This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.
Fill the lunch box in 5 minutes and learn the tips to keep this packed lunch fresh for hours in this post.
Easy Lunch Box with Pasta
Cook once, eat twice (or more) is my motto to build nutritious school lunches, and that’s exactly what I do to pack this easy pasta lunch box in 5 minutes!
This lunch is perfect for using up leftover cooked pasta from dinner. You can also cook extra when you boil water and remove what’s needed for this lunch before making your pasta dinner. With a few extra ingredients, you have a tasty salad!
Pasta salads are great at room temperature so you have a terrific pasta lunch you don’t need to send hot in a thermos. Pack the salad with extra veggies or protein and the lunchbox is ready to grab and go!
What you need
Once you have cooked pasta as the lunch builder, it’s all about opening the fridge to add more flavor and nutrition. Here’s what I included in this pasta lunch box:
- Cooked pasta: use pasta leftover from dinner or cook extra to build this lunch.
- Toppings: to mix with the pasta. Cherry tomatoes, olives, deli meat, or cheese cubes. Anything goes!
- Olive oil: for tossing with the pasta and keep it from drying out.
- Salt and pepper: for seasoning.
- Extra veggies: add peas or carrots to the lunchbox to make it more nutritious.
- More sides: cheese cubes, a hard-boiled egg, or your kid’s favorite school lunch sides.
How to Pack Pasta Lunch Box for School
This school lunch idea couldn’t be any easier! Follow these steps and you’ll have an easy and healthy pasta lunch box your kid will crave often:
- Make the salad
Start combining cooked pasta with your kid’s favorite toppings in a bowl. Season with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat the ingredients with the seasonings and transfer the salad inside a lunch container. - Add sides
Feel free to add the sides of your choice, like veggies, cheese cubes, deli meat, or a hard-boiled egg. If you want to add peas as I do in the photos, you can use frozen or canned (if frozen, they’ll thaw out by lunch). - Refrigerate
Store the pasta lunch box in the fridge until it’s time to pack it for school. - Pack it for school
When ready to pack, you place the pasta salad, the sides, and utensils inside a lunch bag along with an ice pack if needed.
More tips for packing pasta salad for school lunch
Pack a lunchbox that stays neat and appealing for hours with these tips:
Pack separately
Pack the pasta salad in a separate container or compartment of the lunchbox, especially if you are packing any dry or sweet side, like crackers, chips, or fruits.
Pack frozen peas
If you have frozen peas, there’s no need to thaw them before assembling the lunchbox. Pack them frozen in its own lunch compartment and they’ll thaw out by lunch.
Keep it simple
The best part of this pasta lunch box is that you can customize it with what you have around, meaning, you don’t have to stick to the same ingredients I use this time. Feel free to add your favorite pasta salad toppings, school lunch sides, and healthy desserts.
Don’t skip the oil
The olive oil is not just for seasoning the salad, it also helps to keep the pasta from clumping and drying out. And we’re just adding one teaspoon! By the way, yes, you can use another vegetable oil.
Easy Pasta Lunch Box
Ingredients
For the pasta salad:
- 1 cup cooked pasta
- ¼ cup toppings: cherry tomatoes, olives, or deli meat.
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Pinch of salt and pepper
The lunch:
- ½ cup veggies, peas or carrots
- 1 oz cheese cubes
Instructions
Prep:
- In a bowl, combine the cooked pasta, your kids’ favorite toppings like sliced cherry tomatoes, sliced black olives, cheese cubes, pepperoni -anything goes- with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat the ingredients with the olive oil and transfer it inside a lunch container.
Add sides:
- Add a side of veggies, like the peas in the photo, along with some cheese cubes or a hard boiled egg for protein (you choose!).
- Refrigerate the lunch until it’s time to pack it for school
Pack it for school:
- Place the pasta salad, the sides, and utensils inside a lunch bag along with an ice pack if needed.
Betty says
Delicious lunch idea with pasta!! My kids really enjoyed it!
Falon says
Tried this lunch idea because my two sons are crazy about all things pasta. I will say they were skeptical about the peas but tried them anyway!
Klara says
My 10 year old loves this lunch, thanks for all the tips!