Better Homes And Gardens Budget Meals 2021

Home Chef

Home Chef is a meal kit subscription that delivers a weekly box of the pre-portioned ingredients needed to make 2-6 meals that feed two, four, six, or eight people. Home Chef advertises easy recipes that can be made in about 30 minutes. They offer vegetarian, gluten-free, and calorie/carb-conscious recipes.

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This is a review of my customized delivery that includes three 2-serving dinner options (3 x $9.95/serving) with $7.99 shipping, bringing the cost of this box to $67.69.

Please note that Home Chef shipping costs have recently changed. Delivery now costs $13.99 for orders under $49.99 and $7.99 for orders over $49.99.

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

About Home Chef

The Subscription Box: Home Chef

The Cost: Meals for 2 start at $6.99 per serving. Shipping is $13.99 for orders under $49.99 and $7.99 for orders over $49.99.

COUPON: Save $90 off your first four boxes! No coupon needed - just use this link.

The Products: Fresh ingredients and chef-designed recipes — everything you need to make restaurant-quality meals at home.

Ships to: 98% of the U.S. You can check to see if Home Chef delivers to your zip code while signing up.

Home Chef March 2021 Review

When you first sign up for Home Chef, you take a short quiz about your meal preferences and dietary restrictions. They ask what you like to eat, as well as what you tend to avoid. Based on your answers, Home Chef will choose recipes for you to receive each week. As is the case with most meal kit services, you can log in and hand-select the recipes you'd like to receive. Note though, that the more particular you are with your diet, the fewer options you'll have.

Before we look at the meals I picked, let me point out the extras that came with this delivery:

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I received an envelope with promotional materials for Wayfair, Geico, and Kiwi.co, as well as Home Chef discount cards to share with friends. Now, on to the food!

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Meal #1:Roasted Red Pepper Cream with Parmesan Cheese and Garlic Bread

Calories: 719 per serving

Time to table, according to Home Chef: 25-35 minutes

Actual time to table: 30 minutes

Cook within: 7 days

Difficulty: Intermediate

Spice level: Not spicy

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Italian is probably my favorite comfort food, and I don't think there's ever been a day when I wasn't in the mood for gnocchi and garlic bread. This vegetarian dish came stamped with an "intermediate" difficulty rating, which stumped me at first. The instructions seemed pretty straightforward. Perhaps the rating is due to the fact that there are multiple components (garlic bread plus gnocchi)?

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To make the dish, I started by spreading some bread with garlic butter and popping it into the oven to bake. While the bread toasted (and filled my kitchen with an incredible garlicky aroma), I got to work on the gnocchi. I started by toasting it, and then set it aside to make the sauce. I sauteéd red bell pepper and shallot in olive oil and then stirred in herbed butter, stock, cream cheese, and a little water before mixing in the gnocchi.

This dish came together really easily, and it was super tasty. The creamy sauce was decadent, and the garlic bread was crunchy and satisfying. I loved how the toasted gnocchi added a little bit of chewy texture to the dish, and the flavors were simple but spot on. My only complaint is that I think this dish could have benefitted from something green. Maybe a little chopped parsley on top?

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Meal #2: Teriyaki Steak Pad Thai with Peanuts and Cilantro

Calories: 719 per serving

Time to table, according to Home Chef: 25-35 minutes

Actual time to table: 30 minutes

Cook within: 6 days

Difficulty: Easy

Spice level: Medium

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My second pick for this box was Teriyaki Steak Pad Thai with Peanuts and Cilantro. I've tried Home Chef's Asian noodle dishes a few times in the past, and they've always been terrific. I love spicy noodles, and I couldn't resist this twist on pad Thai.

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The first step in the cooking process was to cook the noodles. While they softened in boiling water, I sauteéd the beef with a little sugar. (Quick aside: do you see how much meat there is for this dish? Home Chef is very generous with their proteins.) Next, I added in carrots and scallions, let them soften, and then added in the cooked noodles, lime juice, teriyaki sauce, and a little bit of the pasta cooking water to thicken the sauce. When the noodles were soft and the beef cooked through, I added sambal (an Asian hot sauce), plated the dish, and served each portion with lime wedges and a garnish of cilantro and chopped peanuts.

I was really looking forward to this dish, and it did not disappoint. The flavors were in perfect balance: a little sweetness from the sugar and teriyaki, acid from the lime, spice from the sambal…. this dish was perfection! The fresh cilantro and lime juice kept this dish from feeling too heavy, and the crunchy peanuts on top added just the perfect amount of crunchy texture. I love a big bowl of comforting noodles on a weeknight evening!

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Meal #3:Roasted Salmon with Ginger-Scallion Sauce and Charred Green Beans

Calories: 576 per serving

Time to table, according to Home Chef: 25-35 minutes

Actual time to table: 30 minutes

Cook within: 3 days

Difficulty: Intermediate

Spice level: Not Spicy

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For my final menu pick, I went with something a little lighter, Salmon with Green Beans. Out of the three meals in my box this week, this dish probably most closely represents the kind of meal I make when I'm cooking for myself on an average weeknight, but I was intrigued by the sauce. I'm always on the hunt for new tricks that can jazz up simple meals, so I was eager to see what this recipe had in store for me.

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Prep for this dish was quick and easy, so, again, I'm a little surprised that this dish was labeled as "intermediate." (Perhaps because searing fish takes a little bit of know-how? I'm honestly not sure.) I seared the salmon, skin side down, and then transferred the fillets into a hot oven to finish cooking. While they baked, I sauteéd green bean with garlic and ginger and made the sauce. The sauce is a simple combination of sesame oil, teriyaki glaze, garlic, ginger, and scallion. I didn't even need to heat it up. How easy is that?

I plated the fish and the beans, spooned the sauce on top of the fish, and dug right in. Wow, let me tell you what. This sauce is everything. I love sesame oil, and mixed with the ginger, garlic, teriyaki glaze, and scallions, it elevated this salmon from "plain Jane" to "fancy Nancy." I've made a note of this mix so I can make it again; it's incredible that something that takes less than a minute to mix together is so delicious! The beans were great, too. I'm a fan of sauteéd green beans, and I think a little ginger and garlic goes a long way towards making them special. All together, this dish was a 10/10.

Verdict: I thought last month's Home Chef box was one of the best ever, but this one impressed me even more. I loved all of the meals I received, and I even picked up a new sauce recipe that I look forward to making again soon. The gnocchi was rich and satisfying, the pad Thai was well-balanced and delicious, and the salmon dish put a fun twist on classic seared fish. Can I even pick a favorite? I suppose, if I had to narrow it down to just one, the pad Thai would take the top honor. It was just so darn delicious, and the balance of sweet, spicy, and acidic was on point.

In terms of value, this box cost $59.70 with $7.99 shipping, bringing the cost of this box to $67.69. I appreciate the convenience of having meals delivered to my door, and I never struggle to find dishes on the menu that appeal to me. Could I spend less at the grocery store and make similar dishes myself from scratch? Probably. But I think there's a lot of value in what Home Chef provides, and I love the convenience of having meal kits delivered to my front door.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today?No, this week's meals have passed. But, you can sign up for Home Chef today and receive meals next week!

COUPON: Save $90 off your first four boxes! No coupon needed - just use this link.

Value Breakdown: This box cost$59.70, or $9.95 per serving. Shipping is $13.99 for orders under $49.99 and $7.99 for orders over $49.99.

Check out all of our Home Chef reviews and our list of the best meal kit subscriptions ! And check out our weekly meal kit menu round-up to see what's coming up on the Home Chef menu.

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