65 Plant-Based Italian Recipes - The Plant Based School (2024)

Welcome to a world of vegan Italian recipes, where traditional flavors meet plant-based ingredients to create a symphony of Mediterranean flavors.

Italy’s rich culinary heritage is known for its pasta, pizza, and cheeses, but our recipe collection also offers fresh vegetables, legumes, and delicious sauces.

Table of Contents

• Tips for Vegan Italian Recipes
• Vegan Italian recipe video
• Starters and sides
• Italian Breads
• Pasta dishes
• Rice
• Vegan Italian Cheeses
• Vegan Main Dishes
• Vegan Italian Desserts
• Vegan Italian Meals Recipe

Tips for Vegan Italian Recipes

Every dish celebrates freshness from soul-soothing soups, like a Tuscan white bean soup, to vibrant salads featuring tomatoes, fennel, and lentils.

Explore vegetable-based appetizers like bruschetta, focaccia, and crostini, enticing your taste buds with wholesome Italian ingredients.

Elevate simplicity with easy pasta, from aglio e olio to pasta e ceci and mushroom ragù (pictured below), all showcasing the art of delicious Italian cooking.

Finally, finish your meal with a dolce fatto in casa (homemade dessert), such as vegan cannolo, apple cake, or egg–free biscotti. Buon Appetito to a world of plant-powered Italian delights.

Five tips for Vegan Italian cooking:

• Choose Fresh, Quality Ingredients: Use fresh and high-quality ingredients, such as ripe tomatoes, aromatic herbs, and seasonal vegetables.

• Master Herb and Spice Pairings: Elevate flavors with a mix of classic Italian herbs like basil. For depth and complexity, experiment with garlic, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.

• Explore Plant-Based Proteins: Replace meat with alternatives like tofu, plant-based alternatives, or lentils and chickpeas for texture and protein, maintaining the heartiness of traditional Italian dishes.

• Experiment with Vegan Cheeses: Incorporate plant-based cheeses, such as parmesan or ricotta, to achieve Italian cuisine’s creamy and rich textures.

• Balance Flavors and Textures: Create well-rounded dishes by balancing creamy sauces with crunchy vegetables or al dente pasta, ensuring a satisfying and authentic dining experience.

Vegan Italian recipe video

Starters and sides

1. Bruschetta
Tomato bruschettaiscrunchy,juicy,and perfect as an appetizer.

The recipe is simple; you canmake it in 10 minutes with a few ingredients.

2. Roasted bell peppers
Roasted bell peppers are a delicious recipe that can be served as an antipasto or a side dish or used as a base for many other recipes like salads and pasta.

3. Braised artichokesBraised artichokes, also known as “Roman-style artichokes,” are an easy Italian artichoke recipe you can make with simple ingredients in 30 minutes.

4. Caponata
Caponata oreggplantsaladhas the perfect balance ofsweet and sour. It’s rich and made withsimple,freshingredients. Eat it as astarter, side dish, or light, easy dinneron toast.

5. Roasted zucchini with Italian herbs

Roasted zucchini is a classic Italian starter or side dish. Italian herbs and breadcrumbs give the zucchini a bold flavor and juicy texture.

6. Panzanella saladOne of the most underrated salad recipes is a traditional Italian summer dish with simple seasonal vegetables andleftoverstalebread. Despite being an ancient recipe, it takes just 10 minutes to prep!

7. Tomato cucumber onion salad
A crunchy, refreshing, simple dish that you can enjoy as a starter or as a side dish. It’s best with ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, and sweet red onion.

8. Fennel orange salad
Fennel and orange salad is acrunchy, fresh, and light saladto be served as a side dish or a starter. It’s perfect in winter when the fennel, orange, and pomegranate are in season.

9. Confit tomatoes
Tomato confitis theeasiest,meltiest, most delicious tomato recipe.Soft,juicy, packed with oregano and garlic aroma.

They’re perfect as a succulentside dish, astarterserved with toasted bread, or atoppingto a bowl ofpasta.

10. Caramelized onions
Caramelized onions have a rich and deep flavor with sweet and sour notes. They are soft and melt in your mouth.

Italian Breads

11. Focaccia
Focaccia bread is simple; you only need flour, water, salt, yeast for the dough, and rosemary and olive oil as toppings.

You can make it on the day or get ahead and let it proof slowly in the fridge.

12. Crisp focaccia with vegan cheese

This crispy and thin focaccia is packed with melted vegan cheese.

It’s a dairy-free version of “focaccia di Recco,” originally stuffed with stracchino cheese and eaten as street food in Liguria, Italy.

13. Italian piadina
Piadina is a thin,yeast-free Italian flatbreadyou can fill with your favorite spreads.

Try it with this vegan melted cheese – and enjoy it for a light lunch, snack, or dinner.

14. Farinata
Farinata or socca is aneasyrecipe made by mixing chickpeaflourand extra virgin olive oil and then baking it in the oven for about20minutes.

