Try Our New Plant-Based Verde Vito

Plant-based cheese used to be the kind of thing you tolerated for the principle of it. These days it’s different. The best versions are getting closer to the real pleasures of cheese because they’re no longer just starch-and-oil tricks. More makers are borrowing the old dairy playbook. Cultures, fermentation, patience. You don’t have to eat a plant-based diet to notice the gap has narrowed.

One of the more convincing newcomers is Plant Ahead’s plant-based mozzarella, and it does what pizza cheese needs to do. Melt, texture, a little browning. It’s designed to soften in the oven and take on color without turning gummy or separating. It’s also free of dairy, nuts, and soy, which matters if your household has to navigate allergies. And it keeps the ingredient list relatively short. If you’ve been disappointed by plant-based cheese that tastes “sweet” or oddly plastic, this is the kind that’s worth a second look, because it was built for pizza first, not for the refrigerated aisle.

Great strides have also been made in plant-based meats. BE-Hive sausage brings a familiar Italian-style seasoning, along with a chewy, browned edge that plays well with tomatoes and peppers.

Those two ingredients are what nudged us to take a classic and make it fully plant-based. Our Da Vito Primo becomes the Verde Vito: Plant Ahead mozzarella, BE-Hive sausage, peperonata peppers, and spinach over a base of crushed Italian tomatoes. It’s the same Da Vito flavors — savory, bright, and satisfying — just made from plants.

For those who eat a plant-based diet, it’s an easy yes. For flexitarians, those honoring New Year’s resolutions to eat less animal-based foods, and anyone plant-curious, consider it a low-stakes experiment with a high ceiling. And if you’d prefer the classic, order the Da Vito Primo.

It’s a beloved menu pie with modern substitutions that taste good on their own terms. We hope you like it as much as we do.