Delta Introduces Five New Meatless Meals to Its Inflight Menu

Maintaining a plant-based diet while traveling can be a challenge, especially when navigating airports and long flights. But now Delta Airlines just announced that it will be making it easier, by adding five new plant-based options to its menu for the first time, featuring meatless meatballs and other vegetarian options.

The airline, which flies 200 million people a year, announced that the plant-based dishes will be available this month on select flights that travel 900 miles or longer. Initially, the meatless meals will be available to Delta One or First Class customers. The plant-forward meals offer passengers the opportunity to opt-out of the previously meat-heavy inflight menu.

“Not only are plant-based meats like Impossible Burger delicious to eat, but they’re also often better for the environment, using far less land and water to produce,” Senior Vice President of In-Flight Service at Delta Kristen Manion Taylor said in a statement. “These new options are one part of Delta’s broader mission to promote a wellness-focused travel journey.”

Delta will partner will both Impossible Foods and Black Sheep Foods on its new vegetarian menu. The airline will offer two dishes nationwide, including the Impossible Burger topped with caramelized onion chutney and Manchego Cheese and the Warm Season Vegetable Plate made with grilled heirloom carrots, grilled red onions, roasted cherry tomatoes, roasted button mushrooms, and fresh broccolini served on an Israeli couscous. The vegetable plate contains non-vegan lemon herb butter.

The airline will also offer three additional exclusive menu items depending on the city of departure. For flights leaving the New York City area (LaGuardia and JFK airports), an Impossible Meatball dish tossed in a Pomodoro sauce with pesto cream, spinach, roasted tomatoes, and orzo risotto will be on the menu. The vegetarian dish is made in partnership with Union Square Events.

For San Francisco passengers, Delta flights will include a meatless meatball dish from Black Sheep Foods. The new meatless option will also feature spinach rice and dairy-based feta. The meal will be created in partnership with the local Mediterranean chain Souvla. On the West coast, Seattle passengers will be able to order a pan-fried cauliflower cake containing rapini, dairy-based parmesan, and rice cauliflower. The vegetarian dish will also come with a creamy pesto orzo, toasted hazelnuts, and roasted tomatoes.

Delta has not clarified if passengers can request the new menu dishes be prepared fully vegan. Even though the five menu items showcase fully plant-based proteins, each dish contains at least one dairy-based ingredient.

While the Delta menu is far from fully plant-based, the groundbreaking dishes have pushed the airline in the right direction. The menu development provides customers with a far more sustainable option, curbing carbon emissions associated with their inflight meals. A recent report found that a meat-free diet could reduce average greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 60 percent.

When compared to animal-based beef production, Impossible’s plant-based alternative emits 90 percent fewer greenhouse gases, making it one of the most sustainable vegan products available. Producing the Impossible burger requires 75 percent less land and 85 percent less water compared to current livestock operations.

By teaming up with Souvla and Black Sheep Foods, Delta is tapping into an underrepresented alternative protein market. Souvla first introduced the plant-based lamb product at its restaurants late last year, and now, the two companies are providing the sustainable lamb alternative to Delta flyers. Black Sheep Lamb uses 98 percent less land and produces 95 percent fewer carbon emissions than traditional lamb, offering Delta customers an accessible introduction to environmentally friendly meat substitutes unlike ever before.

Protein: 21 grams in ⅓ cup (1 ounce) Seitan isn’t as popular as other proteins, but it should be! Made from wheat gluten, its texture resembles ground meat. It’s often used in pre-made veggie burgers or meatless nuggets. Seitan has a savory taste, like mushrooms or chicken, so it works well in dishes that call for an umami flavor. With a hearty texture, seitan can be the star of practically any vegan main dish. Add it to stir-fries, sandwiches, burritos, burgers, or stews. Like tofu, seitan will take on the flavor of any marinade or sauce.

