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    Home » Vegan Recipes » Vegan Main Courses » Vegan Pasta Recipes » Pangrattato with sun-dried tomato and lemon

    Pangrattato with sun-dried tomato and lemon

    Published: Mar 16, 2016 · Modified: Mar 2, 2022 by Kate Ford · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Pangrattato
    JUMP TO RECIPE JUMP TO VIDEO
    pinterest pin for pangrattato

    These crispy Italian Pangrattato breadcrumbs are spicy and deeply savoury, with chilli, lemon and sun-dried tomato. A perfect topping for simple pasta dishes, risotto or salads.

    🍴Why you will love this recipe

    Pangrattato, (or 'grated bread' in Italian), is a crispy breadcrumb topping which adds a pop of flavour and crunch to the simplest of throw-together meals.  I've used it here on an easy peasy pasta dish, but it is just as good on vegetables, risotto or even soups and salads.

    Packed with flavours and easy to make, this lovely topping contains chilli, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon, thyme and garlic. A simple way to jazz up even the simplest of pasta suppers.

    These delicious breadcrumbs are just perfect for vegans, as they provide a flavour-packed savoury topping for pasta dishes and risottos, when you might have previously used grated cheese.

    Jump to:
    • 🍴Why you will love this recipe
    • 📝 What you need
    • 👩🏽‍🍳 How to make your Pangrattato
    • 🔪 Top Tips & FAQs
    • 🍽 If you liked that...
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments and Reviews

    📝 What you need

    Ingredients

    Bread I like to use sourdough bread for excellent texture and flavour, but you can use whatever bread you have to hand. It really does make a difference if the bread is a few days old, verging on stale. Make sure your breadcrumbs are fairly coarse, and not too fine.

    Sun-dried tomatoes from a jar add a deep, savoury flavour to the pangrattato. You will also use the oil from the jar to cook the breadcrumbs in for extra flavour, (though if you're using a brand new jar and there isn't enough excess oil yet, just use any ordinary oil instead).

    Lemon zest gives such a fresh and fruity zing to the pangrattato, as well as a pop of colour to the finished dish.

    Equipment

    You will need some way of making breadcrumbs - this could be a small mini-chopper or a food processor.

    For small quantities I use my Breville Active Compact Food Processor which at £30 is a bargain and really handy for all sorts of small chopping and blending jobs in the kitchen.

    Or for bigger quantities, I will get out my Magimix Pro Food Processor which has three different sized bowls for any size job. 

    👩🏽‍🍳 How to make your Pangrattato

    For a full, printable recipe with ingredients and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this page 👇🏼.

    make breadcrumbs and chop tomatoes

    Break the bread into chunks and blitz to coarse breadcrumbs. Finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes.

    fry and season breadcrumbs

    Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, and add the garlic and breadcrumbs. Cook gently, stirring frequently, until they are golden brown and crispy. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, chilli flakes, thyme and lemon zest and cook for a further minute.

    🔪 Top Tips & FAQs

    It is quite easy to burn the pangrattato, so do cook them over a gentle to medium heat, and stir frequently. Don't leave the stove whilst they are cooking and adjust the heat as necessary.

    Keep the breadcrumbs coarse for the best possible texture. Just pulse the food processor / blender for a second at a time rather than leaving it to run, and shake it from time to time to move the chunks of bread around.

    Pangrattato Recipe
    What is the best bread to use for pangrattato?

    I like to use sourdough for a lovely texture and flavour of breadcrumb. Ciabatta also makes a lovely crumb, but you can use any bread you have to hand. If it is a few days old and slightly stale it makes a big difference to the breadcrumbs, but if you only have fresh bread you can toast it slightly instead.

    How long can you keep pangrattato breadcrumbs?

    If you want to make the pangrattato to keep (rather than to eat immediately), I would recommend leaving out the lemon zest, thyme and sun-dried tomatoes. If you cook them just with the garlic and chilli flakes, they will keep in an airtight container for 6-8 weeks. You can then add the lemon, thyme and sun-dried tomatoes just before serving.

    🍽 If you liked that...

    .... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:

    • Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
      Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
    • vegan pasta bake
      Puttanesca Vegan Pasta Bake
    • Red Wine Bolognese
      Red Wine Bolognese with borlotti beans
    • roasted courgettes
      Lemon Roasted Courgettes with herbs

    Loved this recipe? ⭐️ Leave a star rating below! 📸 Snap a photo of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram, tagging me @thevegspace or #thevegspace 📩 And get all my latest recipes in a weekly e-mail by subscribing to my newsletter.

