An Sincere Overview of Mosaic Meals in 2023

The time period “frozen meals” has had an unfair repute for years. A frozen dinner was considered low cost, low on taste, and one thing you ate whereas watching TV (i.e. “TV dinners”). However that simply isn’t true anymore.

Lately the frozen meals trade has made main leaps and developments in high quality and taste. There are lots of higher-end frozen or ready meal supply providers which have solely gotten increasingly well-liked. One particularly that has been getting a number of consideration is Mosaic Meals, primarily as a result of all of its meals are plant-based–which may be very tough to seek out in a frozen meals meal supply service.

What’s Mosaic Meals?

Mosaic is a plant-based, frozen meals meal supply service (as in, vegetarian and vegan choices). It’s subscription-based, however you’ll be able to pause or cancel at any time, so that you’re not locked in. You possibly can select from six, 12 or 18 gadgets per field, and it’s free transport should you select the 12 or 18 plan. Every merchandise is a la carte, and varies in value however averages round $10 per single meal serving.

You possibly can select from seven completely different classes: veggie bowls, pizza, smoothies, Mosaic+ meals, soups, oat bowls and household meals.

Mosaic Meals

• Culturally various, international cuisines which you could hardly ever discover in frozen meals.
• Unbelievable taste that beats some other frozen meals model in the marketplace.
• Most meals are prepared in 5 minutes, only some choices require an oven.
• All meals are plant-based and filled with nutrient-rich substances.
• Frozen meals have a really lengthy shelf life, so there’s no threat of losing meals
• Emphasis on sustainability; all of the meals trays are recyclable.

• Increased-end meals and flavors = higher-ish costs.
• Fewer choices if you’d like no-carb meals.
• All meals are plant-based (vegan or vegetarian), however might have just a few extra non-vegan choices for many who aren’t dairy-free.

How a lot does Mosaic Meals price?

Mosaic meals begin at $9.99 for veggie bowls, $11.99 for Mosiac+ meals, $11.99 for pizzas, $7.99 for smoothies, $8.99 for soups, $5.99 for oat bowls, and $19.95 for oven-ready meals that serve a household of 4.

Associated Tales

What makes Mosaic Meals completely different from different meal supply providers?

Earlier than I get into the gadgets I tasted and reviewed, first a basic overview of what makes Mosaic completely different from different meal supply providers. For one, it’s fully plant-based, which is way much less widespread within the frozen meals trade. However for me, what actually makes Mosaic stand out is that the recipes are a lot extra various, creative, and gourmand than what you’ll sometimes discover. So many meal supply kits are a variation in your commonplace “American fare.” However Mosaic branches out in taste greater than some other meal service I’ve tried and consists of many international cuisines. One in all my greatest complaints about different meal supply providers is that they’re simply completely different takes on commonplace American rooster, beef or vegetarian dinners however hardly ever discover the flavors of different cultures.

The Mosaic meals I reviewed:

I selected eight gadgets from the pizza, veggie bowl, oat bowl and Mosaic+ classes. The Mosaic+ meals, as you might need guessed by the plus signal, are barely dearer, however that’s as a result of they’re extra concerned recipes developed by well-known, famend cooks. I didn’t strive the liquid choices (the soups or smoothies). And the “household meals,” which I additionally didn’t strive, are separate as a result of they’re meant for a household of 4 and are extra of your conventional casserole-type meals that must be ready within the oven. One of many issues I really like about Mosaic is that they’ve an in depth and revolving checklist of things they provide, so naturally I wasn’t capable of strive all the pieces.

Additionally, a notice on footage. In relation to frozen meals, they only aren’t going to look precisely like the image on the field; that’s as a result of these are taken with skilled lighting in a studio. However I did embody photographs I took of a few of the dishes after they had been heated up and after I plated them. And all issues thought-about, they seemed very near the skilled pics. However in the case of frozen meals, a reminder that it’s way more about taste than it being “image excellent.” Okay, now on to the evaluations of each merchandise I attempted!

1. Roasted Grape & Butternut Squash Pizza

Most meal supply providers don’t have a devoted pizza class, so I really like that Mosaic has one. I selected the Center Jap-inspired roasted grape and butternut squash pizza, but when that isn’t up your alley in addition they have extra conventional choices like 4 cheese, or “sausage” and pepper. Out of each Mosaic meal I attempted, this one was completely my favourite. The sweetness of the roasted grapes blended with the savory butternut squash and fontina cheese was 5 stars-worthy. I really feel like it is a sort of artisanal pizza you solely see at costly eating places. My expectations had been excessive, however I used to be blown away when it tasted much more gourmand than I anticipated. I couldn’t imagine it was a frozen pizza. Additionally the crust is cauliflower (which IMO can typically lack taste), however you by no means would have recognized; it tasted simply pretty much as good as a flour crust.

