Hello Fresh is a weekly meal delivery subscription that sends healthy recipes and the pre-measured ingredients you need to make them at home.
Hello Fresh lets you choose from a Classic Plan (choose from 8 weekly meat and fish recipes), a Veggie Plan (get 3 weekly vegetarian recipes), or a Family Plan (meat, fish, and veggie recipes perfect for two adults and two children). I like to eat a vegetarian diet, so I selected the Veggie Plan. Hello Fresh only offers 3 vegetarian dishes per week—where Classic Plan members can hop into their account and swap the recipes selected for them with other dishes on the menu, I've got to take what I get. I'm not a picky eater, so being subject to the luck of the draw has worked out okay for me so far. But I do wish there was just a little bit of wiggle room in the Veggie menu!
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 Hello Fresh Veggie Plan, $9.99 per meal, per box. This box came to a total of $59.94.
About Hello Fresh
The Subscription Box: Hello Fresh
The Cost: The Classic Food Box (for omnivores) starts at $9.99 per person per meal. The Veggie Box (for herbivores) starts at $9.99 per person per meal. The Family Box (for families) costs $8.74 per person per meal. Hello Fresh announced they will soon offer two plans: Unlimited Meal Choice ($11.50 a meal) or Basic Plan ($9.99 per meal). Learn more here!
ACTIVE DEAL: Limited Time Only! 10 Free Meals Across 7 Boxes + Free Apps for Life + First Box Ships Free. Applied As Discount Across 7 Boxes, New Subscriptions Only, Varies By Plan. One free appetizer item per box while subscription is active.
CODE: MSA10A
The Products: Healthy recipes and pre-portioned fresh ingredients.
Ships to: The contiguous U.S.
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Hello Fresh Vegetarian January 2018 Review
I've been enjoying a couple meal kit delivery subscription boxes lately to add some ease to my weekly lunch and dinner prep. So far, my experience with Hello Fresh has been pretty great. Their meals are simple to prepare, full of fresh ingredients, and they're each divided into handy paper bags. Most of my vegetarian meals have been both filling and delicious.
I also love that healthy options are the main focus, and you're able to easily access the nutritional information of each meal with an included info card.
Each meal is divided into its own paper bag allowing for ease in ensuring that you have everything you need in one place. I like that many fresh ingredients are loose in each bag, eliminating the need for excess packaging. Less waste, a smaller overall box, and more convenience.
Boxes are insulated and lined with ice packs.
Onto the first recipe!
Caramelized Shallot Risotto
Calories per Serving: 490
Total Time, According to Hello Fresh: 50 minutes
Actual Time It Took: 55-60 minutes
Risotto has always been one of those daunting dishes for me. I guess it's the notion that you must constantly stir the rice without taking your eyes off of it that's most intimidating. Let's see if I can get through this recipe with an infant that won't leave my side, shall we? 🙂
The first step was to cut my shallots into quarters and, after coating the pieces in balsamic, salt, and pepper, roast them in a little foil 'pocket' in the oven.
The zucchini was to be prepared in two ways. The outer portion is cut into ribbons while the core is finely chopped. This is when I cut the lemon in half and minced the garlic as well.
Arborio rice is commonly used in risotto. Because of its high starch content, it tends to absorb less liquid, resulting in a stickier, more compact texture. I added it to a pot with some oil and the diced zucchini and minced garlic.
Here comes the hard part. Veggie stock is gradually added one-half cup at a time. I incorporated the liquid in increments, stirring nonstop (...Or, you know, at least as often as I could given that I was tasked with pacifying a baby. Definitely had to walk away several times.). Hello Fresh instructs that you make sure that all of the liquid is absorbed before adding more. The whole process takes about a half hour. With a glass of wine and some tunes, it really flies by!
The zucchini ribbons are cooked with oil, salt, and pepper until juuuust tender. My cuts look a little rough since I don't own a vegetable peeler (note to self: REALLY have to get on that -- I very carefully use a blade attachment for my spiralizer instead). A squeeze of lemon is added at the very end for some brightness.
Parmesan is stirred into the rice, making for an instantly creamy, rich consistency. The roasted shallots sort of break apart and distribute themselves throughout the mixture as they're included, too.
The result was really incredible. Truly. This was GOOD! I loved the fresh flavor of the zucchini paired with the tartness of the lemon and vinegar-roasted shallots. Even though this cheesy dish required a bit more care and attention than other Hello Fresh meals, I found the result to be worth the effort.
Creamy Lemon Tagliatelle
Calories per Serving: 490
Total Time, According to Hello Fresh: 30 minutes
Actual Time It Took: 30 minutes
I'm admittedly not a big pasta person, and I'm not sure why. Pasta is easy to make, filling, and flavor combination possibilities are endless. Looking at these few simple ingredients laid out made me excited to get started on this dish.
As usual, chopping up veggies is the first step. Lots of pretty hues goin' on here!
I then boiled my salted water for the pasta to cook.
Onions, garlic, and mushrooms are cooked down in oil. The trifecta of deliciousness!
My pasta was initially a bit clumpy, so I gave it a couple more minutes to boil.
Veggie stock, sour cream, and chopped tarragon are added to the mushroom mixture to create a sauce.
Parmesan, lemon, and seasoning finish the dish.
This plate was tasty, but I mostly love that, aside from the pot to boil pasta, I only had to dirty one pan. Easy dishes like this one make all the difference in my hectic days. The gravy-like sauce wound being a bit thin for my liking, but it still adhered well to the noodles and had a lot of flavor.
Cumin Quinoa Bowl
Calories per Serving: 720
Total Time, According to Hello Fresh: 30 minutes
Actual Time It Took: 30 minutes
Feta, quinoa, black beans, cumin... these are all ingredients that I use frequently when I throw things together in the kitchen. This was definitely the dish of the week that I felt most comfortable with!
I started with chopping up my red bell peppers, jalapeno, lime, and cilantro.
The pepitas arrived roasted, but you're instructed to heat them up a bit in a pan to further toast their outer layer and release their oils. It makes all the difference!
As my quinoa cooked in a separate pot, I drained my black beans and corn. They're sautéed in a large pan with the jalapeno and olive oil. You're supposed to add the blacks last, just to heat them through, but I wound up cooking everything together at once. Whoops! (Spoiler: it turned out fine.)
This dressing is super heavy on the cumin! It also includes the juice from half a lime and a bit of olive oil.
After I added the feta to the rest of the ingredients, I tossed everything in the dressing. SO easy and fresh! And how pretty are these colors? The flavors are reminiscent of a salsa, which I was into. We even had a bit of salad leftover, and I added it on top of some arugula with more dressing the next day.
Verdict: I'm continuing to really love my Hello Fresh meals! This menu provided an awesome variety of flavors, and some of the cooking methods took me out of my comfort zone, which was nice. Who knew that I could ever prepare a mean risotto with a fussy baby at my side? Hello Fresh made it pretty easy, honestly. I should also add that I received a package of minute rice in my box that wasn't necessary. Perhaps it was some packaging kind of mix-up relating to the risotto.
The meals in Hello Fresh's veggie plan only cost $9.99 per serving. That pricing seems to be on par with other meal subscription boxes (Blue Apron at $9.99 per serving, Home Chef at $9.95 per serving, and Plated at $12 per serving).
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Since Hello Fresh menus change weekly and you must choose them ahead of time, you won’t be able to order these dishes unless they are offered again in the future.
Coupon – Save $30 off your first box - no coupon code necessary, just click this link!
Value Breakdown: At $59.94 for this box, you’re paying $9.99 per meal.
Do you subscribe to Hello Fresh? What's been your favorite meal so far?
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