If you are looking for healthy and easy school lunch ideas with leftovers you are going to love today’s post! These ideas, are quick to prepare with ingredients that are already in your pantry and fridge.
Forget the sandwich. These recipes are the perfect way to revamp leftovers and give them a new purpose so they don’t go to waste. The bonus is that they each add a few extra veggies to the lunchbox!
Most of us have pasta once a week, or every other week, and it often leaves a nice portion of plain pasta perfect for a lunchbox meal. Another item we have leftover is beans from Taco night. They are a terrific option to revamp into a delicious lunch! And last but not least, when we have a little bit of broth leftover from a recipe that we aren’t quite sure how to use into something else.
In this video, you’ll see how I take on those three leftover ingredients and revamp them into a new fresh lunch with Libby’s Vegetable Cups.
The veggie pasta salad goes great with other leftovers, like cooked chicken, and the ability to use your favorite dressing makes this the ultimate kid-friendly meal.
The black bean and corn salad has a terrific texture that goes great with plantain chips or traditional chips and fruit. Want a more substantial option? Pack it over a bed or rice, heated, inside a thermos.
For a warm meal, the quick veggie soup option is a great option to have for cold fall and winter days. Sometimes, there is nothing more comforting that a warm bowl of soup for lunch, school lunch included.
What’s great is that the lunches come together quickly, and the Vegetable Cups also make a great standalone snack or side dish at dinner – just lift a corner off the lid and pop in the microwave.
As you can see, a terrific lunch can be put together rather quickly with leftovers that are in most of our refrigerators. These recipes are an excellent way to reduce leftover waste.
How would you use Libby’s Vegetable Cups in your lunchbox?
Lunch 1: Veggie Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked pasta, spirals
- 1 4 oz. Libby’s Diced Carrots Vegetable Cup, drained
- ½ coarsely grated yellow cheddar cheese
- 8 oz can sliced black olives, drained
- 2-3 tablespoons Italian dressing, or just olive oil and Italian seasoning, salt, pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Divide into lunchboxes and pack along with a little fruit and half of a boiled egg.
Lunch 2: Black Bean & Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 4 oz. Libby’s Whole Kernel Sweet Corn Vegetable Cup, drained
- ½ cup pico de gallo, fresh, chunky salsa
- Plantain chips, inka chips for serving
- Fruit
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Divide into lunchboxes and pack along with a plantain chips and fruit.
Lunch 3: Quick Veggie Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken or veggie stock
- 1 cup cooked pasta
- 1 4 oz. Libby’s Peas & Carrots Vegetable Cup, drained
Instructions
- In a microwave safe bowl, heat up stock, pasta, and veggies. Once thoroughly heated, pack inside a thermos.
Avon S.
So many possibilities, but knowing my little guy and with cooler weather, I would definitely throw these veggie cups in his fave soups (chicken noodle, beef stew, etc).
Katie
So much healthier than your typical sandwich, easy, and less waste! I love the pasta salad idea 🙂
Meaghan
I have 3 kids I make lunch for. I did not even think about using Libby cups. They would make it fast and easy to get some more veggies packed in my kids lunch box. I want to try the chicken noodle soup with the peas and carrots soon!!
Kim
These are great ideas for me and my kids! I will have to find those Libby cups! We would eat them plain or mixed in salads/soups or along with chicken and rice.
Marci Powers
I would love to try some of these recipes with my children. I didn’t even know there was individual serving containers of the veggies.
Krista
My son would just eat them as is 🙂 mixing them with pasta is always good though.
Becky Boden
My kids love soups for lunch. What better way to fill their tummies, load their soup with veggies!
Samantha
I love these ideas not just for my kids but for me too.
Kristina
Pasta or rice salad, or also in chicken noodle soup. All school lunch favs.
Jackie
Would love to use the lunch containers for my daughter! We are always looking to try new recipes and I can’t wait to try the ones here to incorporate more veggies!
Nancy B
I could certainly make that black bean and corn salad for my girl. I could use the green beans in a bean salad my kids would gobble up too.
Sara Bunnell
my kids would eat them just like they are! But I like the idea of being able to customize their lunches & things with individual veggies!
Jenn C.
Veggies mixed in soup or sautéed in a stir fry for quick and easy lunches.