2. Mac & Greens

That is below the Mosiac+ class, and it’s a recipe developed by chef Greg Baxtrom of Olmsted. It’s certainly one of their extra well-liked gadgets, and I’m not shocked. It’s consolation meals that doesn’t really feel too heavy and is filled with veggies. It goes method past any frozen mac and cheese dish I’ve ever had. It has such a depth of taste for a frozen dinner (or a non-frozen meal, for that matter). And I beloved the roasted garlic broccolini and the sprinkle of crispy onions and toasted panko on prime. It undoubtedly had probably the greatest textures of all of the gadgets I sampled.

3. North African Veggies and Couscous 

Additionally below the Mosaic+ class, this dish is from chef Einat Admony of Balaboosta and Taim. Once more, that is in contrast to some other frozen meal I’ve ever had earlier than. You really can not get this mixture of flavors in a frozen dinner wherever else. The recipe is restaurant-level and the flavors had been a ten/10. I beloved the parsnips, candy potatoes, cauliflower florets, the sauteed Swiss chard, and fluffy couscous. And the crunchy ja’ala (a combo of roasted nuts and seeds) topped all of it off.

4. Vegan Penne Vodka Pasta

I used to be a bit skeptical of this one at first, as a result of certainly one of my favourite parts of penne alla vodka is the heavy cream. I imply, let’s be sincere, the most effective sauces are often cream-based. However this model is vegan, so by definition it’s dairy-free. However I used to be really shocked by how wealthy the flavors had been. Truthfully, it was tough to inform that it was vegan–I surprisingly didn’t miss the heavy cream. I additionally love that it has escarole and broccolini in it, so it provides you that additional dose of veggies alongside your carbs.

5. Chipotle Mango Burrito Bowl

This chipotle mango burrito bowl was one of many heartier dishes I had, and it’s vegan. I had it for lunch, and it was so filling that I really had some leftovers that I heated up as a snack later. I’m sometimes not a burrito bowl lady, however this was certainly one of my favourite dishes I attempted. The cilantro-tossed Spanish rice had a lot taste, and it’s filled with veggies like candy potatoes, roasted purple peppers, corn and black beans. And the zesty chipotle mango sauce provides it simply the correct quantity of kick.

6. Butternut Squash & Sage Pasta 

This can be a pasta dish, however it’s below the “veggie bowl” class, so it’s barely cheaper than their Mosiac+ meals. I beloved the butternut squash sauce, and it was one of many extra wealthy meals of all those I tasted. What actually made it, although, was the caramelized onions and the sage pesto sauce. It had nice taste, however it did lack a little bit of zest and crunch that a few of the different meals had.

7. Cauliflower Tikka Masala 

Of all of the Mosiac+ meals, this was my least favourite—though it nonetheless had some good taste. Tikka masala is certainly one of my favourite dishes, and it simply didn’t fairly have that advanced taste of tikka masala that I really like. It’s a recipe from chef Kanchan Koya, who has a Ph.D in Biomedicine, and I did love the yogurt-marinated cauliflower and the cashew cream. And I additionally preferred the quinoa, despite the fact that I’m sometimes not a quinoa fan. It was undoubtedly filling and hearty, however it was veering a bit into “mushy territory” and will have benefited from some extra texture.

8. Golden Milk & Blackberry Oats

I’m not a breakfast particular person, however I’m attempting to vary that and have a heartier meal within the morning so I’m not simply working on iced espresso. These oat bowls make it straightforward, since you simply microwave them for 3 minutes, and voila, you’ve got breakfast. I used to be shocked by how scrumptious the golden milk and blackberry taste was; it jogged my memory of one thing you’d get at a flowery cafe in Los Angeles. I do want the blackberries had been contemporary, although, since heated-up blackberries lose all their texture. However I beloved the crunch of the pistachios and sliced almonds.

The decision?

I really would give this plant-based frozen meal supply service 5 stars. I really like that it extends method past commonplace American fare and have all forms of out-of-the-box, creative recipes. I personally beloved that a number of the meals had been pasta and grain-based, and each dish was tremendous filling. However should you’re on a low carb food plan, this will not be the meal supply service for you. Sure, it is pricier than a frozen meal you’d get on the grocery retailer, however the meals are about ten occasions extra flavorful—and also you get the comfort of getting them shipped to your door.

And as with all frozen meals, you could be sacrificing a little bit of crispy texture, however these had been undoubtedly the best-tasting microwavable meals I’ve ever had. Backside line? I might completely join this after I knew I used to be going to have a busy week and wished to eat wholesome, tasty meals that takes lower than 5 minutes to make.

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