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 pays 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.
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: 16 Free Meals (Offer is for new subscriptions only across 9 boxes and varies by plan) + First Box Ships Free + 3 Surprise Gifts
CODE: MSA16HF
The Products: Healthy recipes and pre-portioned fresh ingredients.
Ships to: The contiguous U.S.
Check out all our Hello Fresh reviews and the Food Subscription Box Directory for more meal boxes!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
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!
Brown Rice Bibimbap
Calories per Serving: 570
Total Time, According to Hello Fresh: 15 minutes
Actual Time It Took: 20 minutes
With a 15 minute prep time listed, I was really thrilled to get started on this simple recipe to round out a super busy day. At a glance, it appeared that cooking the rice would be the hardest part of this one.
I began by chopping and slicing all of the veggies. This recipe suggests that you use a vegetable peeler to create ribbons from the zucchini and carrot, but I, unfortunately, don't own one! Instead, I got creative and used a slicing blade attachment that came with my spiralizer. Not perfect, but it did the trick.
Next up, the chopped scallions were lightly pickled in white wine vinegar.
I combined chopped garlic (accidentally left it out of the full ingredients pic -- it was hiding in the bottom of the paper bag!) with the soy sauce pods, minced ginger, and a bit of sugar to create the base for this dish's sauce.
From there, I lightly cooked all of the vegetables in a hot oiled pan and set them aside as I went. As you can see, my carrots and zucchini were by no means perfect ribbons, but I sort of enjoyed the variety in the end (I'm going to tell myself that it added to the range of textures in the dish).
A fried egg is what MAKES bibimbap for me, so I was careful to really nail this step. I left my egg in the pan a little longer than my husband's to ensure that the yolk wasn't entirely runny since I'm avoiding undercooked foods at the moment. However, a slightly runny yolk is best here.
After creating a bed of rice and piling on my veggies and pan-thickened sauce, the final product was topped with pickled scallions and finished with sriracha and sesame seeds. I also added avocado because I had a perfectly ripe one lying around. These are my kind of flavors, so I was super happy with the result! The portions were also huge.
Za'atar-Crusted Grilling Cheese
Calories per Serving: 510
Total Time, According to Hello Fresh: 30 minutes
Actual Time It Took: 30 minutes
I have really enjoyed the couple of grilling cheese dishes that I've tried in previous Hello Fresh meal boxes, so I couldn't wait to get started on this one. I love the salty creaminess of the cheese paired with fresh ingredients and Middle Eastern spices.
I cut up my veggies according to the instructions and zested my lemon. Lemon zest and juice is always a favorite ingredient of mine to add some brightness to a dish.
The zucchini and onion wedges were sprinkled with sumac, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and left to roast in the oven.
The couscous was toasted with the smaller chop of the onion and some olive oil. Then, I added water and let it come to a boil. I turned the heat to medium-low to finish the cooking process. Usually, I opt for quinoa over couscous, so this was a nice change of pace to prepare.
Onto the cheese! The best part! All you need to do is divide it into two serving sizes and roll it in the za'atar. Hello Fresh provides more cheese than what you need for 2 dishes.
But being the cheese-loving monsters that we are, my husband and I decided to go all in with 2 pieces per serving. I fried up each side in some olive oil, but you can use whatever oil you prefer.
The couscous was cooked through at this point. Check out that steam!
It's added to halved tomatoes and basil leaves and seasoned. This acts as the base of your plate.
I simply topped with my roasted vegetables, grilled cheese, and some leftover basil ribbons. Garnish with a wedge of lemon, and don't forget to squeeze it on for some necessary acidity!
This was so good! I went a little crazy with crisping up my cheese, but it was creamy and lovely on the inside and a nice juxtaposition to the fresh tomato and herby roasted zucchini strings. It also looks like a restaurant dish and would be awesome for serving to guests. Big fan!
Yellow Squash Flatbreads
Calories per Serving: 590
Total Time, According to Hello Fresh: 30 minutes
Actual Time It Took: 30 minutes
This is another recipe that appeared to be super simple! Perfect for the lunch I was planning on making it for.
Per usual, rinsing and chopping veggies is the first step. Yellow squash is the star of the show here.
I lightly toasted my pine nuts in a hot pan. It's important that you continuously toss them and keep an eye on how toasted they're becoming so that they don't burn (been there).
The squash was cooked down with scallions, olive oil, salt, and pepper. This mixture is what will top the flatbreads. Again, super easy.
The flatbreads come in two individual pieces. I laid them out on a cooking tray and tore off small pieces of the fresh mozzarella ball to coat each piece. Then, I topped with the veggie mix and let the flatbreads bake for about 10 minutes or so. Basically, until the cheese became melty and the edges become crisp. You'll sprinkle the toasted pine nuts on top along with a drizzle of honey, chili flakes, and basil leaves.
This dish also provides greens and tomatoes for a side salad, but the steps were simple enough not to photograph. Just cut up the tomatoes and toss with the greens, oil, and a squeeze of lemon.
I cut each flatbread into 4 pieces. I was surprised by how substantial of a dish this turned out to be. It ate like an elevated pizza which is what I was expecting (and craving). The honey and chili flakes really add something special to it. And look how beautiful it is!
Verdict: This week's Hello Fresh menu really delivered! I don't know if I'm getting better with my cooking skills or if the recipes are becoming more simplified, but I'm feeling like I'm really getting the hang of this and producing consistently delicious meals.
I also have to mention this in my reviews, but I do wish that Hello Fresh had the option to allow subscribers to choose their own meals individually. Because I selected the vegetarian plan and have chose to receive shipments only once a month, I end up sifting through weekly menus for each month to decide which full week is most appealing. It always works out, but sometimes it's like, "Oh, I really want meal A, but meal B doesn't look too hot based on my likes and dislikes. Wish I could choose meals individually." Not a big deal, but would be a nice to have.
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).
Do you subscribe to Hello Fresh? What's been your favorite meal so far?
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