International cuisine is very popular, but it’s tastier and cheaper to make your own, than rely on supermarket ready-meals, which are often very inferior and made with chemicals, as well as being packed in plastic. If you can’t afford to eat out at a nice restaurant each night, then try making your own food. Also see where to make or buy vegan pesto.
Italian food is very regional, from bolognese (Bologna) and pizza (Naples) to rice and polenta in the north. It naturally lends itself to fresh veggies, you could use a local rapeseed oil instead of olive oil, to reduce food miles. The Vegan Pasta Cookbook offers 60 recipes including many that go beyond Italy to offer fusion foods like noodles!
Many foods are toxic to animal friends, so keep these recipes away from nosey paws. If making your own pasta, keep fresh dough away from pets (it can expand in the stomach) and never use xylitol (a sweetener that can be lethal, if licked).
Making your own recipes is a fun affordable way to use up leftover veggies, or what’s on sale at the farmers’ market. Base meals around cheap staples like pasta or rice (take your own container to the zero waste shop, but eat rice up quickly, as it’s a food poison hazard, if left too long). Eating plant-based recipes is good for animal welfare, the planet and your health. It’s also a good way to replace tasteless and expensive plastic-wrapped ready-meals from the supermarket. Recipes include:
- Tomato Basil Balsamic Bucatini
- Spaghetti & Vegan Meatballs
- Linguine al Limone with Toasted Pistachios
- Homemade Almond Parmesan
Purezza Vegan Pizza is by the founders of a successful chain of vegan pizzerias in England. After learning how to make your own wholemeal, sourdough or gluten-free crusts, recreate their famed dishes including:
- Butternut Squash & Cavolo Nero Pizza.
- Mushroom & Sausage Vegan Pizza
- San Marzano Tomato Pizza with Asparagus Sauce
- Beetroot Carpaccio
- Smoked Carrot Pancetta
- Funghi Trifolati
- Cashew Mozzarella
- Almond Gorgonzola
The Zero Waste Italian Grocery
Kinda Co Italian-Style is a plant-based alternative to Parmesan (which is not vegetarian, as it contains calf rennet, also found in most jars of pesto). This is made from almonds and browns well to top lasagne or pasta bakes. Sold in a zero waste glass jar, it’s made in Somerset. Oh, Grate is another alternative sold in a jar. Made in London, it contains cashew nuts, cheesy-tasting nutritional yeast, garlic and truffle oil.
Clearspring is ironically a Japanese macrobiotic food company. But its range of organic pasta sauces are sublime. Choose from Puttanesca (tomatoes, capers and olives, porcini (tomatoes and chunky mushrooms) or arrabbiata (tomatoes and fiery chilli).
If you cook a lot of Italian food, invest in a 3L tin of extra virgin organic olive oil. Best really for salad dressings, as it’s not the best oil to cook with, but having said that, millions of Italians do, and they all seem fine!
No good Italian meal is complete without tomato puree. Mr Organic is free from nasties!
Make (or buy) Vegan Gorgonzola
Did you know that many Italian cheeses (including Parmesan and Gorgonzola) are not even vegetarian? By law, they contain calf rennet (as do most brands of pesto). So if you like Italian cheeses, here are nice plant-based simple recipes, and better brands to buy.
Vegan Blue Cheese (Full of Plants) is quite a complicated recipe by a talented French chef, which needs ingredients to ferment it. However, it’s a viral recipe ideal for ambitious chefs!
Don’t eat mould-ripened cheeses during pregnancy/breastfeeding. Many ingredients in vegan cheeses (macadamia nuts, onion and garlic) are toxic to pets, so keep away from nosey paws. Don’t feed leftover crackers to birds, as it can choke (and fatty foods like butter, cheese or grease, affects waterproofing/insulation of feathers).
Gorgonzola was said to be Pavarotti’s favourite cheese, melted on pasta. But again it’s not vegetarian, as it contains calf rennet. Named after a village just outside Milan, this blue-veined cheese takes a while to ripen.
Where to Buy Good (vegan) Gorgonzola
Honestly Tasty Vegan Blue Gorgonzola (UK) is matured over several weeks, using Pencillium Roqueforti. Made from almonds and nutritional yeast, it may contain traces of allergens. Store at correct temperature and eat within a week of delivery (can be frozen for a few weeks, but may affect flavour). The founder spent months experimenting on his own Veganzola. So he closed down his career in banking, and founded a cheese company! 2% of profits go to an animal sanctuary.
Also try Palace Culture Sacré Bleu (UK) with subtle notes of roquefort and white wine. Pairs nicely with seeded crackers and a good white sweet wine.
Make (or buy) Vegan Ricotta
Did you know that many Italian cheeses (including Parmesan and Gorgonzola) are not even vegetarian? By law, they contain calf rennet (as do most brands of pesto). So if you like Italian cheeses, here are nice plant-based simple recipes, and better brands to buy. Creamy Vegan Almond Ricotta (Carlo Cao) is a recipe by a Swiss-Italian chef.
Many ingredients in vegan cheeses (macadamia nuts, onion and garlic) are toxic to pets, so keep away from nosey paws. Don’t feed leftover crackers to birds, as it can choke (and fatty foods like butter, cheese or grease, affects waterproofing/insulation of feathers).
Ricotta is a grainy cream cheese (as opposed to mascarpone that is smoother). They are used to stuff pasta and ravioli, and in sweet cheesecake fillings. Vegan Tofu Ricotta (Short Girl, Tall Order) is a tasty 8-ingredient recipe, with lots of protein.
