These farm-to-table dinners changed my mind about premade meals

Editor's Note: March 2, 2023 Unfortunately, as of March 1, 2023, RealEats has shut down and is no longer available for subscriptions. If you're in the market for tasty pre-made meals, though, we recommend CookUnity, our winning pick for the best prepared meal delivery service.

After two years of cooking every meal for myself (and my husband), I feel especially tired of cleaning pots and pans. I’m uninterested in signing up for a meal kit subscription because that would still require me to turn on the stove. However, I’m also reluctant to order takeout often for budget reasons—so premade meal delivery services are my last resort.

RealEats is one such premade meal delivery service. I was initially attracted to this brand because of its promise that the meals are prepared by professional chefs with the highest quality ingredients. Intrigued, I placed an order.

What is RealEats?

Founded in upstate New York by a single dad, RealEats wants to help busy parents and working professionals eat healthy, high-quality, delicious food made with locally-sourced ingredients.

Having built strong connections with the culinary community in the picturesque Finger Lakes region, RealEats brings in professional chefs to cook with fresh produce sourced from nearby independent farms. Each meal has a detailed list of ingredients, as well as nutrition facts.

Unlike other premade meals we’ve tested that are packaged in plastic containers, RealEats meals are individually packaged in sous vide pouches. All you need to do is heat them up in a pot of boiling water and serve. Alternatively, you can place each dish on a plate and microwave the plate for three minutes.

How much does it cost?

It depends on the frequency of deliveries. If you order four dinners per week it will cost $9.99 per meal, but if you order 12 dinners per week the price per meal can be as low as $9.82.

You can choose to include add-ons onto your shipments every week—like breakfasts and soups—which each come at an additional cost to your weekly payment. When we retested RealEats, we also tried their four breakfast options to see how they measured up to the other meals.

Here’s what we thought about RealEats premade dinners

Hi there! Current Kitchen & Cooking Staff Writer Monica, here. When we initially tested RealEats premade meals, former Kitchen & Cooking Staff Writer Valerie tested three dinners: Honey Sesame Chicken, Texas Style Beef Brisket, and Shrimp & Smoky, Creamy Grits.

Then, I updated this story by testing RealEats line of breakfast offerings: the Baked Blueberry Oatmeal, Hearty Roasted Breakfast Hash, Huevos Rancheros Frittata, and Coconut Chia Oatmeal. I also tried some of RealEats’ latest dinner options—like the Citrus Miso Salmon and Greek Chicken—to see if they lived up to Valerie’s initial conclusions. (Spoiler alert: they were just as well-cooked, tasty, and generously portioned as the first time around.)

Honey Sesame Chicken

I didn’t have high expectations for this premade chicken dish, so I was pretty amazed by how tender the chicken turned out to be. Well-seasoned and generously portioned, this dish quickly became one of my favorites from RealEats. It was paired with broccoli and brown rice, both of which were cooked to near perfection; the brown rice was fluffy and chewy while the broccoli was juicy and fresh.

Texas Style Beef Brisket

Not only was I impressed with how well-cooked the brisket was, but I also loved the sides. The restaurant quality creamy potato salad and roasted squash were a great complement to the brisket, which fell apart in my mouth.

Shrimp & Smoky, Creamy Grits

This dish was super rich and the portion size was relatively large, which made it quite filling for me. Nevertheless, it was delicious and I kept on thinking about it days later. I liked the smoked corn bits in the grits, which added texture and flavor. The shrimp was perfectly cooked—even after being placed in a microwave for three minutes, it was still tender and succulent.

Here’s what we thought about RealEats premade breakfasts

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

This was, by far, my favorite of the four breakfast items. It came out of the sous vide packaging cooked perfectly, without any off-putting textures. And the flavor profile of the oats—with sweet-tart blueberries, crunchy pecans, and tasty cinnamon—made me enjoy every bite. There was also a maple syrup topping that had to be prepared sous vide in a separate bag, and since it was ready a few minutes earlier than the oatmeal, it was mostly crystallized when it came time to drizzle it on top (which made drizzling virtually impossible). If I were to do it again, I would mindfully time it to make sure both bags come out at the same time—I surely wouldn’t want to miss out on that yummy maple topping.

Hearty Roasted Breakfast Hash

This hash includes a tasty mixture of roasted red potatoes, chicken sausage, peppers, mushrooms, and scallions that was well-seasoned and satisfying, with a whopping 27g of protein in one serving. One thing that set me off, though, was the giant, overpowering pieces of sausage. Based on the photo, I was expecting a dish of mainly potatoes with some small surrounding meat pieces; instead I found myself digging through giant chunks of sausage to find the remaining potatoes and other veggies. And since it was cooked sous vide (per the package instructions), it came out a bit soggy, which made me think it might have been better if it was warmed up on a stovetop instead.

Huevos Rancheros Frittata

I had a similar issue with the frittata, which came out with a soggy and watery texture (something that was especially off-putting in egg-form), and it even broke apart a bit as I tried to pull it out of the sous vide bag. The flavor of the frittata itself—topped with seasoned black beans—was tasty, though, and if it had been prepared differently, I probably would’ve enjoyed it a lot. And on another positive note, I appreciated that the frittata was made with cashew milk instead of regular milk, keeping it dairy-free.

Coconut Chia Oatmeal

This hearty and comforting bowl of oatmeal came out of the sous vide bag with the perfect texture, and it’s a great option for vegan, gluten-, nut-, and soy-free folks looking for a nutritious and filling start to the day. Unfortunately, I found this one way too sweet to finish (thanks to the coconut milk and added sugar) but sweet tooths might relish in it—maybe even as a dessert.

How to manage your subscription

Canceling your subscription is very easy. You simply go to your account page and select Manage Subscriptions to cancel. You can skip and pause your subscription at any time. Please be sure to login to your account page to skip or cancel before Wednesday at midnight, or you will be charged for your next order.

Should you sign up?

If you’re looking for a premade meal delivery service to relieve you from your cooking duties, then you may enjoy RealEats. It has a good selection of nutritionally-balanced, tasty meals to choose from and the menu changes every week based on the seasonality of the ingredients (aside from the breakfasts and other add-ons, which are consistent week–to-week).

If you still want to do a little cooking but love the idea of saving a trip to the grocery store, perhaps a meal kit delivery service could be better suited for you.

Sign up for RealEats starting at $9.99 per meal