If your kids are going back to school on a hybrid or full, in-person model, sandwiches are an easy, go-to option but there are also a ton of hot lunch ideas for school your kids will love.
While the CDC recommends frequent hand washing throughout the day—and especially before lunch— eating with a fork or spoon may be safer than eating a sandwich which can easily introduce coronavirus from germ-filled fingers, Alison Galvani, PhD, Director, Yale Center for Infectious Disease Modeling and Analysis (CIDMA) said in this video.
Fortunately, there are a ton of hot lunch ideas for school and they don’t require additional time in the kitchen.
In this post, I’ll cover:
- The benefits of packing hot school lunches for kids.
- How to use a thermos to pack hot food and my favorite lunch products.
- Hot lunch ideas for school: soups, stews, pasta and rice dishes, and more!
BENEFITS OF PACKING HOT SCHOOL LUNCHES
I’ve always been a fan of packing hot lunches for my kids because it’s one of the best ways to encourage healthy eating habits.
Packing hot lunches for school is a great opportunity to introduce a variety of fruits, vegetables and new foods—which studies show encourages kids to make healthy choices.
When the weather gets cooler, you can also pack warm foods like soups and stews that are healthy, delicious and filling.
Another reason I love packing hot lunches for school is that it’s an easy way to re-purpose leftovers, save time, save money on groceries and reduce food waste.
HOW TO USE A THERMOS FOR HOT FOOD
Once you have some hot lunch ideas for school, it’s surprisingly simple to pull them together.
I recommend using a thermos to keep food warm for several hours. Then, follow these easy steps:
1. Fill up the thermos with hot water and wait 15 minutes. You can boil or heat up the water in the microwave when you wake up in the morning and in the meantime, make breakfast or go about your morning routine.
2. Pour out the water.
3. Heat up the food and add it to the thermos. Close the lid right away and pack it up.
PRODUCTS FOR HOT SCHOOL LUNCHES
The Thermos Funtainer 10 Ounce Food Jar is the one I use for my kids to bring hot lunches to school. I love it because it’s durable, leak-proof, and keeps food hot until lunchtime.
The DaCool Insulated Lunch Container Hot Food Jar is another great food thermos for bringing hot food to school. What I love about this container in particular is that it keeps liquid hot or cold for 12 hours, and it has a foldable spoon, and the food-grade lid can also be used as a bowl to eat from.
If your kid is the type that doesn’t like different foods to touch, or you want the flexibility to combine the foods later, then you need the ArderLive Stackable Lunch Box. This lunch box allows you to pack lunch foods separately or add a snack. Each container has a lid that doubles as a dish. The one drawback is that it keeps food warm for 1-2 hours, or 2-3 hours with the insulated lunch bag.
Not only does Lava Lunch Insulated Lunch Bag keep food hot for 5 hours, but there are separate hot and cold compartments to pack drinks, fruit or yogurt too.
Related: 7 Best Kids’ Yogurt Brands
If you’re packing hot lunch, your kids will need utensils. Plastic utensils are always a safe option, but if you’re looking for a more eco-friendly option, try the OXO Tot Cutlery Set. Made with stainless steel, this set actually works to capture and cut food, it looks like adult cutlery, and it’s also BPA and PVC-free and dishwasher- safe.
HOT LUNCH IDEAS FOR SCHOOL: PASTA
1. Pasta with marinara sauce sprinkled with parmesan cheese
2. Pasta with vegetables sprinkled with parmesan cheese
3. Macaroni and cheese
4. Pasta and peas
5. Meatballs and pasta
6. Red lentil pasta with veggies
7. Pasta with pesto sprinkled with parmesan cheese
8. Ravioli with vegetables
9. Tortellini and vegetables
10. Lasagna roll ups
SOUPS TO PACK IN A FOOD THERMOS
11. Pasta e Fagioli
12. Chicken noodle soup
13. Split pea soup
14. Butternut squash soup
15. Black bean soup
16. Cream of broccoli soup
17. Cream of asparagus soup
18. Italian wedding soup
19. Corn chowder or chicken corn chowder
20. Potato leek soup
21. Taco soup
22. Cauliflower soup
23. Minestrone soup
24. Cream of mushroom soup
LEFTOVER CHILI IDEAS FOR SCHOOL LUNCH
25. Lentil chili
26. Turkey chili
27. Bean chili
25. Lentil chili
26. Turkey chili
27. Bean chili
HOT LUNCH IDEAS FOR SCHOOL: RICE DISHES
28. Chickpeas and rice sprinkled with parmesan cheese
29. Baked Arancini (Italian rice balls)
30. Healthy fried rice (add chicken, pork, egg or shrimp)
31. Grilled chicken with vegetables and rice
32. Roasted salmon with vegetables and rice
33. Mixed vegetables with rice
34. Pea risotto
BREAKFAST FOR LUNCH
35. Quiche
36. Breakfast casserole
37. Oatmeal with dried fruit and pumpkin seeds
38. Egg muffins
39. Scrambled eggs with sweet potato hash
40. Eggs and pancakes
41. Zucchini pie
42. Veggie blend breakfast waffles
43. Frittata
HOMEMADE SCHOOL LUNCH IDEAS WITH BEANS AND LEGUMES
44. Falafel
45. Bunless bean burgers
46. Brown rice and black, red kidney, or white beans
47. Lentils soup or lentil stew
48. Chickpea curry
49. Burrito bowl
Related: 5 Reasons Your Kids Should Eat Beans
OTHER HEALTHY & DELICIOUS HOT LUNCH IDEAS FOR SCHOOL
