YES. YES. YES!!!! This Vegan Cacio e Pepe with Morel Mushrooms is a simple yet decadent pasta dish that you will want to make again and AGAIN!
Simply put, cacio means cheese and pepe is pepper. But ooh la la- sometimes the things that are the most basic are hands down the best and this Vegan Cacio e Pepe with Morel Mushrooms is just that.
I know, classic Cacio e Pepe typically doesn’t include mushrooms but when we got our hands on beautiful morels we just couldn’t help taking this traditional dish to the next level. And man oh man, this is a winning combo.
The texture of the morels perfectly contradicts the creamy cheesy pasta. Then, the oodles and oodles of freshly ground pepper leaves your mouth with the ideal sharp bite. Life really doesn’t get ANY BETTER than this Vegan Cacio e Pepe with Morel Mushrooms!!!
Store bought dairy free cheese is truly getting better and better all the time. We try to avoid processed food as much as we can, even if it is plant-based. However, for this dish we just had to splurge!
We did use a combination of both store bought Parmesan (we used the brand Violife) and our own homemade Pepita Parmesan. So feel free to use one or the other or BOTH like we did.
Plain and simple you will LOVE this Vegan Cacio e Pepe with Morel Mushrooms!
Wait for it…
- 8 oz Fresh Morel Mushrooms (Halved)
- 1 Tbsp Vegan Butter
- 1 Clove Garlic (Minced)
- ½ Cup Vegan Parmesan or Pepita Parmesan (Grated)
- Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
- Fresh Parsley (Chopped for garnish)
- Gluten Free Spaghetti (or regular)
- Wash and prepare the mushrooms, garlic and parsley.
- Put a large pot of water on to boil. Lightly salt the water if desired. Cook pasta as per directions on the box.
- In a frying pan, melt the butter and sauté the garlic for 1 minute.
- Add the morels to the garlic and simmer until lightly browned.
- Drain the pasta after it has finished. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
- Place the drained pasta back into the large pot and stir in the Parmesan and a liberal amount of black pepper. If the pasta seems too dry you can add a little pasta water.
- Plate the pasta and evenly distribute the morels and garlic.
- Garnish with more Parmesan and parsley.
- Enjoy!
Amazinggggg