Where to Buy Good (vegan) Ricotta
- New Roots La Cotta is made from cashews by a Swiss couple who switched careers, after he was injured in a racing accident. Also in lavender & thyme.
- Palace Culture Almond Ricotta (UK) is made with organic herbs and virgin olive oil, using traditional fermentation .
- I Am Nut OK Ricotta in Garlic Oil (UK) is made by an Italian-American couple in London. Eat within 5 days of opening (sold in a glass jar).
- Kite Hill Ricotta Alternative (US) is a silky alternative made from creamy almond milk.
Make (or buy) Vegan Parmesan
Parmesan is a rich sharp cheese. So to make plant-based versions, often recipes use foods with umami tastes like mushrooms, miso and truffles. Parmesan cheese is Italian, but one of the most popular international cheeses sold in stores across England. However, by law it contains calf rennet, so it’s not even vegetarian, something many restaurants and cookbook authors don’t know. If you look closely at jars of pesto and foods containing Parmesan, you will see that they never say ‘suitable for vegetarians’. So here are a few simple recipes to make your own plant-based Parmesan and some good brands on sale, if you prefer to buy ready-made. Vegan Parmesan (Carlo Cao) is a recipe by a Swiss-Italian chef. All you need is cashews, nutritional yeast, salt and a food processor.
Keep vegan cheeses away from pets, due to toxic ingredients (macadamia nuts, mushrooms, salt, onion, garlic). If serving on crackers, don’t feed to birds as crusty (or stale bread) can choke, and fatty foods can smear on feathers, affecting waterproofing/insulation.
One common ingredient to make vegan Parmesan is nutritional yeast. This is sold in all health stores and some supermarkets. Not the same as Brewer’s yeast, this is very good for you as it contains vitamin B12 (the nutrient not found naturally in plant foods) and gives things a cheesy taste. It’s also good sprinkled onto soups, stews and casseroles. High in fibre, but it should be avoided for wheat sensitivity (like IBS or Crohn’s disease). Easy Vegan Parmesan Cheese (Veggie Desserts) is ready in just 5 minutes, made with cashews, cheesy nutritional yeast and spices. You can use this on pasta, pizza, salads or even popcorn.
Vegan Parmesan (The Plant Based School) is a recipe from a talented Italian chef, so you can’t get more authentic. Full of umami flavour if you like to make your own. You can make this soy-free (by using sun-dried tomatoes) or nut-free (using breadcrumbs).
Where to Buy Good Vegan Parmesan
Kinda Co Italian-Style (Somerset) is sold in a glass jar. Made with almonds, this is ideal for risotto, Caesar salad or pizza. It browns in the oven, so is good to top a lasagne or pasta bake.
I Am Nut OK Oh Grate! (London) is made by an American/Italian couple who missed cheese. Perfect for pasta, soup or salad. This company was forced to change its labelling after the Parmesan industry told them they could not call the product ‘Parmesans‘. cheese’. So this product (made with cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic and truffle oil) adds a humorous tagline, along with a festive sage & onion version.
Good Carma Foods makes nice plant-based Parmesan cheeses in cardboard tubes. The range includes garlic and chilli versions.
Pimp My Salad Hemp Parmesan (AU) is a good brand sold in a glass jar with metal lid. Made with omega 3 and omega 6 healthy fats and minerals, this is a great way to add taste and protein to meals.
Recipes Using Vegan Parmesan
Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta (Crowded Kitchen) is a lovely summer supper with fresh basil and parsley, in a white wine garlic sauce.
Vegan Carbonara (Crowded Kitchen) uses mushrooms instead of bacon, for an umami-rich dish, topped with vegan Parmesan.
Make (or buy) Vegan Mozzarella
Did you know that many Italian cheeses (including Parmesan and Gorgonzola) are not even vegetarian? By law, they contain calf rennet (as do most brands of pesto). So if you like Italian cheeses, here are nice plant-based simple recipes, and better brands to buy.
Vegan Mozzarella (Carlo Cao) uses buttery cashews. This recipe (by a chef who grew up in Italian-speaking Switzerland) is set with seaweed-based agar and flavoured with garlic, salt and black pepper.
Many ingredients in vegan cheeses (macadamia nuts, onion and garlic) are toxic to pets, so keep away from nosey paws. Don’t feed leftover crackers to birds, as it can choke (and fatty foods like butter, cheese or grease, affects waterproofing/insulation of feathers).
Native to Naples, mozzarella was discovered by accident, when curds fell into a bucket of hot water at a local cheese factory. This mild cheese is used with sliced tomato and basil to make a caprese salad or melted on pizza or into arancini (called ‘telephone wires’ in Roman when they go stringy). Here are some plant-based versions, free from buffalo milk:
Stretchy Melty Vegan Mozzarella (Short Girl, Tall Order) needs just 6 ingredients including soaked cashews. Good in a vegan grilled cheese sandwich or French onion soup.
Melty Stretchy Vegan Mozzarella (Shane & Simple) melts and stretches, just like the real thing.
Where to Buy Good Vegan Mozzarella
- Kinda Co Mozzarellie (UK) is sold in a glass jar. Just take out a scoop for pizza. Made from cashew nuts, this bubbles and browns nicely under the grill.
- Strictly Roots Bluffala is a burrata-style cheese with an oozing cream centre, perfect for salad, pizza or a vegan charcuterie. Wrapped in in a compostable starch bag in a paper tub, this is based on nuts.
- In the US, Miyoko’s Organic Cashew Milk Mozzarella is good.
