Meal Kits are Taking Over the USofA
Who knew that prep (meal kit) and no prep (heat and eat) meal delivery services would eventually become the future? When it comes to cooking, either you know how to do it or you do not. If you fall into the latter category, you probably get by ordering out everyday or if you have the means, hire a private chef. What I love most about meal delivery services is that it doesn't matter what category you fall into! If you don't know how to cook, you can most certainly learn through prep (meal kit) based meal delivery services. On the other hand, if you are an experienced cook, prep and no prep delivery plans allow for the food experimenter to achieve the bliss of food diversity. Eating the same foods over and over can get a bit boring! If you're someone who loves to try new foods and recipes ALL the time, meal delivery services may be the route that you need to take. Thanks to food delivery services such as Hello Fresh, Factor 75, Green Chef and Cook Unity, people no longer have to worry about meal planning and recipe selection.
I've discussed several meal kit and no prep food delivery services on Green News Guide (both prep and no prep) but there is still one that has never been officially reviewed. Hint Hint: The company logo includes an apron! You guessed it! It's Blue Apron.
The Early Beginnings of Blue Apron
Blue Apron was founded by Matthew Wadiak, Ilia Papas and Matt Salzberg in 2012. Blue Apron made a mark as a private company and an even greater mark when the company became public and was eventually purchased by Wonder Group. The founders aimed to help people by cutting out the tediousness of meal planning, prepping and expensive grocery shopping. That same goal continues to be the driving force behind Blue Apron's sustained success.
Options, Options, Options
My experience with Blue Apron has been a positive one. Blue Apron is one of the few meal delivery programs that offer both prep (meal kit) and no prep (heat and eat) weekly meal delivery services. You can choose between the two or opt to mix up your box with both options. One week, I decided to go with no prep options and the next few weeks, I opted to mix it up! The recipes that require actual cooking change on a weekly basis and I found that there was always new and different options to discover and cook. The shrimp and romesco fettuccine with red pepper pesto was a snap to prepare and took less than 25 minutes to complete.
The convenience of having ingredients pre-prepped and ready to cook contribute to an exquisite cooking experience.
Meal Kit Loving
Meal kits by Blue Apron arrive with paper recipe cards that spell out all the ingredients, tools required and any other ingredients that may be needed but are not in the meal kit. Seasoning, salt, pepper, and oil are items that you've got to keep stocked as prep delivery services will not contain these items. Most leave the amount and type of seasoning to the discretion of the consumer. The kit arrives with all the ingredient portions packed and sealed. The portions of the kits are based on your chosen serving size (two or four servings). The recipe cards are easy to follow and there is lots of room for customization if you like. Blue Apron's Meal kits are priced from as low as $7.24 - $14.99 for a two person or four person plan. There are many vegetarian options such as kale caesar salad and falafel and farro bowls.
The honey habanero shrimp and potatoes arrived with a seasoning packet which can be tailored depending on the desired spice level. I tweaked the recipe slightly by adding actual honey and butter to the shrimp.
The seasoning packet that arrived was fantastic! It was smoky with just the right amount of heat. This dish was great and it reminded me of breakfast home fries due to the potatoes. Though it was tasty, I think it would fare better for breakfast, while swapping out the shrimp for andouille or cajun sausage. A good vegan sausage option for this dish would be Field Roast's Mexican sausage or Impossible's hot Italian sausage.
Dish by Blue Apron (Heat & Eat)
Dish is Blue Apron's line of pre made meals. Pop them in the microwave or oven and you're good to go. There are a variety of meat based options and a few vegetarian options. The meals arrive cold as the box comes assembled as a mini freezer. Meals by Dish are high in protein and nutrient dense. Prices range from $7.49 -$13.99 per meal.
I was surprised to see two big boxes as I had only ordered 6 or 7 premade meals. Maybe it's that the company likes to provide ample space in the box "freezer" but I really believe they all could have fit into one box. The selected meals were the:
Cheesy truffle cavatappi- (not as cheesy as I originally thought it would be). This dish could use more parmesan and the cavatappi was a tad bit rubbery. 3/5
Four cheese enchiladas with rice- (super cheesy-- a bit too much for me but very delicious) 4/5
Pesto salmon w/orzo pasta, asparagus and riced broccoli --The pesto was perfect over the nicely sized chunk of Atlantic salmon. Delicate orzo and asparagus pair nicely with the flavorful pesto sauce. 5/5
Four cheese ravioli & red pepper sauce-- Truly a five star dish. The ravioli is covered in red pepper sauce and pesto. This ravioli will leave you wanting more! 5/5
Veggie curry with basmati rice- I was rooting for the only vegan dish that Blue offered. The lentils were not cooked as long as I'd hoped and the soybeans--well--they always leave a lot to be desired and that's in any dish. Soybeans really aren't the best beans in my opinion. 2/5
The only con with Dish is that the options do not change and there aren't enough vegetarian and vegan options to choose from.
Assemble & Bake Plus Other Options
So far, this discussion has covered Blue Apron's prep based meal kits and their Dish by Blue line. Blue Apron offers assemble and bake kits which are one pan meals that have minimal prep. These options range from $9.99 - $14.99 per serving (two or four person plan). On a regular basis, individuals can choose from soups like creamy tomato or assemble and bake sides like gnocchi macaroni and cheese. Blue Apron also offers fresh juices and snacks.
To conclude this review, Blue Apron is in my top five for prep and no prep meal delivery services. The most attractive feature of Blue Apron compared to other meal delivery services is that there are no strings attached. You do not have to order on a weekly basis if you don't desire to. I believe that Blue Apron definitely has this advantage over other meal kit based delivery services. This means that you can order at any time without being locked into a plan as is the case with delivery services such as Gobble, Hello Fresh, Tempo and etc. I would recommend Blue Apron for any one desiring to try a meal kit based delivery service and those who desire meal diversity as well as fresh and healthy food options.
Are you salivating yet? Ready to try Blue Apron for yourself? Here you are and don't forget to tell them I sent ya! :
Try Blue Apron Now and Receive $15 off your first 2 Orders
Check out my other weekly prep and no prep meal delivery service reviews here:
Hello Fresh: https://www.greenewsguide.com/2021/12/hello-fresh-review-is-it-truly-fresh.html
Factor75: https://www.greenewsguide.com/2024/02/battle-of-prepared-meal-programs-factor.html
Cook Unity: https://www.greenewsguide.com/2024/02/cooking-unified-heres-what-i-love-about.html
Mosaic Meals: https://www.greenewsguide.com/2021/10/mosaic-foods-reviewbetter-than-daily.html
Gobble: https://www.greenewsguide.com/2022/05/reviewing-gobble-and-is-it-better-than.html
Green Chef: https://www.greenewsguide.com/2022/07/green-chef-review-how-does-it-compare.html
Daily Harvest: https://www.greenewsguide.com/2021/07/daily-harvest-my-experience.html
Tempo: https://www.greenewsguide.com/2026/02/tempo-by-home-chef-green-news-guide.html
Dr. Mechelle Eleene
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