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With the tips below you’ll learn how to pack this lunch for school, both as is and keep it warm until lunch.
School Lunch with Meatball Skewers
Do you need a non-sandwich lunch to add variety? I’ve got you covered. This meatball skewers lunch is an easy meal to make the most of leftovers while kids enjoy eating them!
Build this epic school lunch idea using frozen or leftover meatballs from dinner, tomato sauce, and bread. While the skewers add a little fun to the lunchbox, you can totally omit them and pack a meatballs & rice lunch bento instead.
Warm or cold? It’s up to you. You can pack this lunch in a thermos for a hot lunch or in a lunch container since many kids eat these at room temperature. Want to enjoy this lunch at home? Turn it into a meatball sub!
What you need
You just need three healthy staples to make this delicious meatball skewers lunch come true:
- Meatballs: use leftover meatballs from dinner or frozen.
- Tomato sauce: your favorite. My hidden veggie tomato sauce is a terrific option!
- Bread: toasted bread slices, a bread roll, or crackers; whatever you have on hand for dipping!
How to Pack Meatball Skewers for School Lunch
Here’s how to pack these meatball skewers for lunch, whether you want to send them warm or at room temperature. To pack this lunch at room temperature, jump to step 3.
- Preheat a thermos
If you are sending this lunch warm, fill a thermos with hot water for 5 minutes. Empty the hot water out before adding the hot food. More on how to use a thermos here. - Warm up the meatballs
Now you warm the meatballs and sauce in a microwave-safe dish, covered, for 2 minutes until they’re piping hot. - Pack it for lunch
For a hot lunch, you’ll put the meatballs and the sauce inside a thermos and close the lid. To enjoy at room temperature, you’ll place the meatballs in one compartment of the lunch box and the sauce in another. Skewering the meatballs is optional. - Make it a meal
To keep the bread from getting soggy, pack it in a separate compartment or container. To complete this lunch, you can also add fruit and any other healthy sides and put everything inside a lunch bag with silverware.
More tips for packing this school lunch
Follow these tips to pack a tasty meatball skewers lunch that remains neat and appealing for hours:
Keep dry ingredients separate
Whether you pack this meatball skewers lunch with bread or crackers, put them in a separate compartment or container, to keep them from absorbing the moisture from the meatballs and the sauce.
Warm meatballs
For a hot lunch, make sure to warm the meatballs and sauce until they’re piping hot, meaning, you shouldn’t be able to taste them without burning! Check here my top thermos lunch containers.
Prevent leaks
#1 moms’ worry when there’s any liquid in a lunch? A lunch bag mess! I know. To prevent any leak when packing this meal in a lunchbox, use a small lidded container for packing additional sauces. Here you’ll find all my tips for packing sauces and dips.
Add more nutrition
While this lunch has protein, veggies, and carbs, you can always add extra nutrition! Pack this meal with your kid’s favorite fruits or a healthy dessert. Add veggies they can dip in the sauce, like baby carrots, snap peas, or green beans!
Meatball Skewers Lunch
Ingredients
- 4 meatballs, beef or turkey
- ¼ cup tomato sauce
- 4 thin baguette slices, toasted
Instructions
Prep:
- If sending this lunch warm to school in a thermos container, fill the thermos with hot water for 5 minutes. Empty the hot water out before adding the hot food.
- Warm the meatballs and sauce in a microwave-safe dish, covered, for 2 minutes until they’re piping hot.
Assemble:
- For a hot lunch: put the meatballs and sauce inside the thermos and close the lid.
- At room temperature: put the meatballs in one compartment of the lunch box, skewered or not, and the sauce in another.
- Pack the toasted baguette slices, or a bread roll, in a separate compartment or container. Add silverware inside the lunch bag.
- Add fruit and any other healthy sides to complete this lunch and put everything inside a lunch bag.
Nicole says
My kids love meatballs so I tried this skewers for lunch and guess what? It was a HUGE hit!!! Thanks for the idea!
Narissa says
The first time I packed it cold, my son didn’t like it. I tried again with a thermos, and he was over the moon about it. Thanks Laura!
Klara says
My kids LOVE meatballs and always begging me to pack some for lunch. I tried to find some tips on the internet on how to do that exactly, without leaks and all your tips worked! Thank you!