Our 3 best meal delivery recipes from meal kit providers

Most of us are so time poor looking after the family, work and other commitments, so it can be hard to justify spending an hour or more in the kitchen on any given day. Fresh, healthy and quick is what people want when it comes to dinner recipes, and meal-kit providers understand this, but what are the best meal delivery recipes available? Here are our top three picks from HelloFresh, Marley Spoon and Dinnerly. These recipes will give you some inspiration for quick, easy and flavoursome dinner ideas.

As these recipes are taken from each company’s website, most meals come with pre-prepared meat and spice mixes. Alternatives are included in the recipes to help you if you’re making them from scratch.

Thai Coconut Curry Noodles (HelloFresh) - Serves 2

Whether you have the ingredients delivered to you by HelloFresh or make this from scratch, it only takes 25 minutes to make. It’s a great option as part of your daily intake of vegetables and is perfect for a vegetarian dinner option. If you prefer you can add chicken or prawns to change it up a little, but remember, that adding the extras means adding a few extra minutes to your cooking time. Either way, we feel it is one of the best meal delivery recipes going around, so tasty!

Ingredients:

• Head of Broccoli
• 1 Carrot
• 1 Red onion
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• Bunch of Coriander
• 1 lime
• 1 Packet udon noodles
• 1/2 tin red curry paste
• 1 tin coconut cream
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• Olive oil
• 150-grams peanuts

Method:

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil. Cut the broccoli into small florets and chop the stalk into rough pieces. Thinly slice the red onion. Thinly slice the carrot (unpeeled) into half-moons. Finely chop the garlic. Slice the lime into wedges. Roughly chop the coriander.
2. Add the udon noodles to a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until just tender. In the last 3-4 minutes of cooking time, add the broccoli and cook until just tender. Drain and refresh under cold water.
3. While the noodles are cooking, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook for 5 minutes or until softened.
4. Add the garlic and Thai red curry paste (it is spicy so add to taste) to the frying pan and cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the coconut cream and soy sauce and stir to combine.
5. Add the drained noodles and broccoli to the frying pan. Toss to coat the noodles in the sauce and cook until warmed through.
6. Divide the Thai coconut curry noodles between bowls. Top with a squeeze of lime juice, the coriander (optional) and roasted peanuts.

Lamb Koftas with Fattoush Salad and White Bean Hummus (Dinnerly) - Serves 2

It only takes 20-30 minutes to make if you’re having the ingredients delivered to you by Dinnerly or 30-40 minutes if you make the kofta mix yourself. This Middle Eastern dish will tantalise the taste buds. It’s perfect for the warmer weather and if you make more than you can eat, it’s perfect for tomorrow’s lunch.

Ingredients:

• Can white cannellini beans
• 2 flour tortillas or Lebanese bread (optional)
• 1 red onion
• 1 Lebanese cucumber
• 2 tomatoes
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Kofta Mix Ingredients (make your own):

• 250gm lamb mince
• Small brown onion
• Clove of garlic
• ½ tbs chopped mint leaves
• ½ tbs chopped parsley
• ½ tsp mild paprika
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of pepper
• Pinch of chilli flakes

Method

1. Preparing the koftas.
2. Add all kofta ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Roll the kofta into oval shapes, place on a tray and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C. Line an oven tray with baking paper.

Making the hummus

1. To make the hummus, drain and rinse half the cannellini beans.
2. Finely chop ½ garlic clove.
3. Coarsely mash the beans in a bowl.
4. Add the garlic and 2 teaspoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Set aside for later.

Making the Fattoush

1. Put 2 wraps or Lebanese bread on the lined tray, spray or brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. Bake, turning halfway, for 8 mins or until golden and crisp.
3. Thinly slice the cucumber. Cut the tomatoes into thin wedges. Thinly slice half the onion.
4. To make the salad dressing, put 1 tablespoon olive oil and 3 teaspoons red or white wine vinegar in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper and whisk to combine.
5. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a medium frypan over medium heat. Cook the koftas, turning occasionally, for 3 mins or until browned.
6. Partially cover with a lid and cook for a further 2-3 mins until cooked through.
7. Break the crisp bread into pieces. Add the cucumber, tomato and onion to the dressing and toss to combine. Divide the salad, crisp bread, koftas and white bean hummus among plates to serve.

Spanish Style Beef with Capsicum and Potatoes (Marley Spoon) - Serves 2

Cooking time for this delicious hearty meal is 30-40 minutes if made from the ingredients delivered to you by Marley Spoon. Add an extra 5 minutes if you’re going to make the spice mix yourself. This meal is not only perfect for 2 but is a beautiful option for the family meal or when you have guests over.

Ingredients:

• Capsicum
• Sour Dough Baguette
• 4 x Chat potatoes
• Bunch of Parsley
• 2 x Garlic clove
• 500 gm Beef Stir-fry strips
• Vegetable stock cube
• Brown onion
• Tomato paste
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• Pepper

Spanish spice mix Ingredients (make your own):

• 1 tbs paprika
• 1 tbs dried cilantro
• 2 tbs smoked paprika
• 1 tbs coarse salt
• ½ tsp ground pepper
• ½ tsp Onion powder
• ½ tsp oregano

Method:

1. Put the ingredients for the Spanish Spice mix into an airtight container and mix well.
2. Peel or scrub the potatoes and cut into 2cm chunks. Put in a medium saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook over medium heat for 6-8 mins or until just tender. Drain. Meanwhile, put the beef and some Spanish spice blend in a bowl, season with salt and pepper (if needed) and mix until well combined. Any left-over spice mix can be left in the airtight container and used within a month.
3. Halve and thinly slice the onion. Cut the capsicum into 1cm chunks, discarding the seeds and membrane. Crumble one of the stock cubes into a heatproof jug, add 250ml (1 cup) boiling water and stir to combine. Whisk in half the tomato paste (the remaining stock and tomato paste can be put away). Finely chop the parsley leaves, discarding stems.
4. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large deep frypan over high heat. Stir-fry the beef, in two batches, for 1-2 mins until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
5. Reduce heat to medium, add 2 teaspoons olive oil and cook the onion and capsicum for 5 mins or until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Add the stock mixture, par-boiled potatoes and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, simmer, covered, for 5 mins, then uncovered for a further 5 mins until liquid has slightly thickened and potatoes are cooked.
6. Meanwhile, heat a chargrill pan over high heat. Peel the garlic and cut in half. Halve the bread horizontally, then cut in half on an angle. Brush the cut sides with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toast on both sides until charred, pressing down occasionally. Rub both sides with the garlic and season with salt and pepper.
7. Return the beef to the pan and cook for 1-2 mins until warmed through. Divide the beef and vegetables among bowls. Scatter over the parsley and serve with the garlic toasts.

That’s our wrap up of the best meal delivery recipes around in our opinion, and there’s plenty more available from Dinnerly, HelloFresh or Marley Spoon. These recipes will save you both time and money. Sign up to get recipes like these and more delivered to your door and earn cashback on your subscriptions. Otherwise, if you feel like making them from scratch, ingredients can be found at Woolworths and Harris Farm where you can also earn cashback on your shop.