Plant-Based Innovations Perfect For Pizza And Pasta

KEY INSIGHTS

• Plant-based options allow you to capitalise on the demand from flexitarian diners 
• Look for products which you can use to adapt existing recipes to plant-based, simply by replacing the animal protein with plant-based alternative 
• Plant-based meatballs, mince, chicken and more are all suitable inclusions for pasta dishes 
• Not every plant-based meal needs to be 100% vegan or vegetarian 

For any food business serving pizza and pasta, plant-based options are a great way to expand your menu and capitalise on the demand from flexitarian diners. So it comes as no surprise that the leading QSR pizza chains have already made moves to incorporate plant-based into their offerings. Domino’s Australia led the way with its vegan beef option in 2019, for which consumer demand was so strong that it sold out across half its stores within three weeks after launch.

And while Pizza Hut Australia has been slower to adopt a plant-based meat alternative, in the UK it introduced three ‘Beyond Meat’ toppings last July, and we’re likely to see similar moves here shortly.

So why has plant-based food become such a big thing on the menu? According to the 2021 Global Trends Outlook by leading market research firm Technomic, plant-based foods have now become truly mainstream. The major food suppliers we’ve spoken to attribute this demand to the rise of ‘flexitarian’ dining – people seeking to reduce their animal protein intake by replacing meat with plant-based proteins, sometimes up to several times a week.

In recognition of this, the market is now seeing a move away from promoting plant-based as an option primarily for vegans and vegetarians – instead it’s now presented as a separate meal category, one which carries across the board appeal.

The next step in the evolution of plant-based dining, Technomic says, is for suppliers and food retailers to create more points of differentiation for their plant-based options so as to stand out from the crowd –promoting them via such attributes as locally sourced, indulgent, healthy and sustainable.

As suppliers of plant-based ingredients and products continue to innovate the category, here are some of the most important considerations to bear in mind when considering adding plant-based to your pizza and pasta menu:

GO FOR PRODUCTS WHICH LOOK, FEEL, AND COOK LIKE MEAT

With so much choice available in plant-based proteins today, there’s no need to settle for ingredients which taste bland or have an unappealing texture and mouthfeel. Instead you should look for products which you can use to adapt existing recipes to plant-based, simply by replacing the animal protein with the plant-based alternative. Many of the leading plant-based proteins are designed for you to do a ‘straight swap’ so you don’t have to adjust your cooking time or prep requirements. These products are designed to look and cook like meat, and have a meat-like texture and mouthfeel. A popular example for pizza is plant-based pepperoni, which typically has a spiciness and mouthfeel similar to regular pepperoni and is hard to tell apart from the original.

DESIGN PIZZAS FOR THEIR OVERALL FLAVOUR RATHER THAN HIGHLIGHTING ANY ONE INGREDIENT

Plant-based proteins are often designed to be ‘flavour neutral’ which lets your other ingredients shine through. Therefore when using plant-based ingredients you need to choose a good selection of toppings which complement each other and create a memorable overall flavour, as opposed to highlighting the protein as the centrepiece. There are numerous plant-based pizza topping options available from the aforementioned plant-based pepperoni to Italian sausage and pulled meats – along with, of course, all your traditional vegetarian pizza toppings.

NOTHING IS EASIER THAN MAKING A PLANT-BASED PASTA

Dried pasta is typically free of any animal ingredients, and even fresh pasta doesn’t need to be made with eggs – semolina, flour, water and salt are all the ingredients you need. And for those customers looking for an alternative to wheat pasta, major suppliers are now offering legume pastas made from 100 per cent chickpeas, red lentil flour and others. Not only do these offer distinctive flavours, they’re also nutritional powerhouses – full of fibre as well as being completely plant-based.

When it comes to pasta dish ingredients, there’s plenty of traditional vegetarian and vegan pasta dishes to choose from – but if you’re looking to cater to those ‘flexitarian’ customers who want something similar to their favourite meat-based dish, that’s easy to achieve thanks to the plant-based options available from major suppliers. You can find plant-based meatballs, plant-based mince, plant-based chicken and more – all of which you can use to do a ‘straight swap’ with the meat in your pasta recipe.

WHEN CATERING TO FLEXITARIANS, YOUR MEALS DON’T NEED TO BE 100% VEGAN/VEGETARIAN

One of the interesting trends which has emerged in the rise of flexitarian dining is that these customers are looking to reduce rather than remove the animal protein in their diet. Therefore, they are often happy to choose dishes which may have one of the usual animal protein ingredients swapped out for a plant-based alternative, but which may also have another meat component.

In other words, not every plant-based meal needs to be 100% vegan or vegetarian: you can find burgers with plant-based patties topped with a slice of genuine animal protein bacon, for example. So it’s perfectly OK to serve up a plant-based pasta with a rich cream and mushroom sauce, or a pizza with plant-based meatballs which also includes anchovies.

While you will need to have other options to cater to your vegan and vegetarian customers, flexitarians are often as flexible as the name suggests with their menu choices – so don’t be afraid to ‘mix and match’ proteins. Remember, it’s the overall presentation, taste and meal satisfaction makes for a memorable dining experience and generates repeat business.

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