Major Italian Chain Launches Expansive Vegan Menu

United Kingdom-based Italian food chain Carluccio’s—with more than 100 locations in several countries—recently developed an expansive vegan-friendly menu in response to customer demand. “Vegetables are very important in Italian food culture and are often the stars of the show,” chain founder and chef Antonio Carluccio told media outlet Metro UK. “It’s not uncommon for dishes to be exclusively plant-based.” The new vegan menu items—which Carluccio developed with the help of blogger Anna Barnett—include appetizers such as the Crostini al Funghi (which features mushrooms and garlicky kale on ciabatta bread); Spaghetti con Polpette di Pane (which comes topped with tomato sauce with meatless meatballs made from bread, semi-dried tomatoes, garlic, capers, and olives); and Orecchiette al Cavolfiore (a creamy, cauliflower-based pasta dish served with sautéed kale, chili, and roasted turmeric cauliflower florets.) The 20 new vegan-friendly dishes will debut October 23 at the restaurant’s flagship Covent Garden location, which will convert the first floor into “Cucina Verde” for four consecutive Mondays.