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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.
Amy says
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 says
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 says
My kids would love all the recipes! The veggie cups would be perfect to put in their lunchbox just as a healthy side!
Carolsue says
The pasta salad would go over bigtime! Only instead of the carrots, I would use corn.
Greg Carbone says
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.