If you’ve been following us recently, you know we’ve been covering all things plant-based. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that we are continuing down that path this week in hopes to help restaurant operators connect even more with their customers regarding what they want to eat! As a nutrition analysis solution for both food manufacturers and restaurants, we see a lot of amazing products come through on our Labelcalc side seeking a nutrition facts panel for a food product and then being applied to restaurant menus via the MenuCalc side.
So when we say we’ve seen a lot of plant-based alternatives in our system, it’s no exaggeration. CPG is responding hard and fast to the consumer demand for plant-based food, and so should you. Here are a few products that we highly recommend you try on your restaurant menu in order to add a bit more variety to your plant-based category. Read on to see what we recommend, and most importantly, why we recommend it.
Plant-Based Food Recommendation #1: Banza’s Pasta Line
Years ago, when I was attempting to rid my diet of inflammatory foods, I experimented with different gluten-free plates of pasta. Rice pasta, quinoa pasta, black bean pasta — you
Check out our new recipe using Banza pasta. You’ll love it.
name it. And they were all disappointing. They either fell apart in the water, changed the flavor of my dish, or just were too mushy to actually maintain their shape.
In the last couple of years, we’re sure you’ve noticed the bright orange boxed pasta sitting on the shelves of your local grocery store. And if you haven’t tried it yet, you most definitely should. Banza pasta not only passes the test of containing a great nutritional profile that our team of nutrition experts is particularly thrilled about, but it actually tastes like real pasta.
This pasta combines the protein and fiber of chickpea with the starchiness of tapioca flour for a result that is nothing short of miraculous. Next time you want to premiere a plant-based/gluten-free pasta dish, go with Banza.
Plant-Based Recommendation #2: Impossible Grounds
Now we don’t want to tell you what you already know, so you’ll notice that we didn’t get into burgers this time around. If you’ve passed a Burger King in the last 2 years, you know what those are. But the grounds are a new ball game altogether.
Whether you’re looking to create a plant-based chili or a bolognese that is convincingly delicious, you’ll want to incorporate these grounds into your dish. The bite, flavor, and texture of these grounds resemble traditional beef in the best way. And as we’ve learned through our TikTok channel (yes we have one of those), those who are going plant-based for the first time, enjoy dishes that are familiar to them. So incorporating things that they recognize will increase the potential for your newest dish to sell well. Heck, combine it with some Banza pasta!
Plant-Based Recommendation #3: Follow Your Heart Parmesan Cheese
If you want a plant-based parmesan cheese that tastes like parmesan cheese, sweet Caroline, this is the stuff. If you’ve gotten to this point, you’ve probably noticed that we might have a little Italian on our team. We’re pretty much giving you the foundation for nearly every pasta you can serve, save for the marinara.
This parmesan is one to rave about. It’s one we’ve fooled our Sicilian husbands with… husband. My Sicilian husband. I prefer the grated parmesan because of the way that it coats the pasta noodles, but the shredded parmesan is just as convincing. Adding plant-based food products to your menu is easy when you’ve got the right direction! Subscribe to our articles for more plant-based food recommendations!
Shall we end with a recipe? Check out this amazing pasta we whipped up using Banza this week on Instagram! Don’t forget to “like” and follow us!