Dawn Tomsik
My preschoolers love it when we have our cooking class 2 times a week. I’m always looking for recipes that we can all do together and yet prepare the foods safely. Recently we made homemade vegetable soup. I don’t like using canned veggies and thought this time we would use Libby’s veggies in the individual cups. It worked out fantastic because I have 6 preschoolers and was able to divide the ingredients equally and safely. Most Importantly, these cups were terrific for the use of small motor skills. Pulling the tabs (covers) up, draining, pulling the covers off and pouring. We had a blast and was also able to through in a math lesson and vocabulary lesson with colors, and the words in our recipes. Thanks Libby for allowing us to have a fun and safe cooking experience.
Dawn Tomsik
Sorry typo above
Throw! Not through.
Amy
My kids love leftovers and soup for lunch! There are so many possibilities for the veggie cups, for added veggies in burritos, quesadillas, soups or dips like your veggie salsa! Yum!
Melissa
Awesome ideas! I would use the Libby Veggie Cups for quick fresh veggies for my kiddos lunches. Love the portioned size to add to and spruce up leftovers to make glamorous lunches!
Destiny Stonehouse
My kids would love all the recipes! The veggie cups would be perfect to put in their lunchbox just as a healthy side!
Carolsue
The pasta salad would go over bigtime! Only instead of the carrots, I would use corn.
Greg Carbone
In our house we can always use a supply of back-up lunch containers! How do so many of these things get lost?
As for the foods that we pack, leftovers are a great place to start. We do this one or two times a week when the kids tell us that they love a particular dinner.
The corn and black bean salad sounds very interesting. I would pair this with some of their favorite crackers for dipping or maybe even some lightly toasted whole wheat pita triangles.
Christy G.
We’ve always had good luck simply mixing veggies like corn or peas in with Mac and cheese. It’s not fancy, but it works for us. I’ve also made a black bean dip similar to what you have posted and the single servings would be great for making the smaller amount needed for a lunch.
Laura Fuentes
When in doubt… mac and cheese to get more veggies! LOL that has worked for me too. 🙂
Lisa Topolinski
Thanks! I will make the corn and black bean salad for tomorrows lunch.. I will tey the libbys sweet corn…
Sheyla Leng
I would use the beans and corn as side to quesadillas. Thank you for your great ideas!
Josephine
My kids would love the soup!! Great ideas!!
Niki
Adding veggies to the lunch box never been so easy, throw in some extra carrots in the chicken noodle soup.
Jennifer
I would use the Libby´s products in the small square section of my Easy Lunchboxes to add a splash of color for my son! Thank you for this opportunity!
Alex
I’d stir some into homemade ramen in my kids’ thermoses.
Kim
The weather surely will turn soon and soup would be great!
Stephanie M
I’d use them and mix them in pasta salads, soups, burrito bowls, or chicken salad. The possibilities are endless…They look super yummy and I bet my kids would enjoy them!
Laurie
I would make a big batch of vegetable soup that I would freeze and send to school reheated in a thermos.
Danielle Spears
My kids would probably just eat the prepackaged carrots or corn. But I could see making a nice chicken dish with leftover shredded chicken, the Libby corn, maybe some peas and the Libby carrots and mix it all up with a little bit of mayo. Pack some crackers and they would be set.
Ashley lamb
Love it. making a personal soup while I’m camping. Or a dinner on the go.
Kerri
My daughter loves black beans and rice, would add the Libby’s corn or carrots to get in extra veggies. Great recipes!
elisa marks
veggie pasta salad is a great idea. i never even thought about just throwing in a side of corn – much healthier than pretzels or other starch!
Tiffany Malloy
I love the pasta salad idea. I think I would love to try the libbys vegetables in mini potpies as well.
thuy n.
My kids would like the black bean and corn salad for their school lunches.
Julie Doc
My son loves chicken and rice, and I like to throw corn and beans in with it, along with some salsa. Thanks for these ideas as wel!
Rachel
Awesome ideas! So simple but always need some inspiration.
Katie
The veggie pasta salad is definitely something my kids would love in their lunchboxes!
Gail
I’m always looking for easy and fast ideas on how to use leftovers for lunch! Thanks for sharing!