Traditional Italian brand Crosta & Mollica has added the first all-natural, plant-based option to its pizza range, in the form of Vegana Pizza and Pizzetta.

The Vegana Pizza features the Crosta & Mollica signature sourdough base, crafted in authentic Neapolitan style, proved for 24 hours before being fired in a wood oven on lava stone from Mount Etna, Sicily.

The base is then covered with tomato sauce, blended with caramelized balsamic onion to provide a delicate sweetness and the pizza is topped by hand with a sprinkling of lightly grilled mushrooms, IGP Tropea red onions and florets of sweet broccolini.

For a finishing touch, a creamy sauce made from chickpeas – a traditional Italian kitchen staple – is added, with rosemary, sea salt and olive oil, taking inspiration from the Ligurian chickpea pancake, Farinata.

The pizza can also be purchased Pizzetta-style, offering a smaller-sized portion for a lighter meal, lunchtime snack or dinner for one.

“Our pizzas are made from real, natural ingredients – you’d find every ingredient listed on the back of a pack of our Vegana pizza in any good kitchen,” comments Paul Vita, marketing director, Crosta & Mollica. “Vegan recipes should celebrate the flavour of the ingredients, rather than imitate non-vegan options with fake meats and cheeses. Our Vegana, with grilled vegetables, a chickpea topping and a tomato and balsamic base, is a delicious pizza in its own right, a pizza that represents modern Italy.”