Packing a hot meal for school or work lunches provides you with tons of new lunch options. Once you’ve got all the containers and extras you need for a hot lunch, you might be wondering what to make! Here are just some hot lunch ideas:
Make-ahead meals: Try cooking meatballs in advance, and warming them with pasta sauce and adding freshly cooked pasta. Burrito or taco mix can be pre-made, warmed up and wrapped in a warm tortilla before school or work. Or leftovers such as stir fry veggies and cooked rice can turn into fried rice with a quick reheat on the stove.
Freezer casseroles for a morning reheat: Lasagna, shepherd’s pie and all your classic casserole faves can be made ahead and frozen. Thaw the day before you’re ready to use them. In the morning, give portions a quick zap in the microwave and place them into an insulated container. You can also freeze baked chicken strips, homemade hot pockets, and enchiladas for warming up before packing them up!
Batch cooking: Cooking large batches means that you can stash a yummy meal in your freezer for hot lunches over a long time. Or it means that you’ll have enough for your entire family. Soups like chicken lentil work well for batch cooking. Some recipes can make up to 10 servings, but you can easily double ingredients and make enough to stretch over multiple weeks. However, if you’re short on time you can buy an organic canned soup or chili, heat it up in the microwave or on the stove, and pack it up quick!
Slow Cooker Superstars: Throwing ingredients in a slow cooker and letting them simmer overnight is one of the easiest ways to create hot meals to pack up in the morning. Be sure to look for recipes that have minimal steps. Go-tos like classic chili are great for easy, quick, delicious lunches. If you have a pressure cooker, you can also use it to make easy hot meals like a beef and black bean stew.
Try this quick, easy recipe and wake up to a dish that’s hot and ready to be portioned into insulated food jars:
Slow Cooker Chickpea Stew
You can batch cook this stew overnight in your slow cooker. Then, in the morning, transfer to your favourite thermos and you have a hot lunch!
You’ll need:
3 cans of Eden Organic Garbanzo Beans
5 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 & 1/2 cup Eden Organic Canned Diced Tomatoes with Roasted Onion and their juices
2 teaspoons McCormick 100% Organic Rosemary Leaves
½ cup Pacific Organic Vegetable Broth
2 tablespoons Spectrum Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Celtic Sea Salt and Simply Organic Ground Black Pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients into a large slow cooker. If you like, you can add your favourite dried herbs and spices to taste. Cover, cook overnight 6 to 8 hours or until vegetables are tender. Serves six.
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