Sun Basket is a meal kit delivery subscription dedicated to good-tasting, clean foods. According to their site, Sun Basket is committed to sustainability, low-impact responsible farming and fishing methods, organically grown produce, and giving back to the community via food banks and other programs. Award-winning San Francisco chef Justine Kelly lends her culinary know-how to developing Sun Basket‘s simple, seasonal recipes, which feature pre-portioned ingredients and signature pre-made sauces and spice blends.
Check out all of our reviews of Meal Delivery Services to see every meal kit subscription box option!
Sun Basket offers two menu options: the Classic Plan (3 “inspired, farm-to-table recipes” for 2 or 4 people per week) for $11.99 per serving, and the Family Plan (2 or 4 “family friendly meals that kids will love” for 4 people per week) at $10.99 per serving. The Family Plan was co-created by Tyler Florence from Food Network!
Within each plan, there are options for vegetarians, paleo eaters, gluten-free diets, and even breakfast-lovers (Classic Plan only). According to the Sun Basket FAQs, these are the options for the Classic Plan, which I’ll be reviewing today:
Chef's Choice: Healthy favorites from our chef. Fresh, seasonal recipes feature top-quality meats and seafood, organic and sustainable produce, and flavorful housemade sauces.
Paleo: More meat & veggies, less carbs. Paleo recipes feature plenty of lean meats and seafood, organic and sustainable produce, and housemade sauces. No gluten, grains, soy, corn, or dairy. (This is the one I subscribe to!)
Gluten-Free: No gluten, just delicious. Gluten-free recipes feature top-quality meats and seafood, organic and sustainable produce, gluten-free grains and pasta, and housemade sauces.
Please note, Sun Basket meals are prepared in a facility that handles wheat, and while the Gluten-Free meal plan follows a gluten-free diet, due to risk of cross-contamination, meals are not suitable for people with severe gluten intolerance.
Lean & Clean: Around 550 calories per serving, loads of flavor. Manage your weight and feel great with delicious meals high in protein and fiber, with no gluten, dairy or added sugars.
Vegan: Organic produce & plant-based protein. Creative meatless recipes with seasonal organic produce, plant-based proteins, and our house-made signature sauces.
Vegetarian: Balanced dinners full of organic veggies. Vibrant, creative recipes starring fresh, organic producer, responsibly sourced dairy, and organic pasture-raised eggs.
Pescatarian: Plant-forward with a healthy dose of seafood. Combine the benefits of a vegetarian diet, rich in seasonal organic produce, with an added dose of wild-caught, sustainably sourced seafood.
Mediterranean: Seasonal produce, lean meats, & healthy grains. Enjoy seasonal produce, lean meat & wild-caught seafood paired alongside whole grains, healthy fats, and fresh herbs.
Regardless of the plan you choose, you can always log into your Sun Basket account and hand-pick what meals you’d like to receive. If you don’t go in and curate things for yourself, Sun Basket will just choose meals for you based on your plan/preferences. Keep in mind that folks with special diets will always have a bit more limited options.
This is a review of the paleo version of the Classic Plan for 2 people per week ($11.99 per serving).
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Sun Basket
The Subscription Box: Sun Basket Classic Paleo Plan
The Cost: $11.99 per meal with free shipping on your first delivery. (That’s $71.94 per week for 2 people or $143.88 per week for 4 people.) After your first week, shipping is $6.99. If you’re serving a family (especially a family with kids), check out their Family Plan for pickier eaters priced at $10.99 per serving.
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: Farm-to-table-inspired recipes and the pre-portioned, high quality, non-GMO, organic ingredients you need to make them. Some items, such as signature sauces and spice mixes, come pre-prepared for you.
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
Sun Basket Paleo Meal Kit February 2018 Review
Inside Sun Basket's weekly brochure is a letter from their co-founder and executive chef, Justine Kelly. I love the personal touch! The letter itself is generalized and addresses all meal plans—not just Paleo—but it was such a nice way to start my first Sun Basket experience.
Each meal comes bagged separately, with all ingredients organized in their respective brown meal bags. Simply snaggin' a bag from the refrigerator and diving straight into cooking is so very convenient. It's grab-and-go in your very own kitchen!
(I accidentally disposed of this week's bags before photographing them, so the above label is a sneak peek of one of next week's meals. Whoops!)
Salmon with Green Romesco and Apple-Poppy Seed Salad
Calories per serving: 500
Time to prepare according to Sun Basket: 20-30 minutes
Actual time to prepare: 20 minutes
I could not wait to dig in and get cookin' after seeing such a stunning recipe photo. This recipe is speedy. I swear, I was only halfway through chopping and prepping the veggies by the time the salmon was ready to rock! I chose to multi-task and divvy up salmon and salad duties with my boyfriend, thinking it would be a good time-saver, but it almost saved too much time and had us scrambling to coordinate by the end.
