Midwest Kitchen: Testing Plated

A few weeks ago, Charles and I tested out a recipe delivery service called HelloFresh. This week, we decided to try out a different service. I've been eyeing Plated, but hadn't taken the plunge yet.

Plated, similarly to HelloFresh, sends recipes with pre-measured ingredients to your door in an insulated box. Plated offers more options for your subscription in terms of portion size. You can vary the number of meals per week that you want, and also how many people you feed. It is the only service I have seen that offers an option for three people. 

The price point is higher for Plated as well, at $12 per serving. This makes the three-recipe box for two people $72 per week. Again, assuming I am using this as a replacement for eating out, I think that it's a fair price. Everything also feels more expensive, from the recipe cards to the packaging, to the ingredients. 

In our box this week:

Quinoa and Burrata Bowl with Arugula, Roasted Rainbow Carrots, and Blood Orange

This was my favorite of the recipes. I hated quinoa up until this moment. It's essentially a quinoa salad, with equal parts arugula and quinoa, covered in the "toppings" of carrots, cheese (that's the Burrata) and oranges. It was very aesthetically pleasing, and tasty. Seriously no complaints about this one. Vegetarian as well.

5 Stars

Chicken Shawarma with Tomato, Cucumber, and Tahini

This was the most lackluster of the dishes for me. Naan bread, roasted chicken, greek salad, and then this tahini sauce. I hated the tahini sauce, which was garlic and tahini mixed with water. That said, the dish wasn't bad. The spice blend on the chicken was flavorful and it wasn't too heavy.

4 Stars

Spaghetti Squash Amatriciana

The last dish we tried was the Spaghetti Squash Amatriciana. The only non-vegetarian element here was the addition of pancetta. I really liked this one. It did have a lot of spice. I would cut the amount of red pepper in half next time. 

5 Stars

We really love Plated, and I've already signed up for our next box. It seems more high end (which is reflected in the price), with more premium ingredients. It also requires a higher cooking skill level. I thought that HelloFresh was really good for beginner cooks, but Plated is definitely the grown up version.

No referral codes for Plated, but you can try it here!