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This simple tomato and turkey pasta salad is just the thing to make for a quick and tasty lunch. Pasta is always a winner for easy meals, and with this recipe, you can create a healthy lunch in 5 minutes with real food!
Pasta Salad for Lunch
Got some deli turkey, leftover cooked pasta from dinner, and a few veggie odds and ends? Then you’ve got everything you need to make this pasta salad for lunch!
It’s such a yummy way to repurpose ingredients from your fridge into a kid-favorite meal, and you can customize the salad with whatever protein, veggies, and dressings you happen to have on hand.
Swap the turkey for ham or grilled chicken. Don’t have carrots? Add chopped bell pepper, broccoli, or shredded cheese- you get the idea.
Want to fill the lunchbox with more fresh ideas like this? You’ll find a ton of them right here:
101 Packed Lunches eBook
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What is in this Lunchbox Pasta Salad
Take a look at what’s inside this pasta salad lunchbox:
- Cooked pasta: any kind works!
- Deli turkey: finely chopped.
- Shredded carrots: adds a nice crunch.
- Tomatoes: grape, cherry, or diced Roma.
- Black olives: optional but tastes great in this recipe.
- Salad dressing: your favorite store-bought dressing or homemade vinaigrette.
- Snacks: this lunch is packed with blueberries and a hard-boiled egg.
Here’s a tip on how to reheat cold pasta so it doesn’t dry out: add the pasta to a microwave-safe dish with a couple of tablespoons of water. Cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 30-seconds to 1 minute. The pasta doesn’t need to be super hot, but you want to be able to easily toss it together with the rest of the ingredients, and warming it up beforehand can help.
How to Pack Pasta Salad with Turkey and Tomatoes for Lunch
Enjoy this salad now, or follow these packing tips to keep it fresh in a lunchbox for later!
- Make the pasta salad
Start by gently tossing the cooked pasta, shredded carrots, grape tomatoes, black olives, sliced turkey and dressing in a bowl. We want to get all the flavors to mingle without breaking the pasta. - Pack the pasta salad
Scoop the pasta salad into the largest section of a lunch container with compartments. This keeps everything tidy and prevents it mixing with other foods making a soggy mess. - Pack sides
Place blueberries in one of the smaller compartments and the hard-boiled egg in the other. - Pack it for school
Pack any additional lunch sides separately and put it all in a lunch bag and refrigerate until you’re ready to leave for school.
Pasta School Lunch Packing Tips
Ensure your pasta salad is a lunchbox success with these additional simple tips:
Prep Ahead
Pasta salad is one of those recipes you can prep ahead and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. To pack it for lunch, simply add a serving to a chilled thermos or lunch container and place it in a lunch bag.
Keep it safe to eat
If you’re using a plastic container, make sure to add an ice pack to keep everything cool.
Pack extra dressing
Dressing can make a soggy mess if you add too much. Pack extra in a small leak-proof container and wait to drizzle it on until lunchtime.
Keep sides separate
Additional snacks like fruit, hard-boiled eggs, or veggies should be packed separately. This is where having a compartmentalized snack box comes in handy since you can pack multiple ingredients like fruit, crackers, and dip under one lid, and everything stays fresh.
More School Lunches with Pasta
If your kids love finding pastas in their school lunches, then you have to try this tomato pasta thermos lunch, my famous pizza pasta lunchbox, and this adorable Peas-y Pasta recipe.
Turkey Pasta Salad with Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked pasta
- 2 ounces deli turkey, rolled and sliced
- ¼ cup matchstick or shredded carrots
- ¼ cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 tablespoon black olives, sliced
- 1 tablespoon dressing of choice
- ½ cup berries or fruit, optional
- 1 hard-boiled egg, optional
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the pasta, turkey, veggies, olives, and dressing. Toss to coat the ingredients with the dressing.
- Add the pasta salad to a chilled thermos or lunch container and pack it into a lunch bag. If using a regular plastic container, be sure to include an ice pack.
- Any additional snacks should be packed into a separate container or compartment.
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