Blue Apron is a subscription meal delivery service. Every week, they send seasonal recipes created by their culinary team with the pre-measured ingredients needed to make them at home.
This is a review of the 2-person, 2-meal subscription plan ($9.99 per serving, or $47.95 per week).
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Blue Apron
The Subscription Box: Blue Apron
The Cost: You can choose from a 2 person plan or a family plan.
For the 2 person plan:
- $47.95 ($9.99 per serving + $7.99 shipping) for 2 meals per week,
- Or $59.94 ($9.99 per serving + FREE shipping) for the 3 meals per week.
For the family plan:
- Starts at $71.92 ($8.99 per serving + FREE shipping) for the 2 meals per week,
- $95.88 ($7.99 per serving + FREE shipping) for 3 meals per week,
- $119.84 ($7.49 per serving + FREE shipping) for 4 meals per week.
The Products: Fresh ingredients and recipes for delicious, chef-inspired meals at home.
Ships to: U.S. only.
June 2019 Blue Apron Review
Blue Apron ingredients come packaged in a big silver cooler bag that’s a lot like bubble wrap. Along with the plastic-wrapped ice packs in the box, the bubble wrap bag keeps the ingredients cool while they travel.
The produce was packed atop a cardboard divider, beneath which was a nest of ice packs.
A lot of the ingredients from Blue Apron come in bags, labeled, but you have to check out the recipe cards to know which meal they go to. Smaller items like butter or sauces come in a “knick knack” bag so they don’t get lost in the shuffle, and those bags are also labeled with the meal’s name. The plastic bags are the same as the ones larger ingredients come in, and are also recyclable.
There were no advertisements or info cards in this month’s box.
Anyway, let’s get cooking!
Meal #1: Jalapeño Burgers with Goat Cheese & Smoky Roasted Carrots
Calories per serving (as prepared): 750
Total cook time according to Blue Apron: 25 minutes on the site, 20-30 minutes on the recipe card
Actual time: 37 minutes
After unboxing all of the ingredients, I took a minute to separate each meal into its own plastic grocery bag for storing in the fridge, so nothing gets lost, and identical ingredients aren't accidentally included in the wrong dish.
I very rarely cook meat at home, unless it comes through a meal subscription kit. This recipe seemed spot-on for summer, and despite my more plant-based dietary habits, I can never deny the call of a delicious burger.
To get started, I pre-heated the oven to 450 degrees. Then, I put the honey packet in my back pocket to quickly bring it to room temperature (which is a technique not suggested by the recipe, I should add, but still works), washed and dried the fresh produce, and lined a small sheet pan with foil. I also peeled the carrots, saved said peels to use for veggie broth later on, and cut the carrots into fry shapes.
The fries got tossed with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and a little dusting of the smoky seasoning blend. Usually, I use all the seasoning Blue Apron includes, but there was so much in this packet, and so few carrot strips, I only used about 1/3 of what was provided. These went into the oven to roast for 17 minutes.
While a medium-sized skillet heated off to the side, I split up the potato buns and made quick work of prepping the jalapeño. No stems, ribs, or seeds here—just beautiful, thin strips ready for the marinade.
In a small bowl, I whisked my pocket honey with the red wine vinegar, a splash of olive oil, and as always, some salt and pepper. Once combined, in went the jalapeño strips to marinate while the rest of the dish came together.
I gently combined the ground beef with more salt and pepper in a bowl before shaping them into these decent-sized patties. Please forgive their near camouflage on my red cutting board! And yes, the board was washed immediately after use.
I added the patties to two teaspoons of olive oil heated to medium-high in a non-stick skillet. These cooked on each side for 5 minutes. In the fond (the brown bits left in the pan), I toasted the buns cut-side down for just a minute, until lightly browned.
Here are the buns and burgs, ready for assembly. It’s a beautiful thing.
