. It doubles well and the leftovers are great. This recipe is from Fake Meat.
VEGAN CACIO E PEPE FAQ:
Do I need a high speed blender for the sauce? If you don’t have one then soak the cashews (not the almonds) in water overnight or boil in water for 20 minutes, then drain and cool. You don’t need to soak the almonds. This helps the cashews get silky. The almonds don’t need to be.
Can I make this with more pasta? Double the sauce but you can keep the tempeh as is — there’s plenty of sausage for a full pound of pasta. The recipe doubles easily if you want more of everything, but the tempeh amount works either way. A little less tempeh, but works!
Can I use store bought vegan sausage instead of tempeh sausage? For sure. Crumble it into the pan with oil and brown. No need for the spices. But I do think the tempeh version is better, although I get it if you need a shortcut.
Can I use a different pasta? Yeah, of course! Spaghetti or bucatini are traditional for cacio e pepe. Linguine works great. Anything long and slurpy.
Can I make this without sausage at all? Yep, it’s a great cacio e pepe recipe just for the sauce alone!
Can I make this vegan cacio e pepe gluten free? For sure. Use your favorite gluten free pasta and make sure your tamari is gluten free.
Can I make the cacio e pepe sauce ahead of time? Yes. Blend the sauce and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days. It will thicken in the fridge, add a splash of water when you reheat it.
How did I end up here? You were probably searching for “plant based cacio e pepe,” “vegan pasta with sausage,” or “tempeh sausage pasta.” Maybe “vegan creamy pasta” or “cacio e pepe vegan.” This is the one. Your search is over.
If You Like This Cacio E Pepe Recipe You Might Also Like:
Cacio e Pepe e Salsicca
Ingredients
For the pasta:
- 8 ounces linguine
- Salt for cooking the pasta
For the tempeh sausage:
- 16 ounces tempeh two 8 oz packages
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus a little extra
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon chopped fennel seed
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tamari
For the sauce:
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- ½ cup whole unroasted cashews
- 1 tablespoon mellow white miso
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Make the sausage:
- Preheat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Crumble the tempeh into bite-size pieces. Sauté in 2 tablespoons olive oil until lightly browned, flipping often with a thin metal spatula, about 15 minutes.
- Push the tempeh to the side of the pan. Drizzle in a little more olive oil and cook the garlic for about 15 seconds, then combine with the tempeh.
- Add the fennel, sage, thyme, onion powder, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes and mix. Add ¼ cup water, the apple cider vinegar, and tamari. Sauté for another 10 minutes or so. Add splashes of water if it sticks. Remove from heat.
Make the sauce:
- In a high speed blender, blend the almonds, cashews, 1¾ cups water, miso, olive oil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and salt until relatively smooth. There will be a slightly grainy texture from the almonds. See FAQ if you don’t have a highspeed blender.
Combine everything and finish:
- Add the pasta to the tempeh sausage in the pan and toss. Add the sauce and black pepper and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often, until thick. Serve with additional black pepper.
