Plated Meal Subscription Box Review – June 27, 2015

This week’s plated selections were super simple to prepare, and they got from fridge to plate really quick!  Plated sends weekly dinner kits with high quality ingredients and chef-created recipes. Each week you’ll choose from a variety of dishes that range from meats, chicken, seafoods, and purely vegetarian options. There’s enough selection to please all palates, and the recipes are seasonally focused. We love the way each meal incorporates only a couple key herbs or spices; the flavors shine through, and the recipes remain easy to follow. We love getting boxes most week to try new recipes, and we save the must make again recipes – although they’re also available in your account. Plated’s recipes rely on mise en place and then cook, and to be honest, we often mix up the steps, but we’re both experienced cooks and know what can be accomplished while something else cooks.

 The recipe card was updated, though I wish it would indicate the ease of the meal right on the card. When your box is sent out you’ll get an email indicating the pantry items you’ll need (black pepper, kosher salt, olive oil), plus a reminder of what meals are coming, preparation ease, cook time, and calorie count. We get asked a lot – Sometimes we order Plated and sometimes Hello Fresh. It just depends on what meals we’re interested in. [Hello Fresh: Take $40 off your first box with coupon code 7UT7K8]

Steak and Zucchini Gyros with Pesto: 30-40 minutes, 630 calories, Easy

I really liked this dish.  Steak is always welcome, and it is less intimidating than the lamb often associated with gyros.  The naan was a killer touch — it had a great tang and chew to it.  The pesto was a great moistener and flavor enhancer.  This dish came with a lot of basil and a bit of oregano, which I thought was very “high-end”, especially since they are used only in the marinade and don’t appear in the plated dish.

Fontina and Basil Chicken with Spinach, Artichokes, and Tomatoes: 35-45 minutes, 450 calories, Medium Difficulty

The artichokes were a bit prickly to work with, but they had a great flavor and were well worth the bit of hassle.  Otherwise a very quick meal to put together.  The cheese melted out of the chick a bit, so we got a bonus slab of crispy cheese (mmmm…).  Enough stayed inside to keep the meat moist and juicy.  This made a nice-looking pile of food and was a really simple way of preparing a “fancy” vegetable like artichokes.

BBQ Ribs with Grilled Red Potatoes, Summer Squash, and Tomatoes: 40-50 minutes, 590 calories, Medium Difficulty

Intended to be cooked solely on the grill, this dish came with two nice half-racks (the one pictured is actually the less-meaty of the two).  The squash and tomatoes cooked nicely on the grill, but I finished everything in the oven, as my potatoes were keen of leaping into my grill.  The rub was just a little spicy and the box came with plenty of basil.

Plated Summer Series: From July through August, every week, Plated will feature one recipe designed for the grill, one no-cook recipe, and two stovetop-only recipes!

Our three selections were really nice for summer meals:  They used lots of fresh herbs, the prep time was pretty short, and all three dishes could be cooked without running the oven.  I’ve praised Hello Fresh for their ease of preparation, but this batch of Plated was “simply” great in that respect (groan…).

Visit Plated to find or more or to subscribe, or check out all our Plated Reviews.  Find more meal subscription services & dinner kits in the directory.