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Plated Subscription Box Review + Coupon – April 2016

Lindsey Morse
ByLindsey MorseJul 25, 2016 | 12 comments

Plated-April-2016-Box

Plated
3.7 overall rating
43 Ratings | 23 Reviews

Plated delivers a weekly box of pre-portioned fresh and seasonal ingredients, everything you need to cook their chef-designed recipes at home in your own kitchen. Each week, they offer a different menu, and you can select which dishes you’d like to make, how many plates of each dish you’d like to serve, and when you’d like to receive your delivery. You can skip a week at any time.

Three of the dishes offered on every menu are vegetarian. Plated also regularly rotates in vegan and dairy-free options. They’re committed to using sustainably sourced seafood, seasonal produce, and meat that’s free from antibiotics and added hormones. 

Plated also makes it easy to pick recipes that suit your lifestyle. Each recipe clearly lists calorie content and prep time.

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

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The Subscription Box: Plated

The Cost: 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), just use this link!

The Products: All of the pre-portioned fresh and seasonal ingredients you need to make chef-designed recipes at home in your own kitchen.

Ships to: 95% of the US. (Currently, Plated does not ship to Hawaii and Alaska, and there are also a few cities in Texas, including San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Laredo, and Midland, where they don’t yet ship.)

Check out all of our Plated Reviews and discover more meal boxes in the Meal Subscription Box Directory!

Keep Track of your subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

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Each week, Plated offers a different menu with at least 7 dishes to choose from. For this box, I selected Turkey Ragu, Squash & Radish Salad with Rosemary Bread, and Chicken Curry Meatballs!

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When my box shipped, I received an email letting me know that I would need to have the following “pantry items” on hand: olive oil, black pepper, and kosher salt.

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As always, the box was packed with extreme care. Ingredients were bundled by recipe, and each item was in its own container.

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The meats were sealed and packed at the bottom of the box, safely away from the produce and surrounded by cool packs.

Unfortunately, though, I was sent the wrong proteins! I should have received ground turkey and ground chicken, and I instead received ground turkey and beef inside round steak. I reached out to customer service, and they credited my account $24 (the cost of two plates).

Recipe #1- Pattypan Squash and Watermelon Radish with Rosemary Bread

Calories Per Serving: 510

Cook Time: 35-45 minutes

Plated-April-2016-SaladRecipe

I was really hungry when my Plated box arrived, so I immediately set to work making the first dish!

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First, I scanned the recipe card.

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I then prepped my ingredients.

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To make the rosemary bread, I began by rolling out the provided pizza dough into a rectangle and topped it with olive oil, rosemary, and Maldon salt.

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I rolled up the dough, sliced it into four pieces, and arranged the slices into the provided tins. The rolls baked at 425 for about 20 minutes.

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When the were done baking, I set the rolls aside and assembled the salad.

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I cooked the pattypan squash over medium-high heat until it started to soften.

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While the squash cooled, I made vinaigrette from Champagne vinegar, mustard, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Next, I combined lettuce, radishes, and the pattypan squash and tossed them with the dressing.

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This salad was so pretty! It was a nice, light lunch, and the salty rosemary bread was fantastic.

Meal #2- Turkey Ragu with Nettle Pasta

Calories per Serving: 760

Cook Time: 25-35

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The following day, I made Turkey Ragu for lunch.

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Like always, I began by cleaning and prepping my veggies.

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This recipe included Sfoglini Pasta Shop’s Nettle Radiators. Plated often sends Sfoglini pasta for their recipes, and I’m a big fan. The pasta is great quality, and I love the incorporation of unusual ingredients like nettle.

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Firstly, I sautéed garlic, onion, and carrot in olive oil. When the softened, I added ground turkey and salt and pepper.

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I waited for the turkey to brown and then added tomato paste, red wine, crushed tomatoes, and bay leaf.

While the sauce simmered, I cooked the nettle radiators.

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When everything was ready, I plated the ragu between two bowls and topped each one with pecorino. While simple, this dish was very tasty! The sauce was full of flavor, and the nettle pasta helped elevate this straightforward dish into something special.

Meal #3- Chicken Meatballs with Curry Tomato Sauce and Greens

Calories: 540

Cook Time: 25-35

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Last up in this box was Chicken Meatballs with Curry Tomato Sauce and Greens.

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I rinsed the greens and minced garlic and ginger.

Since Plated didn’t send the ground chicken I needed for this dish, I picked up some from my local grocery store.

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To begin, I made meatballs by combining spice mix, ground chicken, yogurt, salt, and pepper and baked them in the oven at 375.

While the meatballs cooked, I sautéed spinach and pea tendrils with ghee, garlic, and ginger.

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I wiped out the greens pot, and sautéed more garlic and ginger in ghee. When the garlic and ginger started to brown, I stirred in crushed tomatoes. I let the flavors melt together and then added in heavy cream.

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I added the meatballs, too, when they were ready. I cooked for anther few minutes and then plated the dish. (Note: I decided to serve the meatballs on top of rice. Plated’s recipe called for the saucy meatballs to be served alongside the greens, but I felt rice would help add substance to the dish and ensure none of the sauce was wasted!)

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This dish was okay. I liked the flavors of the sauce, and the greens were delicious, but I felt like the dish was lacking something. Chunks of onion, maybe? Or some additional veggies in the sauce? It also seemed a little odd that Plated didn’t send rice to accompany the meal. Maybe it’s just me, but it seemed like the dish was begging for it.

