We've all done it. You come home from work, kick off your shoes, dump the heavy bag, and realise you've got nothing in for dinner. Staring back from the kitchen cupboard is a sad bag of supermarket basics penne and a jar of pesto that's been there so long it has become a permanent fixture of your cupboard. This is what a pasta dinner has become.
But say tonight you want something different. Instead of your comforting, but ultimately basic usual, you're feeling inspired. You're dreaming of Italy, sunny days by the coast, the delicious spaghetti you haven't stopped thinking about since you ate it in Rome.
Well, Pasta Evangelists can't help you with the weather - but if you're looking for fresh, delicious pasta, they've got you covered. The artisan pasta brand has just launched a delivery service in Manchester, and we tried it to see if it was worth your money.
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Pasta Evangelists sent me three of their pasta dishes to try through their recipe box service, which is available online. These are the same meals you'd find on their deliveroo menu, just packaged up and sent through the post to be consumed within a few days of ordering.
The kitchen have a variety of dishes available, including multiple options for vegetarians and vegans. Everything I tried was completely plant based, but if that's not your thing, have no fear - there's no lack of meat on this menu.
The first dish I tried was the rigatoni with sundried tomato pesto and toasted almonds. It came in a neat brown paper bag, complete with all the ingredients - although you could certainly add to it or get creative if you wanted to. On the back there were clear instructions that even the most reluctant cooks would find a breeze.
This dish was delicious. The sundried tomato was rich and flavoursome, and balanced well with the garlic, basil, and just a hint of heat. If you're looking for something spicy this dish isn't for you, but if you want to enjoy a genuinely quality fresh pesto that feels a lot more luxurious than the stuff from a jar, this will do the trick. It was also remarkably creamy for a vegan pesto - I'd even dare to suggest the lack of dairy could easily go unnoticed.
The vegan pea and shallot ravioli with a spicy pistachio pesto was a highlight for me. As a pistachio lover, it has somehow never occured to me before that you could make pesto this way, and now I've tried it...life-changing. This dish was fresh and zingy, with lemon zest paired with the pistachio to create an authentic taste of southern Italian summer. The pesto had a great nutty texture, but for me could have done with a touch more chilli - that's personal preference though.
I expected to enjoy the spaghetti alla chitarra with spicy arrabbiattisima sauce the most, but it was actually probably my least favourite dish out of the three. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it, to be clear - the dish was pleasantly spicy, the spaghetti a welcome change from my 29p usual, and arrabbiattisima sauce undoubtedly nicer than whatever cheap alternative I'd usually find - but it didn't feel as remarkable as the other two dishes. In fairness, the bar was set pretty high.
The portion sizes of all three dishes were hearty - but if you're particularly hungry, you can opt for a bigger portion for an extra £2.75 on Deliveroo. Mains cost between £7.50 and £12.75 for their most expensive lobster, crab, and prawn tortelloni. Sides start at £3.25 for some classic focaccia to mop up your sauce, or buttery olives to get you started.
For pasta at home, these meal kits are a big step up from the sad days of the student classic pesto pasta. Or you're looking to treat yourself to something a little more luxurious, you can order a meal delivered straight from the Pasta Evangelists kitchen via Deliveroo here.
Rating: 4/5 stars