    📖 Recipe

    Pangrattato Breadcrumbs

    Pangrattato Breadcrumbs with sun-dried tomato and lemon

    Kate Ford | The Veg Space
    These crispy Italian Pangrattato breadcrumbs are spicy and deeply savoury, with chilli, lemon and sun-dried tomato. A perfect topping for simple pasta dishes, risotto or salads.
    5 from 10 votes
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    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 5 minutes mins
    Total Time 10 minutes mins
    Course Side
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 101 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 slice slightly stale bread (about 40-50g - I use sourdough for extra flavour)
    • 5 sun-dried tomato halves from a jar
    • 2 tablespoon oil from the sun-dried tomato jar or olive oil
    • 2 cloves garlic (or 1 teaspoon ready-chopped garlic)
    • 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
    • 1 lemon zest only
    • 4 stalks fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

    Instructions
     

    • Break the bread into chunks and blitz to coarse breadcrumbs, (be careful not to let them get too fine).
    • Finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes.
    • Heat 2 tablespoon oil from the sun-dried tomato jar in a large frying pan. Add the garlic followed by the breadcrumbs and cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes until just turning golden brown and crispy.
    • Remove the thyme leaves from their stalks and grate the zest from the lemon. Tip them into the breadcrumbs along with the chilli flakes, and season well with salt and pepper.
    • Cook for a further minute then serve.

    ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION

    Video

    Notes

    It is quite easy to burn the pangrattato, so do cook them over a gentle to medium heat, and stir frequently. Don't leave the stove whilst they are cooking and adjust the heat as necessary.
    Keep the breadcrumbs coarse for the best possible texture. Just pulse the food processor / blender for a second at a time rather than leaving it to run, and shake it from time to time to move the chunks of bread around.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servingCalories: 101kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 52mgPotassium: 158mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 226IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 1mg
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    Vegan in 15 by Kate Ford

    For more quick and easy vegan recipes take a look at my latest book Vegan in 15.

    "Brilliant! Chock full of easy recipes and great tips and advice"  Hello! Magazine

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    About Kate Ford

    Hi! I'm Kate, vegan home cook and blogger behind The Veg Space and author of Vegan in 15. I'm passionate about creating easy vegan recipes that even a first-time cook can follow.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Savita says

      August 24, 2022 at 12:45 pm

      This recipe fits so well with my busy weeknights. So quick and delicious.

      Reply
    2. Heather Johnson says

      March 02, 2022 at 4:03 pm

      i added these to a simple spaghetti with marinara and wow - what a difference it made!

      Reply
    3. Mairead says

      March 02, 2022 at 4:01 pm

      What an amazing and flavorful breadcrumb topping. I can think of many pasta dishes I love to make that will be finished off to perfection with this delicious addition.

      Reply
    4. Carrie Robinson says

      March 02, 2022 at 3:42 pm

      Oooooo.... I am absolutely loving that breadcrumb topping! This looks fantastic. 🙂

      Reply
    5. Beth says

      March 02, 2022 at 3:09 pm

      I made this recipe a few days ago, and my family flipped over it. It's seriously one of the best pasta dishes of any kind that I've ever had.

      Reply
    6. Dana says

      March 16, 2016 at 5:19 pm

      I love lemon-y pastas. They're so refreshing and delicious! Can't wait to try this one!

      Reply
    7. Helen at Casa Costello says

      March 16, 2016 at 5:01 pm

      Great to see a pasta dish that isn't swimming in cheese. Love the idea of the texture of the breadcrumbs too. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    8. Sus // roughmeasures.com says

      March 16, 2016 at 4:49 pm

      Love the flavours here, I'm needing some chilli to get rid of this flu that has bed-ridden me!

      Reply
    9. Nadia says

      March 16, 2016 at 1:22 pm

      Oh yum! Sounds so delicious and zingy 😀 Great for a quick and easy vegan dinner 🙂

      Reply
    10. Helen @ family-friends-food.com says

      March 16, 2016 at 12:03 pm

      That looks and sound delicious! Great to have an alternative to Parmesan when I'm after something dairy-free 🙂

      Reply

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