It took a year and a recent BOGO deal but I finally picked up a Prep+Pared kit at the local Kroger. The kit that caught my eye that day: chilaquiles, a tortilla-thickened bean and corn dish with Mexican origin. Not exactly your run-of-the-mill dish.
As promised, the ingredients were pre-measured, prepped, and neatly packed in sealed and labeled bags. The ingredients looked fresh – a nice first impression. There wasn’t a whole lot of cooking to speak of; just about the hardest thing was roasting onions and bell peppers in the oven. The only modification necessary was adding more liquid to get the consistency right…
My friends and I are a tough sell. We work in the food industry and many have either reported bad experiences with meal kits (“disgusting,” to quote one), or simply wouldn’t “go there.” But I’m also a time-strapped mom and between the BOGO deal and mounting curiosity, a couple of Prep+Pared kits followed me home that day.
Well…I’m happy to report the chilaquiles meal turned out nicely. The flavors and textures were well balanced: the toastiness of the pre-charred corn and roasted vegetables, the tangy-savory tomato base, and the crunchiness of the fried tortilla strips were well thought-out components of the meal.
Kudos to the Kroger culinary team on the chilaquiles meal. Because my foray into Prep+Pared was a good one, I’m open to trying other meals in that product line. There are certainly numerous to choose from but I can say this: the chilaquiles kit is a concept well-executed.