So follow this particular recipe step-by-step, and you'll be golden! (Unless you want to feel like you're working in the kitchen of a very high-stakes, gourmet restaurant. 'Cause the hustle was actually kind of exhilarating.)
I was LOVING how colorful these salad ingredients were. So simple, and each had such a bold presence. A (literally) hot tip: use the whole chile! The recipe suggests to chop and use what suits your spice preferences, but we went all the way and it was perfect.
The final plate! The flavors were as bright and delightful as the colors in the dish itself. Every note POPPED, and I was amazed at how a simple dressing of lemon juice, poppy seeds, and olive oil brought so much vibrancy to the salad. The cilantro was another star of the show. Can cilantro just garnish everything in life maybe?
There was a slight nutty taste to the dish that came from the green romesco sauce, which Sun Basket prepped themselves. The sauce, artfully spread beneath perfectly-cooked salmon, was made from a blend of mild green chiles, roasted pumpkin seeds, olive oil, sherry vinegar, cilantro, and fresh garlic. As I type all this, I'm doing one of those chef's-kiss-emojis in my mind. It was that good.
Burmese Chicken Aloo Curry
Calories per serving: 740
Time to prepare according to Sun Basket: 30-45 minutes
Actual time to prepare: 40 minutes
The vegetables in this dish were a little tougher to prep. I could possibly chalk it up to subpar knives, but the sweet potatoes were tough to cut through! With a little elbow grease, it's possible. The lemongrass paste, which also came pre-prepared from Sun Basket, smelled amazing. So many energizing flavors in one whiff!
This is a one-pot meal, which I am alllllll about. Saving on dishes while also feeling like a sorceress as I pour one ingredient after another into an amazingly flavorful, bubbling brew? Sign me up.
I need a moment. Thinking about how incredible this soup was called for a few seconds of respectful silence. I cannot believe this was made in my kitchen. On my humble stove! The creaminess of the coconut milk added a rich, silky element that's been absent from any soup I've ever tasted.
The coconut milk was also a comforting counterpoint to the warm, cinnamon-y spice blend in this one-pot wonder! The onions, chicken thighs, and potatoes were perfectly cooked, with just enough firmness to stand out in every bite. Savor this soup with the ones you love, and perhaps a glass of wine. It'll fill your hearts right up.
Languedoc-Style Pork with Pecan Aillade and Braised Greens
Calories per serving: 690
Time to prepare according to Sun Basket: 30-45 minutes
Actual time to prepare: 40 minutes
Never have I ever concocted a dish with a name as fancy as this. As it's indicated in the recipe, ail means "garlic" in France; aillade, a garlicky sauce from the country's Languedoc region, traditionally made with nuts and herbs. The varied mix of ingredients in this dish—kale and parsley, onions and oranges, raisins and paprika?!—had me so intrigued.
Be very generous with seasoning when it comes to your pork loin chops, I say. They looked so tasty as they cooked! I'm not very experienced when it comes to cooking meat, but Sun Basket's instructions are simple to follow and basically foolproof. The pork was cooked perfectly. And, another perk of this recipe: you use the same pan to cook the kale as you do the pork! The flavors mix and mingle as the onions begin to caramelize and the kale wilts ever-so-slightly. Amazing.
Now, this is what I call presentation. We followed just how Sun Basket arranged their plate, and it had me feelin' like a 5-star chef! I cannot stress how good the textures in this dish were. Every bite had me ooh-ing and aah-ing. The savory combination of citrus and garlic was INCREDIBLE, and the parsley's elevating flavor popped at the very end of every bite.
The aillade, layered gracefully over both the kale and the perfect, perfect pork, was just complex enough to have us eating mindfully; taking in each bite with wide eyes while slowly dissecting the dance of flavors as we ate. It was such a fun meal to enjoy, and I'm thankful to Sun Basket for bringing it to our table!
Verdict: As you have likely gathered, I'm in deeply in love with every meal I made this week. My first experience with Sun Basket was so fantastic, I'm not sure how next week can top it, but by golly, I'm gonna find out! The meal selection is unique, sophisticated, and accessible all at once, and the cooking process itself is a breeze. The packaging is eco-friendly and many of the containers (like those with screw-on tops that housed pre-made sauces) are going to be put to good use as tiny Tupperware!
The value of this subscription box runs deep; Sun Basket introduced me to new flavors, culinary methods, and cultural traditions, all while providing an occasion for weeknight dinners that felt as exciting as a night out on the town.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Since Sun Basket 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 –Get $60 off ($40 off your first order and $20 off your second order) with this link!
Value Breakdown: At $71.94 for this box, you’re paying $11.99 per meal.
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Which of these Sun Basket recipes looks the tastiest to you?
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