Everyone loves Italian food! It’s very regional, so expect rice in northern Italy, pasta in central Italy and pizza in Naples! Serve these recipes with vegan Parmesan.
This oven-baked leek pea risotto (The Veg Space) is very simple to make. Just know that for risotto you have to keep stirring the rice for around 20 minutes. Ideal excuse for a glass of wine!
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people & pets (many ingredients like fresh dough, leeks, onion, garlic, citrus, spices and chocolate are unsafe near animal friends).
Just bin onion/garlic/leek scraps (also citrus and rhubarb) due to acids that could harm compost bin creatures).
A Four-ingredient Vegan Panna Cotta
Panna Cotta is a popular Italian dessert. But the ‘real thing’ is made with gelatine, which contains animal bones (who wants this for dessert?) This vegan panna cotta recipe (Ela Vegan) has just four ingredients, and is a delightful end to an Italian meal.
Agar (a vegan gelatine alternative) is made from seaweed. Although people with thyroid issues should not eat ‘proper seaweed’, this is very mild so should be fine – check your medication.
All you do is heat real dark chocolate with canned coconut milk, maple syrup and agar flakes (a vegan alternative to gelatine that is widely sold). Bring to a gentle boil, stir for a few minutes, then pour into ramekins and chill for a few hours.
It would seem that many chefs simply stick to bones (to make desserts like this) for tradition. Because agar works just as well (in fact it’s simpler), it has no health risks (no bones from abattoirs) and is obviously kinder. Why on earth are magazines still listing recipes for panna cotta made with gelatine, when the alternative is so much better?
A Dreamy Vegan Cheese from Italy
Dreamfarm is a vegan mozzarella from fermented Italian almonds, which can also be used for Caprese salad and Stracciatella (in Italy there’s a soup of the same name that translates to ‘priest-strangler’). Not due to murder, but because gluttonous priests would eat so much, they would choke.
Avoid unpasteurised miso and cultures during pregnancy/nursing and for weak immune systems (including children). Keep nuts (macadamia, cashews, almonds) away from children and pets. If home-delivered, keep dry ice away from children and pets.
Organic Limoncello from Northern Italy
This organic limoncello (made in the Tyrol in the Italian alps) proves that there is more than one brand, if you look outside the supermarkets. Limoncello is a very, very lemony vodka drink that you keep in the freezer (it stays liquid) to serve after a meal (in Italy, it’s often the ‘dessert’ to clear the palate).
Don’t be fooled by the lemons, this is very strong, so go easy! If you find it too strong neat, you can mix it with Prosecco (still high in booze!)
If you’re feeling ambitious in the kitchen, try this Vegan Lemon Tiramisu (Addicted to Dates), made with limoncello.
Recipe Books for Plant-Based Italian Food
Cooking with Nonna is a fun and unique book to make the best Italian home cooking. Giuseppe is a second-generation British Italian where food and family have always been intertwined. So when he went vegan, he needed to find a way to cook the flavours of his family. There was only one person who could help; his nonna! Together they learned how to make the authentic Italian and Sicilian dishes that Nonna grew up with, using all plants.
Recipes include:
- Classic lasagne with homemade mince
- Arancini (croquettes) della nonna
- The perfect tomato sauce
- Pasta aglio olio & peperoncino
- Focaccia
- Tiramisu
- Coffee granita
- Biscotti
Giuseppe Federici comes from a long line of passionate foodies, and only at 15 did he realise that a British roast dinner did not begin with a full plate of pasta. He has a huge fanbase of 440K Instagram followers and 300K on TikTok, and has hosted supper clubs and been crowned Digital Creator of the Year at Fortnum & Mason food and drinks awards.
The Vegan Pasta Cookbook is the ultimate guide for anyone who loves Italian food. Find 60 recipes from time-honoured fare to Asian-inspired stir-fries and nourishing noodle soups, plus a few plant-powered pasta salads. Alongside staples like almond Parmesan, vegan fish sauce and coconut bacon, you’ll find unique fusion meals.
Recipes include:
- Creamy carbonara with coconut bacon
- Sundried tomato balsamic pasta
- Vegan Caesar pasta salad
- Creamy stovetop mac & cheese
- Spaghetti & vegan meatballs
- Miso garlic butter pasta
- Garlic & Chilli oil noodles
- Linguine al limone with toasted pistachios
- Vegan chicken noodle soup
- Spicy kimchi mac
An incredible collection of recipes that resemble a vegan pasta encyclopedia! It is a must for pasta lovers. Christine Leopold
Rebecca is the ultimate pasta Queen! Romy London
Rebecca Hinke is a popular recipe blogger, whose work has been featured extensively online. She lives on London.
