As the first few months of the school year have passed, I have gotten into a school lunch rut. I was starting to pack my 1st grader a peanut butter & honey sandwich everyday! Then a little leftover pasta inspired me to create a new, quick dish for school & work lunches.
This is is versatile and can be changed to use up a variety of leftovers. You could substitute leftover rice or add leftover chicken/tuna or beans. You could even challenge an older child to create his own creation using up already in the fridge. Here’s to breaking the school lunch rut!
Pasta Salad
Yield – 1 servings
Preparation Time – 5 minutes
Cooking Time – 0 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup of leftover cooked pasta
- 1/2 cup of frozen mixed vegetables (or leftover cooked or raw vegetables)
- 1 oz cheese, cubed (or substitute 2 oz cooked chicken or tuna or 1/4 cup cooked beans)
- 2 tbsp oil based salad dressing (such as Italian or Balsamic)
Directions
- Mix all ingredients together well.
- Pack with a piece of fruit and whole grain crackers.
- Keep cool until lunchtime.
karen says
how about a healthy pasta salad? or perhaps a variety? i’ve seen some but they are loaded with stuff. 🙂
Lisa says
My neighbor taught me this trick years ago. Using frozen assorted veggies keeps the pasta cold till lunch. Kids love it!
Brooke @ Waiting to Rise says
I have to make this. I’ve gotten into a lunch rut myself…..thanks for the inspiration!