Don’t Want to Be Stuck In the Kitchen This Holiday? Here’s How to Get Christmas Dinner Delivered
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The holidays can be a time of unnecessary amounts of stress, from traveling miles and miles to annual gatherings, to being forced to catch up with your conspiracy theorist cousin (darn!). But that belly-filling spread that the resident chef in your family typically cooks up? That’s back on the table (hooray!).
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That being said, for those hoping to indulge in a festive meal but don’t have the energy (or the chops) to whip it up, dinner delivery may be the way to go. While you’re at it, why not outsource the rest of your grub for the remainder of the year and let a meal subscription service do the hard work for you? Bonus: These pre-prepped kits will also save you a supermarket run.
Whether you’re kicking off a new Friendsmukkah tradition with your roomies, or just can’t take the heat in the kitchen for the rest of 2022, we’ve rounded up some of the best meal delivery services for sorting out your Christmas or New Year’s dinner situation. If your household is filled with people with specific dietary needs, or those who don’t mind doing the chopping and cooking (but not the shopping), there’s a meal kit for everyone here. Check out all of our favorites below, and order now to make sure they’ll arrive in time for your big festivities.
1. Harry & David
Fancy the idea of chowing down on dinner that feels gourmet, but requires little to no prep on your part? Harry & David offers traditional holiday meals designed to be heat and serve, whether it’s on the stove or in the oven. For the holidays, choose from feasts centered around a whole protein like turkey or spiral ham, an accompanying appetizer assortment, two crowd-pleasing sides, and one exceptional dessert. You can pick from a range of options for a variety of dietary preferences, from veggie-forward Acorn Squash with Maple Glaze, to Sundried Tomato Truffle Mac and Cheese.
You can order a holiday dinner that serves 8-10 people (the turkey feast is $249.99), and check one more thing off your seasonal to-do list.
Harry & David Gourmet Feast
2. Blue Apron
Blue Apron is a great option for gourmet-loving home chefs who prefer to cook up restaurant-quality fare themselves, but without hunting down potentially out-of-stock ingredients. Choose from four different specialty holiday boxes — Holiday roast, Vegetarian Holiday, Holiday Ham, and Fireside Feast ($124.99 to $189.99 per box) for couples or families. You’ll need a few hours to chop, cook, and serve your picks, but you won’t need to brave the grocery store to serve meals like Roast Beef Tenderloin, Three-Cheese Cascatelli Pasta Bake with Mushrooms, and Duck Confit Cassoulet with Pork Belly.
For the holidays, Blue Apron is also offering wine bundles to pair with your dinner, from a wide range of whites and reds in the “Celebration Bundle”, to the “Dinner Party Essentials” 3-pack. While you’ll have to spend some time in the kitchen, you’ll still get gourmet meals that you would order if you had gone to a restaurant for Christmas dinner. Make sure to order by 12pm EST on Friday, December 16th to get your holiday box delivered by Christmas Eve.
Blue Apron Holiday Box
3. Home Chef
If you’re the indecisive type, Home Chef will deliver a variety of easy-to-prepare, family-friendly breakfasts and dinners to choose from, all alongside their only weekly meal options. For a limited time, Home Chef is also allowing their Holiday Bundle to be picked up in-person at select Kroger grocery stores, as well as ordered online with a regular weekly box (note you’ll have to sign up for a Home Chef subscription, and can’t just buy the box independently).
Regular subscriptions come in options for two, four or even six people (6-12 servings per week) and prices start at $9.99 per meal. The holiday menu includes a spiral-cut, bone-in ham as well as dessert options and deliciously festival sides (with lots of cheese), so expect options such as white cheddar and sage biscuits or brussels sprouts with maple bacon glaze, to name a few.
Home Chef Holiday Bundle
4. Purple Carrot
You can have a merry vegan Christmas without feeling like you’re missing out on any of the good stuff with Purple Carrot‘s plant-based holiday menu. They’ve got you covered for your full-out vegan spread, and you won’t even have to adhere to a specific box — there’s over 33 holiday recipes to choose from this year. Most dishes serve two to four people and start at $9.99 a serving.
They’ve divided their sections into options for dinner (like quinoa-stuffed delicata squash), sides (homemade biscuits and rustic ciabatta stuffing), desserts (pear cranberry crisp). Unlike other meal kits, they’ve also got you covered when it comes to drinkage, from the boozy mulled wine, to the dry minted hot chocolate. Even non-vegans who want to switch up their usual holiday fare can get a kick out of this box.
Purple Carrot Holiday Menu
5. Omaha Steaks
This one’s for all of the meat lovers. In addition to delivering nearly every cut of steak imaginable alongside poultry, pork, and responsibly-sourced seafood (plus all of the seasonings and fixings), Omaha Steaks also offers complete holiday-ready meals. Choose from lunch and dinner kits that are slow cooker- and skillet-friendly, among other options.
The build-your-own holiday menu starts at $102, and multiple-serving meals such as the Holiday Spiral Sliced Ham Dinner and Prime Rib Feast generally serve from four to eight people. These menus include classic starters and side dishes like mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, and shrimp appetizers, to name a few hearty plates. They’ve also got you covered on the dessert front, with pumpkin, pecan, and a decadent double-chocolate cream pie.
Omaha Steaks Holiday Dinner
6. Sun Basket
Sun Basket is our go-to for the variety of meals for all skill levels (even if you’re the throw-it-in-the-microwave type), and the fact that everything uses organic or sustainably-sourced ingredients. Meals are $9.99 to $13 per serving, and you can choose from dinners such as cheesy chicken Tetrazzini with mushrooms, king salmon with chili-lime sauce, or Tex-Mex black bean quinoa bowls. The site also offers free shipping on your first delivery.
Their holiday meals this season include black forest seasoned uncured ham, pre-cooked prime rib, black angus tenderloin roast, smoked turkey thigh and salmon fillets, along with seasonal sides such as roasted butternut squash with rosemary-honey butter, green beans with pancetta-walnut crumble, and creamy potato-cauliflower gratin with Gruyère. Add-on options include small treats like cookies and cheesecake cups, and snackable charcuterie foods like cheeses, nuts, crackers, and more.
Sun Basket Holiday Meals
7. Hello Fresh
From 20-minute dinners to “takeout favorite” meals that aren’t your typical “soggy noodles” fare, Hello Fresh‘s menu boasts over 25 recipes to choose from every week. Their holiday dinners include crowd pleasers like prime rib (serves 8-10) or beef tenderloin (serves 4-6) and festive fare like cherry ricotta crostini and truffle mashed potatoes. These specialty meals cost between $22.99 and 29.99 per person.
We like that the easy meal kits also help budding home chefs build a foundation for future dinners and expand culinary horizons. Regular meals start at $7.99 most take an average of 30 minutes to make, and regular recipes include Middle Eastern Chickpea Bowls, One-Pan Santa Fe Pork Tacos, and Tex-Mex Turkey Stuffed Peppers, to name a few.
Hello Fresh Holiday Box
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