This is a paid advertorial by Tesco – all opinions are my own
Hey, friends! How’s it going? It’s still chilly outside in the UK and I’m craving pizza at least once a week. I was beyond excited to have the chance to review this Caponata sourdough pizza. This isn’t just your regular veggie pizza. It’s wood-fired sourdough base, meaty savoury aubergine strips, juicy red peppers, salty caper caponata and a vibrant salsa verde. Sounds like a restaurant pizza, right? It’s from Tesco’s Wicked Kitchen range in collaboration with Derek Sarno. Their mission is all about promoting how delicious plants can be and ‘unleashing’ their flavour!
Can you believe this is a ready made, vegan pizza? Anything that starts with ‘wood-fired sourdough’ always has my full attention, but throw on some aubergine and capers and I’m sold! This pizza packs a tonne of flavour and texture and I love the little portion of salsa verde you get with it, such a delicious addition. It only took eight minutes in a hot oven to cook too!
Beats making pizza dough all day when you’re feeling lazy, which seems to happen a lot to me when it’s cold! Sometimes you just need pizza quickly, don’t you think? That being said, I’m a huge fan of a proper pizza dough, the tang you get from a kneaded dough that’s been left to rise and prove is something that is hard to replicate. I wasn’t expecting much from this base given that it was half cooked, but it really has a lovely authentic flavour and satisfying texture. Sourdough always imparts a wonderful depth to dough recipes and it’s definitely evident here. I paired my caponata pizza with some fresh tomatoes, basil and a little sprinkling of chilli flakes for extra kick!
Derek Sarno’s collaboration with Tesco on these Wicked Kitchen meals showcase veggies bursting with flavour. which I feel is really important as so often vegan food is presumed to be boring or tasteless. You won’t find anything boring here. There’s a huge array of flavourful plant based dishes to choose from, carrot-pastrami spiced wrap (in a beautiful pink beetroot tortilla), naked burrito, sweet potato pakora wrap, smashin’ pumpkin falafel sandwich, wicked teriyaki noodles and rainbow curry bowl to name a few. There’s a total of eleven ready meals and nine grab and go lunch options, impressive or what?
Whenever I’m out and about I find it almost impossible to find a vegan sandwich, let alone a choice of wraps, bowls and meals! Let’s be honest, most vegan options out there are pretty bland. On a recent night out with friends, I asked for a veggie pizza minus the cheese but with all the veggies they had in a local restaurant and was promptly presented with a thin pizza base, smeared with tomato puree and topped with literally six pieces of pepper. It was the saddest pizza I have ever eaten. Vegan food doesn’t need to be boring, in fact it has always been quite the opposite for me. It’s clear to see that the guys at Wicked Kitchen agree. Every single meal they’ve created is made with maximum flavour in mind and the veggies are the star of the show. When you don’t rely on dairy or meat for flavour, it encourages you to reach for the spice cupboard or perhaps try a new veggie or pulse. This pizza has inspired me to try aubergines as a topping next time I’m making my own.
If you haven’t got time to cook, grabbing one of these next time you’re shopping at Tesco is a tasty and convenient way to try making some plant based swaps this year. Check out another one of these new meals on the amazing Sara’s Instagram over on @shisodelicious.
I reckon 2018 is going to be a huge year for veganism and I’m thrilled to see such a huge company supporting the movement. I’d love to hear from you, are you already vegan, or thinking about trying it? What do you think to this new range?
*Sponsored post, but all opinions are my own.
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