August 28, 2023
updated
All the articles & recipes on this website have been created through real-life testing and experience (no ai) since 2010. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Keep reading to learn all the hacks to build a healthy lunch that stays fresh until lunchtime.
Bento Box Lunch with Ham & Cheese Roll Ups
These Ham and Cheese roll-ups are a great lunch idea when you run out of bread but have deli meat and cheese. It’s tasty, packed with protein, and easy to assemble in 5 minutes. Even little hands can help to prep this lunch!
Use your favorite cheese: like Cheddar, Swiss, Jack, mozzarella, Gouda… there’s no limit! Once the ham and cheese roll-ups are done, pack them in a lunch box with fruit, veggies, and your favorite lunch sides for the ultimate balanced bento box.
If you’re out of fresh veggies, frozen or canned vegetables are also a good option for lunch boxes. Bonus: frozen veggies, like peas, carrots, and corn, don’t need to be thawed out before packing in the lunchbox!
What is in Ham & Cheese Roll Ups Bento
You’ll see how easy it is to pull together a healthy homemade bento using a variety of simple staples that kids love eating for lunch.
Check the list:
- Ham: any kind of deli ham you have on the fridge.
- Cheese: Cheddar, Swiss, Jack, mozzarella, Gouda… use your favorite!
- Something crunchy: your kid’s favorite crackers or chips.
- Fruit and veggies: I included frozen corn and berries, but you can use your favorite fresh, frozen, or canned veggies and fruit.
You’ll find the measurements in the recipe card below.
101 Packed Lunches eBook
All my best kid-friendly lunches from over a decade of creating meal plans. Add some variety to your child’s lunchbox with these epic lunches, plus receive my Pack Meals Like a Pro ebook, free with purchase!
How to Pack Ham & Cheese Roll Ups for Lunch
Let’s grab the lunchbox and assemble this tasty, high-protein school lunch super fast! Follow these tips, and everything will stay neat for hours!
Here’s how I packed this bento:
- Roll up
Lay the ham slice flat on the cutting board and fold it in half, if necessary, to be about the same size of the sliced cheese. Place the cheese on one end on top of the ham, and roll it up to the end. Repeat the process with the remaining ham and cheese slices. - Fill the lunch box
Place the ham and cheese roll ups inside a compartment of the lunchbox. - Add veggies
Pack the corn (or other veggie) in a small, lidded container or another compartment. You don’t need to thaw out frozen corn, it will thaw out by lunch, canned corn also works. - Pack crackers
Place the crackers inside a separate compartment of the bento box or container. - Add fruits
Store the berries or the fruits of your choice in a separate compartment. - Refrigerate
Refrigerate the lunchbox or place it in a lunch bag with an ice pack, if needed.
More tips for packing this bento box for school lunch
Building a balanced bento box that remains fresh until lunchtime is possible with these hacks:
Separate wet from dry ingredients
A compartmentalized lunchbox is the best way for this lunch to remain intact for hours. Keep crackers separate from the roll ups, and fruits and veggies in their own compartments. Check here my favorite lunch containers.
Swap and add ingredients
What is so great about building bento boxes for lunch is that you’re free to customize them with what you have on hand. No corn? Swap it for carrots, celery sticks, bell pepper strips, or olives. No berries? Add grapes, tangerine segments, cherries, etc.
Don’t thaw
If you’re using frozen corn, peas, or carrots, there’s no need to thaw them out before packing them in the lunchbox. Fruit like frozen pineapple, peaches, or mango, can also be added frozen. Of course, you can also use canned or fresh fruits and veggies.
Keep it chilled
Pack this Ham and Cheese Roll Up Bento inside an insulated lunch bag and use an ice pack to keep the temperature inside the lunch bag cool.
Add more nutrition
Kids love snacks and desserts! For bigger appetites, pack this bento along with a sandwich or these Chocolate Brownie No-Bake Energy Bites, a Fruit and Yogurt Parfait, or Zucchini Carrot Cake Bars.
Ham and Cheese Roll Ups Bento
Ingredients
- 2 ounces ham
- 1 ½ ounces cheese, sliced
- 6 crackers, your favorite
- ½ cup corn, or another veggie
- ½ cup berries, or your favorite fruit
Instructions
- Lay the ham slice flat on the cutting board and fold in half, if necessary, to be about the same size of the sliced cheese. Place the cheese on one end on top of the ham, and roll it up to the end. Repeat the process with remaining ham and cheese slices.
- Place the ham and cheese roll ups inside a compartment of the lunchbox.
- Pack the corn in a small, lidded container or another compartment. You don’t need to thaw out frozen corn, it will thaw out by lunch, canned corn also works.
- Place the crackers inside a separate compartment of the bento box or container.
- Store the berries in a separate compartment.
- Refrigerate the lunch box or place it in a lunch bag with an ice pack, if needed.
Leave a Reply