Plant-based challenger One Planet Pizza has added a trio of “protein-packed“ frozen ready meals.
Tofu Tikka Masala with Basmati Rice, Mac & Cheeze and Veg & Lentil Ragù Lasagne (rsp: £3.85/400g) will launch exclusive to 276 Asda stores on 12 October.
Tofu Tikka Masala with Basmati Rice, which provides 24g protein, combines tofu with sweet potato, cauliflower and edamame beans in a spiced tikka masala sauce, served with basmati rice and chana dal lentils.
Mac & Cheeze, meanwhile, contains 22g of protein and features macaroni pasta in a soya-based butter bean and cheese alternative sauce, topped with a cheese alternative crumb.
Finally, Veg & Lentil Ragù Lasagne consists of lasagne sheets layered with a vegetable, lentil and pearl barley ragù, topped with a soya-based white sauce and cheese alternative. It contains 15g of protein.
One Planet Pizza said the launch tapped an opportunity in frozen plant-based ready meals, which it claimed were underperforming in the wider ready meal category, citing research conducted by North Star.
The meals, made at a specialist small-batch plant in Blackpool, can be cooked in a microwave or oven.
One Planet Pizza was founded by father-and-son duo Mike and Joe Hill in 2016. The Norfolk-based business makes frozen plant-based foods designed to “deliver on taste while being better for people, animals and the planet”, it said.
“We always had big dreams of moving beyond pizza,” said Joe Hill. “We wanted to create familiar comfort food favourites that were properly satisfying, full of flavour and delivered the protein and fibre credentials shoppers are looking for.
“Finding the right manufacturing partner was one of the biggest challenges for these meals. This is quite a specific range and we wanted to work with a factory that still makes things by hand in small batches, which is much harder to find these days. The fact that we found that capability here in the UK was a real bonus.”
Hill added: “These meals are really personal to us. My dad Mike’s signature dish has always been his lentil lasagne, which he’s been making for more than 30 years, and I have so many happy memories of tucking into them as a kid.”
One Planet Pizza joined NIQ’s Million Club in February after topping £1m in value sales.
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