Plated Subscription Box Review + Coupon – April 2016

Plated delivers a weekly box of pre-portioned fresh and seasonal ingredients, everything you need to cook their chef-designed recipes at home in your own kitchen. Each week, they offer a different menu, and you can select which dishes you’d like to make, how many plates of each dish you’d like to serve, and when you’d like to receive your delivery. You can skip a week at any time.

Three of the dishes offered on every menu are vegetarian. Plated also regularly rotates in vegan and dairy-free options. They’re committed to using sustainably sourced seafood, seasonal produce, and meat that’s free from antibiotics and added hormones. 

Plated also makes it easy to pick recipes that suit your lifestyle. Each recipe clearly lists calorie content and prep time.

Check out all of our reviews of Meal Delivery Services to see every meal kit subscription box option!

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The Subscription Box: Plated

The Cost: Recipes begin at $12 per plate. 2 recipes (4 plates)= $48 per week (+ $6 shipping). 3 recipes (6 plates)= $72 per week (with free shipping). 4 recipes (8 total plates)= $96 per week (with free shipping).

COUPON: Free dinner for two with purchase of 3-dinners plan ($24 value), just use this link!

The Products: All of the pre-portioned fresh and seasonal ingredients you need to make chef-designed recipes at home in your own kitchen.

Ships to: 95% of the US. (Currently, Plated does not ship to Hawaii and Alaska, and there are also a few cities in Texas, including San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Laredo, and Midland, where they don’t yet ship.)

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Each week, Plated offers a different menu with at least 7 dishes to choose from. For this box, I selected Turkey Ragu, Squash & Radish Salad with Rosemary Bread, and Chicken Curry Meatballs!

When my box shipped, I received an email letting me know that I would need to have the following “pantry items” on hand: olive oil, black pepper, and kosher salt.

As always, the box was packed with extreme care. Ingredients were bundled by recipe, and each item was in its own container.

The meats were sealed and packed at the bottom of the box, safely away from the produce and surrounded by cool packs.

Unfortunately, though, I was sent the wrong proteins! I should have received ground turkey and ground chicken, and I instead received ground turkey and beef inside round steak. I reached out to customer service, and they credited my account $24 (the cost of two plates).

Recipe #1- Pattypan Squash and Watermelon Radish with Rosemary Bread

Calories Per Serving: 510

Cook Time: 35-45 minutes

I was really hungry when my Plated box arrived, so I immediately set to work making the first dish!

First, I scanned the recipe card.

I then prepped my ingredients.

To make the rosemary bread, I began by rolling out the provided pizza dough into a rectangle and topped it with olive oil, rosemary, and Maldon salt.

I rolled up the dough, sliced it into four pieces, and arranged the slices into the provided tins. The rolls baked at 425 for about 20 minutes.

When the were done baking, I set the rolls aside and assembled the salad.

I cooked the pattypan squash over medium-high heat until it started to soften.

While the squash cooled, I made vinaigrette from Champagne vinegar, mustard, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Next, I combined lettuce, radishes, and the pattypan squash and tossed them with the dressing.

This salad was so pretty! It was a nice, light lunch, and the salty rosemary bread was fantastic.

Meal #2- Turkey Ragu with Nettle Pasta

Calories per Serving: 760

Cook Time: 25-35

The following day, I made Turkey Ragu for lunch.

Like always, I began by cleaning and prepping my veggies.

This recipe included Sfoglini Pasta Shop’s Nettle Radiators. Plated often sends Sfoglini pasta for their recipes, and I’m a big fan. The pasta is great quality, and I love the incorporation of unusual ingredients like nettle.

Firstly, I sautéed garlic, onion, and carrot in olive oil. When the softened, I added ground turkey and salt and pepper.

I waited for the turkey to brown and then added tomato paste, red wine, crushed tomatoes, and bay leaf.

While the sauce simmered, I cooked the nettle radiators.

When everything was ready, I plated the ragu between two bowls and topped each one with pecorino. While simple, this dish was very tasty! The sauce was full of flavor, and the nettle pasta helped elevate this straightforward dish into something special.

Meal #3- Chicken Meatballs with Curry Tomato Sauce and Greens

Calories: 540

Cook Time: 25-35

Last up in this box was Chicken Meatballs with Curry Tomato Sauce and Greens.

I rinsed the greens and minced garlic and ginger.

Since Plated didn’t send the ground chicken I needed for this dish, I picked up some from my local grocery store.

To begin, I made meatballs by combining spice mix, ground chicken, yogurt, salt, and pepper and baked them in the oven at 375.

While the meatballs cooked, I sautéed spinach and pea tendrils with ghee, garlic, and ginger.

I wiped out the greens pot, and sautéed more garlic and ginger in ghee. When the garlic and ginger started to brown, I stirred in crushed tomatoes. I let the flavors melt together and then added in heavy cream.

I added the meatballs, too, when they were ready. I cooked for anther few minutes and then plated the dish. (Note: I decided to serve the meatballs on top of rice. Plated’s recipe called for the saucy meatballs to be served alongside the greens, but I felt rice would help add substance to the dish and ensure none of the sauce was wasted!)

This dish was okay. I liked the flavors of the sauce, and the greens were delicious, but I felt like the dish was lacking something. Chunks of onion, maybe? Or some additional veggies in the sauce? It also seemed a little odd that Plated didn’t send rice to accompany the meal. Maybe it’s just me, but it seemed like the dish was begging for it.

Verdict: This box from Plated was pretty solid. I enjoyed all of the dishes, and I loved the Turkey Ragu. The perceived value of a box like Plated is subjective, but, for me, it’s definitely worth the cost. I’m usually very pleased with Plated’s recipes, and I appreciate the time I’m able to save on planning and shopping for meals.

Do you subscribe to Plated? If so, which meals did you pick last week?