Verdict: This box from Plated was pretty solid. I enjoyed all of the dishes, and I loved the Turkey Ragu. The perceived value of a box like Plated is subjective, but, for me, it’s definitely worth the cost. I’m usually very pleased with Plated’s recipes, and I appreciate the time I’m able to save on planning and shopping for meals.

Do you subscribe to Plated? If so, which meals did you pick last week?

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This weekly meal kit delivery subscription lets you select from a diverse, ever-changing menu of 20 recipes per week that feature responsibly sourced meats, sustainable seafood, and seasonal ingredients. They're also the only meal kit box to offer add-on desserts! Choose to receive everything you ne... read more.
Lindsey Morse
Lindsey Morse

Lindsey is a professional baker, cold brew coffee addict, and rosé aficionado who loves writing about food and wine. When she’s not sharing her love of subscription boxes with the world, you’ll find her in the podcasting studio, perfecting her cake decorating techniques, or cursing her way through the New York Times daily crossword puzzle. 


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12 comments

Renee Ladd

I also made rice to serve the meatballs on. I thought it was strange that rice wasn’t included. I agree with you on the taste too. They were good but not great. Maybe if it was made with coconut milk instead of cream? I had the steak and green garlic stir fry for my other recipe and that was pretty good but they substituted a spring onion for the green garlic which was kind of disappointing.

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Vanessa

Plated was the first meal delivery that I ever tried. A friend of mine used Blue Apron and I loved the concept when she told me about it, but Blue Apron didn’t deliver to my area at that time. I’ve tried several other companies, but I keep going back to Plated. Their recipes are definitely the best; I think they are the most chef driven. Their customer service is top notch and the ingredients arrive fresh and in good condition. That said, I chose the salmon teriyaki this past week and it was awful! I’m not a fan of miso sauce and I should have read through the recipe before choosing it or left it out of the salad dressing altogether. I also chose the roasted chicken Provencal and it was amazing; exactly what I expected. I have a family of four and I find that two servings are plenty for all four of us. I just buy the same kind of protein at the store to double it and add a side of my own and it’s always enough to feed two growing kids, a husband, and myself.

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Heather

I almost got the salad & rolls, but ended up going for the Salmon Teriyaki instead, along with the other two you received. I thought the meatballs were fantastic! I also added a bit of red pepper flakes to the sauce for some heat since it wasn’t spicy at all, and I expect that from tikka masala. The salmon was okay, not as good as the trout version they had last year. I think I was also on salad overload that day, and it came with SO MUCH LETTUCE. I loved the turkey ragu and was delighted to have an extra portion for lunch the next day. Sfoglini’s pastas are the bomb!

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Heather

Oh – I added basmati rice to the meatballs too.

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Shasta

Is it just me or does it feel that when Plated started making changes to their logo/website, the quality of their meals went down a bit? I always regarded them as the more “gourmet” of the meal box options, but lately I haven’t seen a single recipe stick out to me as something I couldn’t just easily create myself.

Half the fun of these boxes for me is using exotic, unknown ingredients and creating meals I’d usually only order at fancy restaurants.

Maybe it’s just me. =\

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Cindy

Why didn’t they include the chicken for their recipe? That seems odd. I, too, thought that salad looked miniscule. I honestly don’t think that even looks like a full portion as given by food guidelines. The rolls look scrumptious!

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Amanda

Plated has always had great customer service and has always made me happy with the way they’ve handled spills and missing ingredients. Unfortunately I didn’t really enjoy my meals last week. I had the risotto (where you did add the liquid a little at a time) and the salmon.

I didn’t see anything I wanted on their menu this week, so I tried Home Chef for the first time. I was so excited when I saw they were finally delivering to my area. The pasta I made tonight with artichokes, sundried tomatoes, in a cream lemon butter sauce was amazing.

For me the convenience and different meals make it worth it. Otherwise, I’d spend just as much, if not more, eating out. I also wouldn’t be eating as fresh ingredients. Most of the time I find the portions to be plenty and usually get 3-4 meals out of them. Dinner for the night & lunch for the next 2 days.

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Adele

I had my pesto spill a bit and they gave me an $8 credit for a free dessert. I’m very happy with Plated and like how easy they make it to skip weeks, add on a higher end dinner or dessert. They also seem to have their meals planned out farther ahead at least compared to Hello Fresh, which I like.

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Sara

The rosemary rolls look wonderful! That said the salad portion looks incredibly tiny, like I’d still have to eat lunch after eating the “appetizer” salad. I got my first box of Home Chef last night, and same thing, dinner was delicious, but we were both still wanting a little more. I get it’s probably the standard portion we’re supposed to be eating, but we’re used to the “American sized” portions, which I know are terrible for us.

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Lily

Sara do you have a favorite of the two? I’m considering trying plated but i love home chef. Plated sometimes seems to have more variety though

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nelliebelle1197

Lily- I tried several of the services to cut down my grocery store time. I have ended up with Home Chef and Plated in rotation. I actually order 5 meals at week between the two and they seem to work well together. And I have cut down my grocery spending and time spent shopping!

Sara

I’ve never tried Plated before, this was my first week with Home Chef. I’ve tried an organic delivery before long ago, Door to Door Organics, but I think they’re only in KC. They were awesome, but a tad pricey. I should also mention I’m fairly cheap and the food service boxes seem like a bit much for me personally. Like I could get more at the grocery store.