Vegan Soy Curl “Chicken” Fettuccine Alfredo

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This vegan fettuccine alfredo is a quick and easy 30 minute weeknight dinner. Made with soy curl “chicken,” this hearty dish is packed with plant based protein.

Vegan Soy Curl “Chicken” Fettuccine Alfredo

Sometime last year, I spotted a jar of vegan alfredo sauce in the store. I’m always on the lookout for a good pasta sauce, so I picked up the jar to examine the nutrition label… aaand I immediately returned it to the shelf, because the calories and fat content were low key kind of offensive lol.

I am not the type of person who dictates what I eat solely based on calories alone. If I want to purchase an occasional treat from the store or order a decadent meal while I’m eating out, then I will! But when I’m cooking at home, I prefer to make healthier meals.

And just about every heavy, high-calorie dish can be transformed into a lighter dish that is still absolutely delicious. So say hello to this lower calorie vegan fettuccine alfredo recipe!

This lightened up vegan alfredo sauce is made with simple ingredients: vegan butter, flour, unsweetened non-dairy milk, spices, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice. That’s it – you might even have the ingredients to make this recipe on hand right now.

To add some protein and make the dish more filling, I included soy curls in this recipe. You could also add some broccoli or any veggie of choice to bulk up the dish even more. Just note that the more veggies you add, your sauce ratio will be thrown off a bit! Make extra sauce, or decrease the amount of pasta to accommodate extra veggies.

What are soy curls?

Soy curls are a dehydrated soy product produced by Butler Foods and can be ordered online via their website or on Amazon. Soy curls are made from pure non-GMO soy beans, with no added fat or flour. Once hydrated, they have a very chewy, meaty texture that is very similar to chicken! So they are perfect for this vegan “chicken” fettuccine alfredo recipe.

Ingredients for Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo

• Fettuccine noodles: or any long pasta of choice
• Soy curls: used as a vegan “chicken” substitute
• Vegan chicken broth: I used the Vegetarian No Chicken Base from Better Than Bouillon to rehydrate the soy curls for more of a chicken flavor, but you can use vegetable broth or water instead
• Olive oil: for sautéing the soy curls, but you can omit if oil-free
• Vegan butter: I like Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, but any butter will do
• Unsweetened non-dairy milk: I used almond milk, but any vegan milk will work as long as it is unflavored and unsweetened
• Nutritional yeast: for a subtle cheesy flavor
• Lemon juice: for acidity
• Spices: italian seasoning (sub with dried oregano and basil), garlic powder, onion powder, and salt

How to substitute soy curls in this recipe

Don’t have soy curls? This recipe tastes great without them, but if you still want to include a source of protein you could use any store bought chicken (such as Gardein Chick’n Strips) or shredded seitan.

How to make Soy Curl “Chicken”

Soy curls come dehydrated, so the first step is to hydrate them. In this recipe, I recommend hydrating the soy curls with Better than Bouillon Vegan Chicken Broth so the soy curls get infused with some extra chicken-y flavor. You can also use vegetable broth, or even just water.

Place the soy curls in a bowl. Bring the broth to a boil and pour it over the soy curls. Let the soy curls rehydrate in the broth for about 8 minutes. Once hydrated, drain the excess broth.

In a large pan, sauté the soy curls with some italian spices until they are golden on each side. Remove the soy curls from the pan and set aside for now. You can use the same pan to cook the vegan alfredo sauce.

How to make Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo

Many vegan alfredo sauces rely on blended cashews to get a creamy, decadent sauce. But this recipe relies on a simple roux mixed with almond milk to achieve a lighter but equally as delicious vegan alfredo sauce.

Start by making the vegan roux. To do this, melt the vegan butter or oil over meat heat. Then add in the flour, whisking until it becomes a smooth paste. Once smooth, whisk in the non-dairy milk until there are no clumps. Then add in the spices and lemon juice, and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has thicken. The alfredo sauce will thicken a bit as it cools, so keep this in mind when determining how thick you’d like your sauce. If you accidentally simmer the sauce for too long and it becomes too thick, you can whisk in extra almond milk to thin it out.

Meanwhile, cook your fettuccine noodles al dente. Once the sauce is done simmering, stir in the noodles and the soy curl “chicken.” Serve immediately with fresh parsley and freshly cracked black pepper!

How to meal prep this recipe

Leftovers will keep in the fridge for about 4 days. After that, the noodles may start to get soft and break apart. If you would like to meal prep this recipe to last longer than 4 days, I suggest keeping the alfredo sauce, soy curls, and pasta each in their own separate containers. You could even cook the pasta fresh the day you plan to enjoy the meal.

The vegan alfredo sauce is also freezer friendly! Just pop it a freezer safe container or bag, and thaw it in the fridge when you are ready to enjoy it.

More easy weeknight pasta dinners

• Creamy Vegan Pasta with Summer Veggies
• 15 Minute Avocado Pesto Pasta
• Pumpkin Miso Pasta
• 15 Minute Hummus Pasta

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