Easily Veganize Italian Food With These Simple Steps

By Maria Elena
|
July 25, 2016

The four basic ingredients in all Italian food are tomato sauce, carbs, cheese, and meat. Even without substitutes and modifications, it's not that complicated for vegans to eat Italian food. Vegans can easily enjoy pizza, bruschetta, or pasta without the hassle. However...let's just be honest here. Who would want to miss out on the delicious Italian experience? Italian dishes with meat and cheese tend to be more flavorful after all.

That's where the substitutes come in. You can get the full Italian food experience without even touching an animal product. Delizioso!

A good start is meatless meatballs. Many companies produce them, and you can even make them yourself. But it's always a good idea to have Gardein around.

As the package says, "toss into your favorite sauce and it's ready in 15 minutes!" Their meatless meatballs are the perfect addition to any spaghetti or pasta dish. You can even chop them into smaller pieces for other dishes. Add some spices and you're good to go!

Now...you've got your basic meat down. But what about cheese?

You can buy this vegan parmesan cheese here.

Parmesan cheese is essential to any Italian dish. Whether it be for pizza, sandwiches, or pasta...it just doesn't taste the same without parmesan cheese. (And crushed red pepper, of course.) Go Veggie! has a pretty delicious parmesan cheese for all your topping needs.

When it comes to carbs in Italian food, you usually don't have anything to worry about. Most pastas and breads are 'accidentally' vegan. They typically don't contain any egg or dairy ingredients, but it's always a good idea to check, considering some pastas are made with egg. (Especially in Italy!)

Now, let's put these vegan ingredient substitutions to good use. We absolutely adored this vegan lasagna roll up recipe from Hot For Food.

What you'll need:
tomato sauce
8 lasagna noodles
vegan ricotta cheese (available at health stores)
4 C baby spinach
1 large yellow zucchini (or 2 small)
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp nutmeg
sea salt & pepper to taste
additional spices of your choice

Recipe:
1. Heat the tomato sauce on low in a pan. Add additional spices / garlic to taste. Let simmer for 20 minutes. While it's simmering, preheat oven to 325.
2. Boil the lasagna noodles in salted water for 5-6 minutes or until half-cooked. Then drain and set the noodles aside.
3. Thinly slice yellow zucchini.
4. Heat another pan over medium heat and add zucchini and spinach with your spices / nutmeg. Sauté for 4-5 minutes.
5. Now it's time to assemble the rolls. Spread your vegan ricotta cheese on each noodle and evenly put the spinach and zucchini on top, then roll.
6. Pour your tomato sauce in a 9x9 dish and place the rolls on top. Bake for 20 minutes.
7. Order up! Enjoy. Make sure to serve immediately.