Sauces 'n Love Vegan Pesto

I was really excited when Sauces 'n Love offered to send me a sample of their vegan pesto; I love pesto!

 

Every year I convince my dad to grow a basil plant, forgetting that it takes a hella lot of basil to make a decent amount of pesto. So, once I make a pitcher of Thai basil iced tea or a basil mojito, I have barely enough left over for a tablespoon of pesto.

This is why I was particularly thrilled to received this hefty (and reusable) jar of pre-made pesto to review.

Even though the label clearly states that it's vegan pesto, the seal read "vegetarian." No worries; I checked the site and it seems that while most of the Sauces 'n Love products are vegetarian (one contains lobster), this pesto is currently the only item advertised as vegan. They also offer vegetarian pesto versions as well, so make sure you buy the right one. Aside from the obvious, I can't imagine the others could hold a candle to this phenomenal version. In addition, some of the tomato-based sauces and bruschetta toppings look to be vegan, but aren't labelled as such.

But, back to the pesto! I am very lazy about making pasta: pots, strainers- so many dishes! So, to start, I spooned some pesto straight from the jar onto a grilled, Follow Your Heart, mozzarella sandwich. It was phenomenal.

I was tempted to eat all of the pesto like this, but I knew I owed a product of this caliber a wider swath of enjoyment.

So, I gave in; I boiled a box of gemelli and prepared the pesto as instructed: mixing with hot water and a little bit of butter.

Then I simply mixed it into drained pasta and added some tomatoes. I wasn't exactly sure what the ideal pasta to pesto proportion was, so I decided that it made sense to use a standard box to jar ratio. It was delicious and the best part was that I didn't have to have my dad water a plant for months to make it!

I shared the leftovers with family: mixed with arugula and diced tomato. Wasn't that generous of me? I thought so.

The one thing about this fantastic pesto that gave me pause was the serving suggestion, "Great on panini, in soups, paired with cheese, or as a side sauce for meat & fish."

I get it; I really do. When sauce is this good you want to spread it on everything. But maybe we don't lure in the vegan or vegan-curious population and then suggest a non-vegan pairing? It's just in poor taste. And there's nothing else about this that is.

Highly recommend.