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 March 2018 Review
Inside Sun Basket's weekly brochure is a letter from their co-founder and executive chef, Justine Kelly. It offers a great personal touch and is written for all meal plans—not just Paleo! This week's letter focuses a lot on seasonal meals ingredients.
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!
Roasted Italian Sausages and Spiced Vegetables with Romesco
Calories per serving: 530
Time to prepare according to Sun Basket: 30-45 minutes
Actual time to prepare: 40 minutes
Chef Justine refers to this as an "enjoy a glass of wine and call your bestie" recipe, because it includes lots of hands-free cooking time! It's an accurate title; most ingredients were simply prepped, chopped, tossed on a sheet pan, and put in the oven for the majority of the process.
Prepared romesco sauce is included for this recipe and it is wonderful. So full of flavor, and added at the end for an exciting garnish!
(Said sheet pan.) My box, unfortunately, was missing the "vegetable spice blend" that was listed in the recipe and should have come pre-made by Sun Basket. Their spices are usually sent in cute li'l clear plastic containers!
So, seeing as the recipe said that the spice blend was made from cumin seeds, ground turmeric, Urfa chile flakes, and coriander seeds, I did the best I could with what I had on hand! I think I might have added too much paprika—hence the prominent warm hue on the veggies!
The final meal! The lemon juice was one of my favorite flavors on this plate. It provided an uplifting refresh after the romesco's spiciness. I will stress it again: the romesco sauce is GREAT. It has a hint of nuttiness that comes from chopped almonds mixed in with roasted red peppers, olive oil, sherry vinegar, garlic, paprika, and kosher salt.
Altogether, I'd give the meal a 7 outta 10. The sausage was perfectly cooked and the vegetables had fantastic flavor, but it could have been a bit more filling. Shredded green cabbage makes up the base of the veggies, and that doesn't have much staying power when it comes to feeling full! I think a more substantial variety of greens or the addition of potatoes (of any kind!) would have made this meal really shine.
Mojo-Marinated Carne Asada Fajitas with Lime Yogurt
Calories per serving: 800
Time to prepare according to Sun Basket: 20-35 minutes
Actual time to prepare: 30 minutes
Before I begin, I must say that I am STILL bewildered at Sun Basket's 800-calorie estimate of these tacos. I don't think it's physically possible with these light ingredients! MOVING ON.
Prepping and chopping took the most amount of time in this recipe! I was slicin' and dicin' steak strips, limes, radishes and romaine hearts. Greek yogurt, and lime combined to form the taco's zesty sauce!
A premade mojo marinade was provided for the steak, made from chipotle chiles, adobo-orange juice, lime juice, EVOO, fresh garlic, salt, Aleppo chile flakes, onion, cumin, and dried Mexican oregano. It was AWESOME. I simply poured it in while cooking the steak on the stovetop and stirred!
Here are 2 out of the 6 tacos we made! The corn tortillas were warmed directly over a stovetop flame, which made 'em feel so authentic! The tango of flavors combined WONDERFULLY. We threw lots of chopped jalapenos on ours so it was very spicy, but you can add heat to your own tastes.
The meat was a bit sparse in portion sizes, and it was chewy for some reason, which was a bummer. This was another case of me wishing the meal was more filling. I'm likely spoiled by Mad Mex's delectable chips and guac that come before the main dish, but it felt like an element was missing!
Moroccan Root Vegetable and Chickpea Tagine with Roasted Almonds and Golden Raisins
Calories per serving: 610
Time to prepare according to Sun Basket: 35-50 minutes
Actual time to prepare: 50 minutes
I was so excited to dive into cooking this one-pot dish that I forgot to take an ingredient laydown photo! I did my best to capture most of the ingredients once I realized, however.
This dish was pure comfort food and my favorite meal in the box! Sun Basket provided a custom blend of Moroccan spices for authenticity—coriander, sweet paprika, cumin, Aleppo chile flakes, and ground ginger. The coziest! spice blend!
Before tackling this dish, I had never cooked with a turnip before, so I felt rather adventurous. I was initially hesitant about how many starchy root vegetables were involved in the dish, but that was my fault for researching before choosing this for my plan.
I forged ahead anyway, and boy was it worth it.
Garnishes, as I learned, are one of the big showstoppers when it comes to Moroccan tagine. Almonds, olives, preserved lemons, and parsley. Just a few whiffs of their scents while chopping had me almost salivating!
TA-DAAAA. The root vegetables were cooked to perfection thanks to Sun Basket's expert instruction. The spice blend had a great amount of kick, and the garnishes were AMAZING! A gentle nuttiness from the almonds added so much warmth to an already cozy meal, and the olives brought a substantial depth of flavor.
This dish made a LOT of food. Enough for 3, maybe even 4 hearty servings. Each bite had such intricate flavors going on, and the sweetness of the raisins was fun to seek out. I adored the last line of this recipe: "Set out the tagine and invite everyone to serve themselves." This really is a meal you'd love to share with your most cherished friends and family. So, so heartwarming!
Verdict: While I may not have been as OVER THE MOON as I was about last month's Sun Basket delivery, this week's meals were undoubtedly flavorful and undeniably fresh. I certainly got my veggies in! I maintain that two of the meals could have been a bit more substantial. (Carrots and cabbage won't keep this gal full.) The spices, adventurous garnishes, and tradition rooted in the meals I received were my favorite part.
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 has been your favorite Sun Basket recipe so far?
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