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: Pricing starts at $9.99 per person per meal for the 2 person plans, and $8.74 per person per meal for the 4 person (family) plan.
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.
Hello Fresh Vegetarian February 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!
Baby Portobello and Orecchiette Primavera
Calories per Serving: 580
Total Time, According to Hello Fresh: 35 minutes
Actual Time It Took: 40 minutes
Being someone that doesn't eat meat, I must admit that I'm not huge on portobello. It seems to be the #1 meat substitute on most restaurant menus, so I've endured years of it being my only overdone option. However, I do enjoy an easy pasta dish, and this seemed to fit the bill! I also especially loved that it's heavy on veggies.
After trimming the asparagus, I briefly cooked the stalks in boiling water.
...and then dunked them in a bowl of ice water to quickly stop the cooking process. I love this method of blanching because it keeps veggies crisp and vibrantly colored!
The same boiling water was reused for the orecchiette.
In a large pan, I cooked the mushrooms with a drizzle of olive oil and some seasoning.
After the mushrooms were done cooking several minutes later, I put them aside and added more oil to my pan. In went the peppers, onion, garlic, and Tuscan seasoning along with some salt and pepper. I then combined everything in that same large pan: the blanched asparagus, cooked pasta, mushrooms, and veggie mixture as well as sour cream, parmesan, and a tablespoon of pasta water. Seriously, SO easy!
The final result was a creamy, homey bowl of goodness. The freshness of the peppers and asparagus were a nice contrast to the richness of the pasta and sauce, and the portions were generous. I do think that this dish could have used more flavor, but I liked the base of it. Plus, it was simple to execute. If I ever redo this dish or a variation of it, I'd probably include more spice and parmesan.
Grilled Cheese and Veggie Jumble
Calories per Serving: 580
Total Time, According to Hello Fresh: 35 minutes
Actual Time It Took: 35 minutes
In my house, we love grilling cheese. My husband was introduced to the concept of grilling cheese through Hello Fresh, and he's been obsessed ever since. With the addition of sweet potatoes, avocado, and cilantro -- more favorites! I couldn't wait to get started.
The potato was peeled and cubed (update! we have a vegetable peeler now!), and the onion was quartered and sliced into wedges.
While the onion and potato were placed on a tray to roast in the oven, I prepared the tomato, garlic, lemon, cilantro, avocado, and chili (removing about half of the seeds -- we don't mind some heat).
Hello Fresh states that only half of the grilling cheese should be used for this recipe. We always go all in. I sliced the block of cheese into 1/3" slices and began frying them in a large pan with olive oil. Meanwhile, my husband helped me out with the chimichurri sauce.
Cilantro, cumin, garlic, lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper, and the chili were combined to create this rustic sauce. We added a good amount of both lemon and olive oil to create a looser consistency.
Check out that gorgeous plate! This was basically a grilled veggie salad but with fancier plating, and I was loving it. The grilled cheese gets a nice crust when fried but remains gooey in the middle, and it compliments the raw tomato and avocado as well as the slight smokiness of the grilled vegetables. The chimichurri sauce also added just the right amount of acidity to cut through. I'll definitely be recreating this in the future!
Seitan Tacos El Diablo
Calories per Serving: 650
Total Time, According to Hello Fresh: 30 minutes
Actual Time It Took: 30 minutes
Yesss, tacos! This recipe came from the Hello Fresh 'Hall of Fame,' so I was expecting good things. The kiwi salsa already set it apart!
There were so many pretty, fresh ingredients in this recipe. I always love to see a lot of color while I'm cooking! Both the poblano and onion were thinly sliced while the kiwi, tomato, and onion were finely chopped. The lime was cut into wedges after I zested its skin, and the cilantro was finely chopped. I always prefer to leave out the stems.
Most of these were combined to create the salsa (except only half of the cilantro was used) along with a squeeze of lime and some salt and pepper.
As I began to cook down the peppers and onions, I made the crema by combining the sour cream, lime zest, and more of the lime juice. As I mentioned earlier, I tend to prefer a lot of tartness in most of my meals, so I was generous with the lime. This was also seasoned with salt and pepper, as all good condiments are!
I allowed the veggies to sit in a large pan with a nice amount of oil before stirring in order to build up a bit of a charr.
After about 5 minutes, I incorporated the seitan. Seitan is always cooked and ready to eat right out of its package, so it only needed to be broken apart and heated through.
I warmed up my tortillas in a damp paper towel in the microwave per the instructions, but I also love warming them with tongs over an open stovetop flame. That way, you get a nice crispiness around the edges and more of that charred flavor. The ingredients were layered inside each tortilla to create a really nicely balanced taste! The seitan was super filling and the kiwi salsa adding a surprisingly refreshing amount of sweetness. I did find myself sort of missing the flavors of a more traditional taco (I do like mine with avocado and cheese), but this was a nice change of pace.
Verdict: Hello Fresh is one of the better meal subscription boxes that I've tried. The meals are consistently simple, and ingredients are fresh. I loved the variety in this box, and I've found that dishes are well-curated with a nice variation in flavors from week to week. I especially loved the bright colors of all of my produce this month! Definitely a mood-booster.
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.
Check out all our Hello Fresh reviews and the Food Subscription Box Directory for more meal boxes!
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Do you subscribe to Hello Fresh? What's been your favorite meal so far?
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