3 Packed Lunch Ideas that are not Sandwiches

With the new semester gearing up it’s time to get back into packing lunch. To break up the monotony of sandwiches try one of these recipes!

1. Strata

A super easy egg dish that can use up leftovers and store cupboard ingredients. It does take some forethought to prepare but stores well and holds up to be shaken around in a backpack. A strata can be made in any flavor combination using any leftovers you have sitting in your fridge. If using something like sausages I would recommend cooking first, anything else as long as it will be cooked within 40 minutes should be ok to add in raw.

 If you are planning on bringing your strata to be eaten cold (which is very nice) be cautious as to what you add into it. Personally, cold potatoes don’t really do it for me, and I find cooked cold spinach and kale to be slimy and unappealing but customize to your hearts content

Prep time: 10 minutes + overnight soaking

Cook time: 40 minutes 

Difficulty level ★★

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

85g of bread (a bagel used here) Stale and/or crusty is better but any works

5 eggs 

Milk  (enough that when combined with the eggs makes 400 ml) 

Salt 

Pepper

70g frozen peas 

130g of sharp cheese

2 tsp garlic granules 

2 tsp mixed herbs 

¼ tsp chilli flakes

Method

Step One: Grease a small baking dish.

Step Two: Slice your bread into rough 1 inch pieces and add into the greased dish.

Step Three: Crack your 5 eggs into a measuring jug, briefly whisk with a fork and pour in milk until you have 400 ml of liquid.

Step Four: Add in your peas, cheese, and seasonings and mix well.

Step Five: Pour the egg mixture over the bread, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Step Five: Heat your oven to 200C and bake for 40 minutes or until the strata has puffed and the top has formed a crust. 

2. Cucumber Noodle Salad

Easy and nutritious, this salad takes minutes to make and is best eaten cold. If you’re planning for this to be your main, make sure to pack other protein sources such as cheese or boiled eggs or add tofu if that floats your boat. 

Prep time: 10 minutes 

Cook time: 1 minutes 

Difficulty level ★

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients

½ a cucumber 

1 carrot 

Rice noodles

2 tbsp soy sauce 

2 tbsp vinegar (balsamic used here but rice or white wine would work perfectly well) 

1/4 tsp hot sauce or chilli sauce 

1/2 tsp brown sugar or honey 

Method

Step one: Boil the noodles until just done (about 1 minute) and immediately drain and shock with cold water to stop the cooking process.

Step two: Using a peeler create thin strips of cucumber then slice to make smaller ribbons and grate the carrot ,

Step three: Combine all the dressing ingredients in a large bowl then add your cooked noodles and sliced veg. 

Step four: Mix using two spoons, folding what is at the bottom of the bowl on top until the veg is dispersed and everything is covered in the dressing. 

3. Tortilla Cups

A slightly rearranged version of a wrap, these cups are a nice on the go addition to the standard lunch box. Although the recipe here is for cheesy pesto ones, this could easily become pizza bites, or anything else you can dream up. 

Prep time: 15 minutes 

Cook time: 25 minutes 

Difficulty level ★

Makes 1 servings

Ingredients

1 tortilla 

1 tbs pesto 

2 eggs 

25g grated cheese

Seasoning as desired 

Method

Step One: Preheat the oven to 200c and lightly grease2 holes in a muffin tin.

Step Two: Cut the tortilla into quarters and microwave for 15 seconds so they are pliable.

Step Three: Push 2 slices of tortillas into the divots forming a cup shape in the tray.

Step Four: add in the pesto and cheese to the base of the cup.

Step Five: Crack each egg into a separate bowl before putting on top to make sure you don’t get any shell in or pop the yolk.

Step Six: season to your liking, a few cracks of pepper and a sprinkle of salt and a few chilli flakes on each works extremely well. 

Step Seven: Bake for 25 minutes or until the whites have set, if the tips of the tortilla start to brown too fast top with tinfoil.

Featured image credit: Spencer Haynes