Protein: 16 grams in 3 ounces If you like a protein with a bit of bite, add tempeh to your list. Made from fermented soybeans, tempeh has a slightly nutty flavor and is pressed into a block. Most varieties include some sort of grains, such as barley or millet. Not only is tempeh a plant-based source of protein, but the fermentation process also creates good-for-your-gut probiotics. You can cut tempeh right off the block and use it as the base for a sandwich or pan-fry it with some sauce. Or, crumble, heat, and make it the star of your next taco night.

Protein: 13 grams in ½ cup cooked Lentils come in multiple varieties--red, yellow, green, brown, black. Regardless of the type lentils are small but mighty nutritional powerhouses. They pack a good amount of protein as well as iron, folate, and fiber. When cooked, brown lentils retain their texture and can be the base for a grain bowl or make a hearty substitute for ground meat in meatballs, lasagna, tacos or Bolognese. Red lentils are a bit softer and make a nice add-in for a hearty soup, chili, or stew.

Protein: 10 grams in 3 tablespoons Hemp seeds are a tender and nutty seed, derived from the hemp plant. They contain good amounts of omega-3s, iron, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, and manganese. They are also a solid source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, which helps to keep your digestive tract healthy and humming. Because they pack a double whammy of protein and healthy fats, hemp seeds can help satisfy hunger, preventing those embarrassing stomach growls as you slog your way to your lunch break. Add them to your morning smoothie or sprinkle them on top of yogurt, oatmeal, or even a salad.

Protein: 9 grams in 3 ounces (⅕ of a block) Made from coagulated soybeans, tofu is the most popular plant-based protein. Soy is one of the only meatless "complete" proteins, meaning that it contains all of the essential amino acids that the body can’t make but needs for muscle and immune function. With 15% of your daily calcium needs, tofu is also a good replacement for dairy.

Protein: 9 grams of protein in ½ cup This sushi appetizer is a nutrient powerhouse, so eat it anytime. Edamame is really just another name for soybeans in their pods. Let’s list off some stats--a small ½-cup serving of edamame has 9 grams of protein, 15% of your daily vitamin C, 10% of your daily iron and 16% of your daily fiber. Keep a bag of edamame in your freezer to serve as a fun-to-eat side dish or opt for the shelled variety to toss into salads or a grain bowl.

Protein: 8 grams per cup (cooked) Quinoa is an ancient grain and since it's gluten-free a great choice for anyone avoiding gluten. Add it to your burger recipe to create filling texture, or instead of meat in your taco or burrito. Quinoa is among the healthiest foods on the planet, delivering phytonutrients that have anti-inflammatory qualities, so keep it in your pantry for any meal that needs a filling grain. Just remember to soak it and rinse before cooking to get rid of any bitter taste.

Protein: 7 grams in ½ cup (canned) Eating beans on the regular might as well be a prerequisite for a plant-based diet. Not only are canned black beans inexpensive, but they also contribute 10% of your daily iron and 25% of your daily fiber to your diet. For less than $1 a can, beans can be the star of tacos, quesadillas, salads, soups, burgers, or dips.

Protein: 6 grams in ⅔ cup (cooked) Chances are you’ve never cooked amaranth. But you should, since this tiny, gluten- free grain is packed with almost 30% of your daily fiber and 20% of your daily iron. Cook it like a traditional grain to yield a soft, porridge-like texture. Many people add amaranth to other a hot breakfast cereal mixture, like oats and quinoa. It also pops like popcorn. Toss it in a pot with some oil and wait for it to pop up into a nutritious snack.

Protein: 5 grams in ⅔ cup If peas were one of your most hated veggies as a kid, it’s time to give them another chance. These green beans are a great low-calorie protein to keep in your freezer. Sure, they don’t always taste great when steamed or microwaved (who wants to eat mushy, overcooked peas?), but they do blend well into a yummy puree that can be slathered on toast. To amp up the flavor, add some lemon juice or mint to your mix before you blend.