This month, I reviewed boxes from the top four meal subscription companies: Plated, Hello Fresh, Home Chef, and Blue Apron. To get a sense of how the boxes compare, I’ve outlined all of the meals I received below. I’ve assigned each dish a score out of 5, and I’ve averaged the scores from each box together to get a total box score. Read on to see which box came out on top for me this month!
Check out all of our reviews of Meal Delivery Services to see every meal kit subscription box option!
Plated – 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), no coupon required, just use this link.
Check out the full Plated review here!
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Meal #1- White Pizza with Asparagus, Gruyere, and Ricotta
Calories Per Serving: 630
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
Score: 5/5 This pizza was delicious. Five stars!
Meal #2- Garlic Roasted Chicken with Caramelized Summer Squash
Calories per Serving: 450
Cook Time: 30-40
Score: 3.5/5 This dish was tasty, but it didn’t wow me. I feel like this is the kind of dish I can easily make myself, and I expect Plated’s dishes to be a bit more special.
Meal #3- Crispy Chickpeas with Zucchini and Greek Yogurt Tzatziki
Calories: 510
Cook Time: 35-45
Score:4/5 I really liked this dish! It’s the kind of thing that I might order in a restaurant but would never think to cook myself. The crispy chickpeas were crunchy and delicious and the tzatziki really pulled the dish together. (It’s never occurred to me to make crispy chickpeas before, but they’re so good!!)
Overall Plated dish score: 4.17/5
Cost per plate: Meals start at $12 per serving. Dessert is $4 per serving.
Number of meals available to choose from each week: 9 meals + 2 desserts (7 standard dishes, plus 2 “Chef’s Table” offerings.)
Home Chef – Meals start at $9.95 per serving, and delivery is free for orders over $40.
COUPON: Save $30 off your first box! with coupon code 3PLATESOFF
Check out the full Home Chef review here!
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Meal #1- Lemon Shrimp Couscous with Spinach, Peas, Radish, and Feta
Calories: 561 per serving
Prep Time: 30-40 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Score: 4.5/5 I really liked this dish! It was fresh and filling.
Meal #2- Classic Chicken Piccata with Angel Hair Pasta and Lemon-Caper Sauce
Calories: 572 per serving
Prep Time: 25-35 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
Score: 3/5 Unfortunately, I thought this dish was a bit of a letdown. The sauce lacked the tanginess I usually look for in a good piccata, and the pasta was a little bland. I had a fantastic Chicken Piccata in last month’s Blue Apron box, and this one wasn’t nearly as tasty.
Meal #3- BBQ Turkey Burger
Calories: 778 per serving
Prep Time: 35-45 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Score: 4.5/5 These were some of the juiciest turkey burgers I’ve ever had! Yum!
Overall Home Chef Score: 4/5
Cost per Plate: Meals start at $12 per serving.
Number of meals available to choose from each week: 10 meals + 1 breakfast + 1 dessert + 1 smoothie
Hello Fresh – The Classic Food Box (for omnivores) starts at $9.90 per person per meal. The Veggie Box (for herbivores) starts at $9.08 per person per meal. The Family Box (for families) costs $8.75 per person per meal.
COUPON: Save $40 off your first box with code HTCST2!
Check out the full Hello Fresh review here!
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Meal #1- Heirloom Tomato Flatbread
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Calories per Serving: 674
Score: 5/5 This was really yummy. The combination of pesto, prosciutto, and tomatoes was great— rich, comforting, and fresh all at the same time. I think this is the best flatbread I’ve had from Hello Fresh (I’ve tried a few), and I would happily make this again anytime!
Meal #2- Jamie’s Tomato, Spinach & Olive Fusilli with Fresh Oregano & Cheese
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Calories per Serving: 534
Score: 4/5 This dish was pretty tasty. It falls into the category of “dish I could easily make without a recipe,” but I enjoyed it. I loved the big chunks of broccolini and the salty kick from the olives.
Meal #3- Seared Steak and Creamy Chipotle Pan Sauce
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Calories per Serving: 699
Score: 5/5 This dish was fantastic! The hash had lots of flavor, the steak was tender, and the creamy adobo sauce was delicious!
Overall Hello Fresh Score: 4.67/5
Cost per Plate: Hello Fresh starts at $9.90 per serving (for The Classic Box).
Number of meals available to choose from each week: 6 meals
Blue Apron – $59.94 for 3 recipes on the 2-Person Plan, $69.92 for 2 recipes on the Family Plan, $139.84 for 4 recipes on the Family Plan.
COUPON: 2 Meals Free on Your First Order, no coupon required, just use this link.
Check out the full Blue Apron review here!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
Meal #1- Spiced Shrimp & Pearl Couscous with Sautéed Zucchini
Calories: 685 per serving
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15-25 minutes
Score: 4/5 I liked this dish a lot! The spice blend (ground fennel, turmeric, and Aleppo pepper) was flavorful, and it was kind of like summer comfort food- warming and satisfying without being too heavy.
Meal #2- Brown Butter Gnocchi with Summer Squash, Almonds, and Soft-Boiled Eggs
Calories: 650 per serving
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20-30 minutes
Score: 2/5 Unfortunately, this dish didn’t quite work for me. The tart flavor of the lemon juice didn’t complement the nutty caramel flavor of the brown butter, in my opinion. I love gnocchi with lemon and I love gnocchi with brown butter, but I think the flavors together work in opposition, not harmony.
Meal #3- Eggplant Tagine with Couscous, Chickpeas, and Feta Cheese
Calories: 785 per serving
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20-30 minutes
Score: 3/5 I really enjoy Moroccan-inspired flavors, and I thought this dish was tasty. Points off, though, because Blue Apron sent wilted cilantro and a bag eggplant…
Overall Blue Apron Score: 3/5
Cost per Plate: Blue Apron costs $9.99 per serving.
Number of meals available to choose from each week: 6 meals (Note: meal choice is limited by the fact that not all combinations of meals are available.)
The Verdict: It’s so much fun looking back at the meals I received this month from Plated, Home Chef, Blue Apron, and Hello Fresh, and it’s very interesting to stack them up against each other to see how they compare! Overall, I enjoyed all four of the meal boxes I received, but there were definitely a few dishes that stood out from the rest. Both pizzas this month (from Plated and Hello Fresh) were fantastic, and I LOVED the Seared Steak and Creamy Chipotle Pan Sauce (from Hello Fresh). Looking at my overall box scores this month, Hello Fresh is clearly the runaway winner!
Favorite box: Hello Fresh
Yummiest dish: Hello Fresh’s Seared Steak and Creamy Chipotle Pan Sauce
Most fun dish to make: Plated’s Crispy Chickpeas with Zucchini and Greek Yogurt Tzatziki (I can’t believe I’ve never made crispy chickpeas before! They’re certainly going to be added to my cooking repertoire!)
Do you subscribe to Plated, Home Chef, Hello Fresh, or Blue Apron? What were your favorite July dishes?
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