Blue Apron’s creamy mustard sauce is sooo good, so whatever was left after I enjoyed a few generous tastes, I spread over the cut sides of each bun, both top and bottom. Then I layered on the burgers, the goat cheese, and the marinated jalapeño strips.
Would you look at this meal! First, it’s worth noting that I made this recipe for lunch instead of dinner. That was the right move, considering the portion size was perfect for a midday meal, but had I made this for dinner, it would have left me wanting. Does that mean I should be eating less for dinner? Maybe, but that’s a separate conversation. Anyway, this dish was fantastic. The marinated jalapeños were a brilliant, crunchy contrast to the soft, creamy goat cheese and the savory burger, plus there’s no going wrong with the creamy mustard sauce. The roasted carrots could’ve used another 2-3 minutes in the oven, but the flavor from the smoky seasoning was still nice. More substantial buns would’ve made this a 5-star dish in my opinion, but the humble potato buns were just the right touch for lunch. Plus, there’s nothin’ wrong with 4 stars. I recommend it!
Meal #2: Spicy Cold Sesame Noodles with Bok Choy, Carrots, and Soft-Boiled Eggs
Calories per serving (as prepared): 750
Total cook time according to Blue Apron: 25 minutes on the site, 20-30 minutes on the recipe card
Actual time: 25 minutes
Though I’m not typically a fan of cold noodle dishes (hot noodle purist over here), this dish looked quick and easy, and I’m always open to changing my ways—especially when there’s minimal effort involved.
The first order of business was boiling a medium pot of water with a big pinch of salt for the eggs. While the water warmed up, I washed and dried the produce, chopped up the bok choy, and grated the carrots on the large side of a box grater after peeling them. In a large bowl, I whisked together the tahini, soy sauce, sugar, 2 tablespoons of water, and the entire container of sambal oelek. That stuff rules.
I combined the sliced bok choy and grated carrots with the sesame oil, rice vinegar, plus some salt and pepper to marinate while the rest of the recipe came together.
I soft-boiled both eggs for 6 minutes in this here pot of boiling water. Upon completion, I transferred the eggs to a colander with a slotted spoon, then ran them under cold water to stop their cooking.
In the same boiling water used for the eggs, I cooked the ramen for 2 minutes, then transferred it to the colander to briefly cool down under some cold water.
While the noodles cooled, I peeled both eggs and seasoned them with salt and pepper. This is one of the better egg peeling jobs I've done, and for that, I'm proud of myself.
I tossed the cooked noodles and the marinated veggies into the large bowl with the whisked sauce and gave everything a very generous mixing.
Voila, the finished dish! I have to say, this recipe situated my prior dislike of cold noodle dishes. Though I didn’t serve them completely chilled, they were room temperature, and still pretty delicious to boot. The portion was a great size for dinner, and the unexpected combination of the nutty tahini with the spicy sambal and umami furikake had me smiling. I’ll consider making this again when my apartment gets unbearably hot over the summer and I need to keep heat cooking to a minimum. Oh, and did I mention this was one of the quickest and easiest Blue Apron dishes I’ve ever made? Because it is, and I’m here for that.
Verdict: My experience with Blue Apron this month was good! I really enjoyed both dishes, and I crown the jalapeño burgers my favorite of the two. The combination of flavors in both meals was a little more daring and sophisticated than my typical home cooking repertoire, which was great for me, and ultimately justified the cost of $11.99/plate (shipping included). I'm also a fan of Blue Apron's user interface. They make it very simple and straightforward to cancel weeks when needed, and I appreciate that. Overall, I recommend giving this meal kit a try, especially if you’re looking to elevate your meal rotation.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Recipes change every week, so these are gone for now, but popular ones always come back in the future. Sign up today to choose for a whole new crop of meals.
Value Breakdown: At $47.95 ($9.99 per serving + $7.99 shipping), you’re paying $11.99 per serving.
Check out all of our Blue Apron reviews and find the best meal delivery kits of 2019!
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