HelloFresh Meals List: The Latest Recipes This December

January 4, 2023
HelloFresh Meals List: The Latest Recipes This December

Every month we scour the latest HelloFresh meals list for any new additions or ones we’ve not had yet. Then, we try them and let you know what our favourites are. When there is so much choice - one of Hello Fresh’s advantages - sometimes it can be hard to know what to pick. By having us try out all the new meals first, you can pick the recipes you want, safe in the knowledge you’re making the right choice. 

Our favourite from the HelloFresh meals list

We tried a number of different recipes which varied in dietary lifestyle and cuisine. They were all really tasty and we’d recommend them all. 

Sweet potato and refried bean burrito bowl with soured cream and cheese

This veggie meal is a really hearty dish that is both filling and warming in these colder months. 

The Mexican influence means that there’s just the right level of spice without it being too hot. As HelloFresh delivers as part of these ingredients their own ‘Mexican style spice mix’, it’s also pretty quick to make as you don’t have to mess around with finding several different spices in the back of your cupboard. The cheese and soured cream go on to bring a great creaminess that helps make this dish even more satisfying. 

It comes in at just over 600 calories, so it’s an option for if you want to watch your calorie intake. 

Speedy pork penne with spinach and cheddar

This has a mid week meal written all over it and it’s a great option if you have kids in your household. Pasta is always a winner with youngsters while what you include in the dish itself is easily customised if you have pickier eaters. For example, you could syphon off a portion before adding the final ingredient of spinach to keep those that don’t love the green stuff! 

But, while it keeps kids happy, you’ll find it really tasty too. HelloFresh include Italian
 style herbs in this dish so it cuts through the richness of the pork, while the Worcestershire sauce and red wine stock paste adds to the depth of flavour. It will keep everyone’s taste buds happy therefore, while ultimately resulting in a filling meal that will stop everyone from snacking five minutes later. 

Roasted lamb loin and Mediterranean style veg with roasted garlic mash and pesto drizzle

Lamb is rarely seen on many HelloFresh alternatives’ meals list. It’s an expensive type of meat so it’s even more exciting to see lamb loin as the star of this dish. Lamb loin is flavoursome, tender and a treat to eat. 

The rest of the dish lets it shine, while still remaining interesting. Mediterranean style veg means you get your all-important veg intake up with ease, while the mash has been given a lift by being cooked alongside garlic. It makes what is usually a rudimentary side into something far more exciting. Finally, the pesto drizzle brings all the parts of the dish together and adds some zing. 

Christmas stuffing-inspired empanadas with Redcurrant glazed bacon sprouts and balsamic glazed salad

It’s great to see an interesting spin on Christmas food, without just churning out a regular roast. In fact, this dish is bang on trend as it’s almost like street food. What we liked is that it taught us a way to use leftovers that we’ll have towards the end of December. 

Stuffing does not have to be eaten alongside meat for example and can be used up by putting inside a pastry parcel for a South American spin. Finally, the greens on the plate are delicious - even the sprouts! - thanks to how they are cooked. Glazing the sprouts and cooking them with bacon gives them a sweet and salty hit that the taste buds will love. 

Crispy cauliflower nuggets with spicy bean stew and soured cream

This dish can easily be vegan if you need it to be. It’s another hearty dish that will fill you up, despite veggies being the star of the show. The spicy bean stew is exceptionally satisfying, giving you the protein you need for a balanced meal. It does contain red chilli so may not be brilliant for very young kids, and the central American style spice mix also has a bit of piquancy to it too. 

But, it could show you a great way to get more cauliflower, and therefore veggies, into your diet. Turning them into nuggets is an innovative way of cooking this humble ingredient. Plus, it feels far naughtier than the calorie count on this dish actually is. 

While it is easy to make, this is a dish that needs a bit more prep time and is relatively more difficult than some of the other options we’ve listed here. However, the slight extra effort that you need to exert will all be worth it. This is a dish that you will return to time and time again. 

What HelloFresh ensure they include in every recipe

One of the ways that HelloFresh becomes, and remains, so helpful to its customers is that its recipes are all well balanced. In effect, they’re good for you - as long as you stick to the correct portion size and the rest of your diet is well balanced too. To ensure that all recipes are balanced, they need to have all of the following ingredients. 

You’ll notice that all of the above possibilities for your weekly food boxes, definitely have a good mix of the below - so you can be safe in the knowledge that you and your family are eating well. That’s not necessarily something that all HelloFresh alternatives can say. 

Proteins

Your body needs protein to help your body repair cells and make new ones. It helps keep your bones, muscles, cartilage and skin healthy. It also helps your red blood cells carry oxygen around the body which in turn helps ensure your entire body gets all the nutrients it needs. 

Proteins also help you digest the food you are eating. That’s because your body turns proteins into enzymes which are used to digest your food. Finally, protein can help regulate your hormones. That’s particularly important at times of growth for children - particularly during puberty. 

Fats

For a long while, fat was what people tried to all but eliminate from their diet to shift weight or stay trim. That’s not necessarily the case any more as it’s widely been seen that some fat is required in your diet for you to be fit. Fat is a source of essential fatty acids - ones that the body cannot make itself so it has to ingest them. Fat helps the body absorb certain vitamins it needs to run - such as vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin E. As these vitamins are fat-soluble, they can only be absorbed into the body with the help of fats. 

What HelloFresh tries to ensure when it includes fats in ingredients for your food boxes, is that the right sort of fats are used. Saturated fats are the ones that can increase your cholesterol and should be eaten in moderation. 

Carbohydrates

After fats, carbohydrates became the food type that people tried to eliminate from their diet in an effort to lose weight. They’re still popular now and HelloFresh actually designs recipes that are low in carbs to help those who are trying to cut down on their consumption. The rationale is that, as carbohydrates are the body’s main fuel source, if you cut them out, the body has to use other energy sources to function. That means it uses fat stores, which are a great source of energy but it requires more ‘work’ to extract the same amount of energy as carbs would have done. 

Fresh vegetables

We all know that we should eat vegetables to remain healthy. And some of us may even know that we should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. However, we may not know why - or even how to do that without consuming vats of vegetable soup every lunch and/or dinner. HelloFresh’s options always include a wide range of veggies - particularly across a week's load of food boxes, while some HelloFresh alternatives often resort to using the same veggies throughout their recipes. 

Vegetables contain a large amount of varying kinds of vitamins and minerals that the body needs. They’re also an excellent source of dietary fibre which can help your digestion. 

The December HelloFresh meals list

Everything we chose to try, goes to show that eating well need not be boring. In fact, it goes to show that eating well can be exciting and tasty at all times - so that you don’t even notice that you are eating healthily. While HelloFresh alternatives try to measure up, the range of options that HelloFresh continually churn out each week - yet with food remaining innovative, delicious and seasonal, is hard to beat. 

All of the above recipes were all easy to make too - as to be expected of HelloFresh food boxes.

Rachel Lee
Having worked at Morgan Stanley and BNYMellon for over 10 years in pensions and investments, Rachel now works as a full-time business and financial writer.