SunBasket Subscription Box Review + Coupon – February 2017

SunBasket delivers fresh, seasonal ingredients to your door each week to create three unique and delicious meals.  

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

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

This review is of the SunBasket Vegetarian for two people, $68.94 a week, box. 

The Subscription Box: SunBasket

The Cost: $11.49 per meal with free shipping = $68.94/week for 2 people, or $137.88 for 4 people, plus a $5.99 delivery fee

ACTIVE DEAL: Get $90 off and 4 free gifts on first-time order of $65 or more. No coupon needed - just use this link.

The Products: High quality, non-GMO, organic ingredients for delicious meals!

Ships to: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NH, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, UT, VA, WV, VT, & parts of AK, AL, MI, MS

Good to know: There are 5 options you can choose from for your SunBasket plan: Chef's Choice (3 seasonal dinner recipes), Vegetarian, Paleo, Gluten Free, and Rise and Shine (2 breakfasts and 2 dinners).

Check out all of our SunBasket reviews and the Meals Subscription Box Directory!

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This week I chose: soft cooked polenta with red marinara sauce and eggs, Provencal vegetable-bean soup with pistou, and spinach risotto with fresh ricotta, and hazelnuts. SunBasket also encourages recycling and provided stickers this month to keep the insulation rolled when throwing into your recycling bin.

Meal #1: Polenta with Red-Pepper Marinara and Eggs

The first meal I made this week was the soft cooked polenta with red marinara sauce and eggs. First, I started the polenta cooking. Then I started the marinara by chopping all of the vegetables: leeks, peppers, carrots, and garlic. I sauteed the veggies for about 5-7 minutes to soften. 

After sauteeing, I added in the tomatoes, water, and chili flakes. At this point, the recipe said you could either fry your eggs or poach them in the sauce. I knew at this point that the sauce was too chunky for my liking, so I went in with an immersion blender.

You can see that I left some of the chunks, but I did blend it a bit for a smoother consistency. Then I poached my eggs in the sauce.

Here's my finished product. I ended up topping this with a bit of Romano cheese for an extra creamy kick, but it was excellent on its own. I enjoyed the flavors and the texture of the sauce after I pureed a bit of it. The meal took me about 30 minutes from start to finish and I found it pretty easy to prepare. 

Meal #2: Provencal Vegetable Bean Soup with Pistou

Next up, I made the Provencal vegetable-bean soup with pistou. The first step was to dice some veggies and saute them to soften. Then it was on to adding the seasoning, tomato paste, vegetable broth, and water.

The green beans and cabbage went in last and I cooked these until just softened. 

Here's the finished dish. I enjoyed this more than I expected to. I will say that I think it had way too much cabbage - but the flavor was excellent. I really loved the flavor of the pistou and wish SunBasket would have included the recipe for it - I would definitely make it again! This meal probably took 20 minutes - it was very simple to prepare!

Meal #3: Spinach Risotto with Fresh Ricotta and Hazelnuts

The last meal I made was the spinach risotto with fresh ricotta, and hazelnuts. This ended up being our Valentine's Day meal since I was traveling for work on the actual holiday. I make risotto quite often, so I realized pretty quickly that this risotto was made a little different than my regular recipe. It did start off the same, though: sauteeing shallots and garlic in a bit of butter and oil and then adding in the rice. The rice cooks in the butter and oil until it's translucent around the edges. 

Next, the recipe had me add in all of the cold water/broth at once. This is a departure from my usual recipe. First, I usually deglaze my pan with white wine and secondly, I always add warm vegetable broth in slowly until it's completely absorbed. This method was a little easier but I do think that the final product suffered for it. 

The last step was to add the parmesan cheese, spinach, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and finish it off with the ricotta cheese and chopped hazelnuts. Since my husband is not a fan of spinach and this was our 'celebratory' meal this week, I had pity on him and steamed the spinach on the side and then added it to my risotto. I have to be honest - I wasn't a huge fan of this. The risotto wasn't as creamy as usual and the hazelnuts seemed like a random addition at the end. It didn't blend well. In total, this meal took me around 25 minutes from start to finish.

Verdict: Overall, I have liked most of the meals I receive from SunBasket and they are always quite creative. Many times they include mixtures of ingredients that I would have never considered before. I like that this subscription makes me get out of my cooking rut and to try new things. As far as value goes, I find that this is right on par with some of the other meal subscriptions out there like Plated, Blue Apron, etc. 

Have you tried SunBasket yet?