Plant-Based Comfort Food

Hello #LoyalRoyals

Truth be told, the last few weeks have felt like we’ve been trapped in the drum of a washing machine stuck on the spin cycle. Our hearts and heads have been swirling with problems to solve, plans to make and people we care about.

Our superstar stockists and retailers will continue to stock the Pesto Princess range and that makes us feel truly humbled. We’ve made significant changes at the Pesto Princess Palace to ensure the safety of our people so that we can continue to offer some comfort, nourishment and delight during this very difficult time and beyond.

To find our Pesto Princess products during lockdown, head this way (you can even order online for delivery or collection).

In the meantime, please find here our favourite plant-based comfort food recipes. We 100% realise you may not have all the ingredients in your kitchen, but here’s hoping they’ll be a springboard of inspiration to cook with what you do have in your pantry.

Sending so much love
HRH Kathleen

1. Best Vegetarian Bolognese

This deeply satisfying vegetarian version of the classic spaghetti bolognese is based on lentils that you might just have in your pantry right now. Here is the recipe.

2. Aubergine Bruschetta

Keen to eat more of a vegetarian diet? This recipe for Aubergine Bruschetta is easy, plant-based and low on the carbs.

3. A Satisfying Meze Platter

Picnic suppers (at home) are just what’s needed in lockdown. Fill your platter with whatever you have to hand (tinned artichokes, tinned mussels, falafel, olives, pita breads and our brand new Pesto Princess Tzatziki). Looking for more indoor-at-home picnic inspiration including our recipe for three ingredient flatbreads? Head this way.

4. Vegan Caesar Salad with Chickpea Croutons

If there’s one thing that goes some way to restoring my balance in this world-gone-crazy, it’s quiet, contemplative cooking. Here we have turned the classic Caesar Salad on its head. We’ve lost the egg, chicken, bread and Parmesan and gone big on the dressing. It’s plant-based, oh-so-creamy, and the perfect foil for the crunch of roasted chickpea ‘croutons’. Chickpeas are a great pantry staple in times like this (and these croutons are good enough to try on their own – without the salad!). This way for the recipe.

5. Nourishing Buddha Bowl

Order a tub of Pesto Princess Hummus via Buyfresh.co.za or Mother City Fish. Spend just a minute or two slicing and dicing and you’re almost there. We’ve added some roast potato bites to our bowl, but you can swap-in chickpeas or black beans – whatever leftovers you have in your fridge or pantry! Here is the recipe.

6. Green Goddess Pasta

We think this might just be the ultimate vegan pesto pasta dish. We love the creaminess of the blitzed avocado, the genius combo of zoodles + spaghetti and the golden nuggets of spiced tofu. Head this way for the recipe.

7. A Classic Pesto Pasta

Nothing beats a simple pesto pasta! Here is our recipe.

Top tip from the palace: Spoon the required amount of pesto into a small bowl. Add a little boiling water from the pasta pot – a tablespoon or two – and a splash of olive oil before giving everything a good stir. Watch as the colours come to life and the pecorino starts to melt, releasing that familiar fragrance that fills the palace all year round of freshly picked basil. Loosening our pesto this way balances the flavours and reduces the richness of the sauce, plus it makes your little jar go SO much further. Pesto Princess pesto stands apart by being handmade in the true Italian style: as a concentrate, bursting with goodness, ready for you to dilute to suit your next dish.