Delicious as a starter, side dish, or main dish when used as a pizza.

15. Flatbread pizza

Whether you like aclassic tomato and mozzarella pizzaor a contemporary version with hummus and tahini saucetopping, this Italian flatbread recipe is excellent for a beautifuldinner with friends and family.

Pasta dishes

16. Vegan CarbonaraOurvegan carbonarais a simple recipe that can be made in15 minutes. The taste of our carbonara sauce is similarto the taste of an authentic Italian carbonara recipe.

17. Pasta alla Norma (eggplant pasta)

A classic Sicilian dish that you can makein about 30 minutes withsimple pantry ingredientsandfresh eggplants

26. Marinara sauce
One of the most versatile Italian sauces, perfect with pasta, pizza, and (vegan) meatballs. It’s straightforward to make and super satisfying to eat!

27. Vegan mushroom pasta

This aromatic and tasty mushroom pasta is great for weeknight dinners and guests due to its restaurant–worthy looks and flavor.

28. Trofie with basil pesto
Homemade trofie with vegan basil pestois our take on a traditional Italian dish made for centuries on the Ligurian Riviera in Genova. We show youhow to make trofie at home,like in Italy, withjust two ingredients.

29. Lentil pasta

Our Lentil pasta is a nutritious and delicioustraditional Italian recipe called pasta e lenticchie (pasta with lentils) made with ditalini pasta cooked in arich and flavorful stew.

30. Broccoli pasta

This vegan Italian recipewill surely please the pickiest of eatersbecause of its rich taste and luscious texture. Plus, you canmake it in 20 minuteswith a few simple ingredients.

Rice

31. Saffron risotto
It is acreamy and tastyrisottowith a delightful saffron flavor. We use vegan butter parmesan-free parmesan for an Italian flavor and satiating meal.

32. Tomato risottoThis creamy tomato risottois a simple staple ofItalian home cooking.The rice is slowly cooked into a rich tomato sauce, to which we add dairy-free butter and cheese. It’s arich, creamy risottothat tastes100% authentic and Italian.

35. Italian rice salad

This Italian rice salad is a colorful, summer-friendly grain bowl with fresh vegetables, Italian herbs, and a creamy mustard dressing.

It’s great for meal prep, a potluck salad, and a lunchbox idea.

Vegan Italian Cheeses

36. Vegan Ricotta
Vegan ricotta cheese is so easy,light,creamy, and versatile.

You can make it with three simple ingredients in less than one hour and use it exactly likeregular ricotta.

38. Vegan Parmesan
You can sprinkle this vegan parmesan cheese on top of your favoritepastain pasta bakes, polenta,risotto, and in any other place you would typically add parmesan cheese.

Vegan Main Dishes

39. Lemon tofu
An Italian recipe for lemon chicken inspires this recipe.

We replaced the chicken fillet with tofu slices, resulting in a delicious meal that can beprepared quickly.

40. Pan-fried tofu with mushroomsThis quickanddelicious recipeis perfect for every day,last-minute dinners.

Scaloppini inspired this recipe with mushrooms, a famous Italian recipe made 100% plant-based.

41. Zucchini boats with lentils

These Italian-inspired zucchini boatsare atasty and healthy recipeto enjoy the wonderful flavor of zucchini.

They are packed with arich,savoryfillingmade with lentils, tomatoes, herbs, and walnuts.

42 Baked juicy “fish”It’s a simple dish you can make inabout 30 minutes as aneverydaydinner.

We serve it as afish replacement and cook it precisely like white fish is cooked in Italy.

43. Tofu CacciatoreWe might use tofu instead of chicken, but this meal isrich, earthy, meaty,and packed with the cacciatore flavor we all love. You’ve never had tofu like this!

44. Seitan steaks (Italian scaloppine)Theseseitan steaksare one of our favorite plant–based meat replacements. They are easy to make at home and tender but have a meaty texture.

45. Vegan ParmigianaThis eggplant parmigiana is acreamyandindulgentdish that can easily be made vegan. It is super tasty,rich,creamy, andhealthysince the eggplant is baked and not fried.

Vegan Italian Desserts

46. Vegan CannoliOur filling is made of vegan homemadericottaand is sweet and creamy. The shell is as bubbly, light, and crisp as the traditional ones but without eggs, lard, or butter.

48. Strawberry tartOur tart is made with a crunchy pie crust, filled with smooth and creamyvanilla custard, and topped with sweetfresh strawberries.

49. Fruit tartThis beautiful and deliciousfruit tartis aclassic Italian pastry recipeeveryone loves.

We make a light, easy pie crust filled with dairy-freehomemade custard.

Italian Pastry

51. Vegan brioche rolls

52. Italian croissant with cream filling

53. Vegan cream buns “Maritozzi”

54. Brioche bread

55. Vegan custard

56. Vegan donuts (pictured below)

See Also

Creamy pork and potato lasagne recipe | Sainsbury`s Magazine