Alternative to Linas Matkasse – compared with Smaklig (2026)

It's getting close to five o'clock. Someone is hungry, someone has to head out, and you still haven't decided what to eat. If you're looking for an alternative to Linas Matkasse, you're probably tired of exactly that everyday question – but perhaps you want to keep your usual grocery store, use what's already at home and decide for yourself when to shop.

Then weekly planning with recipes and a shopping list can be an alternative to a delivered meal box. Here we compare Linas Matkasse with Smaklig's way of helping with dinner. You also get three dinner suggestions for four people and a shared shopping list to start with.

This article is written for Smaklig and compares our service with Linas Matkasse. The recipes below are our own suggestions.

What is the difference between Linas Matkasse and Smaklig?#

In short: Linas Matkasse delivers recipes and ingredients to your door via an ongoing subscription. Smaklig is a free service that gives you recipes, a weekly menu and a shopping list – linked to every ICA store – while you buy the groceries yourself wherever you like. The big difference is that with Smaklig you keep your store, skip the ingredient subscription and pay 0 SEK for the planning.

Linas Matkasse offers recipes and ingredients delivered to your home. You choose freely from around 150 dinners each week and can skip weeks or cancel according to their terms, per Linas' own description of the service (checked 9 September 2026).

Smaklig instead helps you plan the week's dinners and gathers everything into one shopping list. You decide for yourself whether to buy your dinner groceries in person or via ICA's online shop with home delivery where it is offered. You pay for the groceries, and Smaklig does not charge for the planning.

The details about Linas are based on Linas' own description, checked 9 September 2026. Smaklig's product details come from Smaklig. The comparison concerns the public offerings and the cost model – that with Smaklig you pay the store's price with no per-portion markup – not a price measurement against individual providers. Terms and menus may change.

What does Smaklig cost compared with a meal box?#

In short: Recipes, weekly planning and the shopping list in Smaklig cost 0 SEK. You only pay for the groceries you buy at ICA. A meal box is instead a total price that covers both recipes and ingredients, including any add-ons and fees.

When you compare, the starting point is the total amount you actually pay for a meal box with recipes and ingredients. You compare that with the price of your grocery shopping at ICA. If you choose online shopping, you also factor in ICA's picking and delivery fees.

The point is simple: with Smaklig you pay for the food, not for the planning. You can also cross off what you already have at home and steer your shopping by the week's ICA prices – something you can't do the same way when the ingredients are pre-selected in a box. Because a meal box is an ongoing agreement, it can be worth reading the terms for cancellation and right of withdrawal before you start; the Swedish Consumer Agency has information on subscription services.

Can I adjust the number of servings?#

In short: Yes. With Smaklig you adjust the number of servings to how many will actually eat. Plan for two one evening and four the next, or add servings when you want leftovers.

Not everyone sits around the same table every evening. The kids might eat at a friend's, someone works late, and guests come at the weekend. Instead of locking you into a fixed serving count, Smaklig lets the dinner plan follow your week. Need extra lunch boxes? You simply add servings.

Can I use my own ICA store and shop online?#

In short: Yes. Smaklig is linked to every ICA store, and you choose which store to work from. Then you shop in person with the list or buy the groceries via ICA's online shop with home delivery where it is offered.

You decide how you want to get your dinner groceries home:

• Shop in person: Bring the shopping list and pick the groceries yourself at your ICA store.
• Shop online: Buy the groceries via ICA's online shop and choose home delivery where it is offered for your address.

You can pick whatever suits the current week. Your store's online range, delivery options and any fees apply. If you also want to keep costs down, you can maximise your savings with ICA campaigns and plan the week around what's on offer.

Which alternative to Linas Matkasse suits your everyday life?#

In short: Choose Linas Matkasse if you want both recipes and ingredients delivered within a set menu. Choose Smaklig if you want help with the planning but want to control the store, the shopping and the number of servings yourself – without an ingredient subscription and without a fee for the planning itself.

Linas may suit you if you appreciate choosing within a ready-made menu and not having to gather the dinner groceries yourself. With around 150 dishes each week and home delivery, it's a convenient setup for anyone who wants to save time.

Smaklig may suit you if you want to choose groceries in your store, use an opened package at home, or plan a different number of dinners from week to week.

Think about which part usually takes the most energy: coming up with the food, shopping for it, or cooking it. That makes the choice easier. If you want to see how your own planning stacks up financially against several different boxes, you can also compare meal boxes with your own weekly planning in more detail.

Three dinners for four – try a dinner plan#

Here is our own menu suggestion with ingredients that recur between the dishes. Carrots are used in both the chicken dish and the stew. Onion and crushed tomatoes go into two dinners. That makes the shopping list easier to overview and reduces the risk of food waste.

1. Lemon chicken with roasted potatoes and carrots#

Four servings • about 40–45 minutes

You need 600 g chicken fillet, 800 g potatoes, 400 g carrots, 1 lemon, 2 garlic cloves, 2 dl plain yoghurt and 2 tbsp oil plus salt and pepper.

1. Set the oven to 225 °C (conventional). Cut the potatoes and carrots into smaller pieces. Toss with half the oil, salt and pepper on a large tray. Roast for about 15 minutes.
2. Mix the chicken with the rest of the oil, pressed garlic, grated lemon zest and a little lemon juice. Add to the tray and cook for a further 20–25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the root vegetables are soft. The time depends on the size of the pieces.
3. Season the yoghurt with a little lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve the sauce alongside.

2. Creamy tomato pasta with spinach and white beans#

Four servings • about 25 minutes

You need 400 g pasta, 1 yellow onion, 2 garlic cloves, 400 g crushed tomatoes, 250 g frozen leaf spinach, 2 tins white beans (about 230 g drained weight each), 2 dl cooking cream and 1 tbsp oil plus salt and pepper.

1. Cook the pasta according to the packet. Save a little pasta water.
2. Chop the onion and garlic. Fry in the oil until the onion has softened. Add the tomatoes and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the spinach, rinsed beans and cream. Simmer until the spinach has thawed and everything is hot. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Mix with the pasta. Loosen with a little pasta water if needed.

3. Mild lentil stew with coconut milk and rice#

Four servings • about 30 minutes

You need 3 dl dried red lentils, 3 dl uncooked rice, 1 yellow onion, 2 garlic cloves, 300 g carrots, 400 g crushed tomatoes, 400 ml coconut milk, about 4 dl water, 1 tbsp oil and 2 tsp mild curry plus salt and pepper.

1. Cook the rice according to the packet.
2. Chop the onion and garlic. Coarsely grate the carrots. Fry the vegetables in the oil for a few minutes and stir in the curry.
3. Rinse the lentils. Add them together with the tomatoes, coconut milk and water. Simmer for about 15–20 minutes until the lentils are soft. Stir and add more water if needed.
4. Season and serve with the rice.

The times are estimates. The recipes are suggestions and have not been test-cooked for the article.

One shopping list for all three dinners#

The amounts refer to what is used. Adjust your shopping to the store's package sizes and what you already have at home.

Start by crossing off what you already have. If you buy a kilo of carrots, about 300 grams will be left over – plan them into lunch, as a side, or in the next stew. That is exactly the kind of small planning that keeps less food in the bin: Swedish households throw away on average around 16 kg of edible food per person per year (Naturvårdsverket, 2023 data).

When you'd rather skip coming up with the food, shopping for it and writing the list by hand, you can let Smaklig do the planning for you – free, in your own ICA store, and for exactly as many as will eat.