The Hall Of Fame HelloFresh Meal – Silky Sicilian Mushroom Penne
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Time
- Total Time: 30 Minutes
- Actual Time: 60 Minutes
The Silky Sicilian Mushroom Penne took longer to cook than the recommended time by HelloFresh. This dish took us 60 minutes to assemble while staying on task and going through each step. HelloFresh Meals are much easier to perfect with two people. One person can read the recipe, while the other follows along and prepares the dish. I received some extra help in the kitchen for this dish, even though it was a level one meal. The added grilled pork chops and extra vegetables from our fridge were not included in my total actual time.
Price per Serving – $7.99 + Shipping
The Silky Sicilian Mushroom Penne cost us $7.99 per serving plus a few dollars for shipping, altogether about $18 for a two-person dinner. We added some of our own ingredients like the pork chops and extra vegetables so all in all, the dish’s total cost was more than the $7.99 per serving. Still, a cheaper option than going out for dinner in Vail, Colorado.
HelloFresh offers affordable meals that are delivered right to your door. The money you save from not going out to restaurants, gas to the grocery store and the cost of groceries will easily pay for your HelloFresh meals. If you are looking to get the most bang for your buck, go for the meals that include high-end ingredients. The Silky Sicilian Mushroom Penne does not have an expensive ingredient list; consisting mainly of pasta and vegetables. We usually go for the meat forward recipes with unique vegetables and spices.
Preparation
Read the Recipe… then Read it Again
I read this recipe three times before I started cooking or preparing any ingredients. HelloFresh does a great job of spreading out the cooking process into steps. Each step has a few sub-steps, which makes it a little confusing but you just have to read it a few times to make sure everything is cooked at the right time and with the right amount of ingredients.
Mise en place
Mise en place is a French term meaning to put everything in its place. In the culinary world, it is setting up your workstation: equipment is set out, vegetables are cut, ingredients are measured. After reading the instructions we got everything out and prepared.
- Large Pot
- Large Pan
- Medium Bowl
- Strainer
- Whisk
- Cutting Board
- Chef’s Knife
- Olive Oil
- Butter
- Measuring Cup
- Chop Veggies
- Boil Water
Time to Get the Show Started!
Cooking the Meal
I hope you are good at multi-tasking because cooking any HelloFresh meal will test your skills. The Silky Sicilian Mushroom Penne recipe has six steps and within those steps, there is a list of instructions. I chopped all of the vegetables at the beginning before I started cooking anything. This allows more time to sauté vegetables, read upcoming steps, and boil the pasta to al dente perfection. HelloFresh meals have many moving parts but that is what is needed to ensure that all elements are finished at the same time and a hot meal is ready for a delightful dinner.
Feeling a little overwhelmed? Check out my Top Tips for Any HelloFresh Meal
Making it Our Own
We felt there was not enough veggies or protein for this dish so we spruced up the pasta with some of our own ingredients. We added some leftover ratatouille vegetables to our meal. The yellow squash and eggplant added great texture and worked well with the zucchini and mushrooms. I like to have a good source of protein with any meal I eat. The Silky Sicilian Mushroom Penne dish is vegetarian but we added some grilled pork chops to our pasta.
Nutrition / per serving
- Calories – 700 + 300 = 1000 kcal
- Fat – 34g
- Saturated Fat – 16g
- Carbohydrate – 85g
- Sugar – 11g
- Dietary Fiber – 8g
- Protein – 20g + 40g = 60g
- Cholesterol – 70mg
- Sodium – 460mg
This was one hardy meal coming in at about 1000 calories. It has a good amount of carbohydrates. A little more than I would like but in the end, it is a pasta dish and sometimes you just need to splurge! Being a vegetarian dish, there was not a main source of protein. There were 20 grams of protein and we added a grilled pork chop to the dish upping the protein to about 60 grams.
Taste
The Silky Sicilian Mushroom Penne was good but I wouldn’t say outstanding. I found this dish lacking in flavor and boring. There was not enough sauce to coat the penne pasta. I am a saucy person and would prefer the sauce to coat the pasta inside and out. Our additions of grilled pork chops and various fall vegetables added flavor and texture. I am surprised this dish is one of HelloFresh’s Hall of Fame Meals. I did enjoy the mushrooms and blistered cherry tomatoes. I would recommend HelloFresh to add more tomatoes and more seasoning to saute the vegetables. This was a fun dish to make and a great change-up from our typical menu.
Would We Order it Again?
No, I would not order this dish again, as I think there are far better HelloFresh options to chose from. The Silky Sicilian Mushroom Penne is one of HelloFresh’s Hall Of Fame dishes but it is not on my Favorite HelloFresh Meals List. I found the dish lacking in flavor, tedious to assemble, and not one of the healthier options. There are many other HelloFresh Meals to choose from with better flavor and better ingredients for the price.
