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With back to school season right around the corner, you might be on the hunt for some hot school lunch ideas that you can easily pack and keep warm for your kids. This huge list of hot lunches is a great way to get your kids eating a filling, warm meal at school every day!
When preparing for the new school year, deciding what to pack for lunch every day can definitely be an overwhelming experience! Of course, cold food like sandwiches, salads, and Lunchables are probably the first thing that comes to mind when you are brainstorming lunch ideas, but have you considered sending warm food instead?
The first thing that probably comes to mind when deciding to send hot food with your child for lunch, is how the heck do you keep it warm all day? The good news is that there are several food jars and insulated lunchbox containers that will keep your new lunch ideas warm and cozy all day.
Once I’ve convinced you that you can keep food hot in an insulated lunchbox container, the next question you probably have is what are some easy hot lunch ideas that won’t take you several extra hours of meal prep? You’re in luck, because I’ve curated a list of some great ideas for hot school lunch that will pack perfectly in a small container and stay warm until meal time.
Say goodbye to cold sandwiches with these 41+ easy hot lunch recipes!
Hot School Lunch Ideas
Chicken noodle soup is the perfect hot meal for kids on a cold winter day. Follow these easy steps to keep this tasty meal warm in your lunch container.
Photo Credit:
littlesunnykitchen.com
Pasta with Peas (Easy Vegetarian Recipe) - Little Sunny Kitchen
Pasta lunches always make for a delicious kid friendly lunch! This pasta with peas is a fun and easy way to sneak in some green veggies in your child's lunch box.
This hearty pasta with salsa verde chicken is the perfect weeknight meal to use the leftovers to pack up your lunch boxes.
Chicken tenders pretty much reign supreme in this house! Make a large batch of these crispy tenders and you'll have plenty of kid-friendly options for dinner and lunch time.
Chili mac will keep the kids full all day, and is the perfect hot lunch on a cold day!
Mac and cheese is a great option for picky eaters, and packs well in a thermos funtainer. If your little one is gluten free, this recipe is perfect to add to your list of hot school lunches.
This creamy tomato soup with tortellini will stay delicious, warm, and cozy in a thermos or insulated lunch bowl.
Pesto pasta recipes are some of our very favorites around here! Whip up a huge batch of this delicious tortellini and chicken for the whole family and you'll have dinner leftovers to send with the kids to school all week.
If a thick and hearty soup is what your kids desire for their thermos lunches, this enchilada coup will not disappoint!
Rice and beans is a healthy lunch that's not only filling, but also super affordable! Serve with some sour cream and crispy tortilla chips and your kids will look forward to this hot lunch option!
You'll want to make extra of this teriyaki chicken lunch bowl so you can pack it in your work lunches and for the kids.
If your kids love restaurant quality food, but you don't love the price, try adding this instant pot white cheddar mac to their insulated food container! They will love it!
This is a quick and easy skillet meal that your family will love for dinner and eat all the leftovers for lunch the next day.
Some of your most popular soup ideas that you make for dinner can become perfect school lunch recipes with the right insulated container! This lemon chicken orzo soup is a hearty soup your kids will love.
Chicken alfredo has always been a favorite of mine when I was a kid, and a great way to get some veggies into the kids now!
Fill your kid's thermos with this creamy tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich on the side for the perfect hot lunch on cold days.
Spaghetti carbonara is a nice and hearty lunch that feels more "grown up" for older kids and teens.
Adding a little broccoli to your child's favorite macaroni dish is one of the best ways to sneak some veggies in to their lunch bag.
Sometimes taking a classic like grilled cheese and turning it into strips for dipping is a welcome addition to get your kids to try new foods.
Cream cheese and chicken stuffed crescent rolls are one of those simple recipes you'll want to keep around for easy lunch ideas, appetizers, and even an easy dinner now and then! You can make a bunch ahead of time for one of the best hot lunch ideas of the new school year!
Don't forget to make good use of last nights dinner to prevent food waste! This blog post shows you how to pack lasagna in an insulated food jar for lunch the next day.
Turn an easy weeknight meal like tacos into one of your favorite lunch options! Simply pack your lunch box with leftover taco meat and all your favorite toppings.
These homemade spaghetti o's are allergy and gluten free and a perfect to pack in a warm thermos lunch container.
This pizza pasta bake is made in the instant pot, so it's easy to throw together and make a large batch for lunch boxes throughout the week.
Skillet chicken pot pie is a one pan meal that works for dinner and makes plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day.
A super simple taco casserole is perfect for packing in a hot lunch container for school the next day.
Homemade chicken nuggets are an obvious go to for kid's lunch ideas, and they will stay warm in a thermos lunch container.
This grandma's chicken and dumplings recipe has step by step instructions on how to keep warm in a good thermos until lunch time.
This is an easy and healthy soup recipe that kids will love in their lunch container! The little star pasta is too cute!
Pasta e Ceci is delicious and transports well for lunch, hiking, picnics, and more inside an insulated food container.
These easy tuna casserole recipe is affordable and makes plenty to fill up your hot lunch containers all week!
Every kid loves pizza! This Mexican pizza recipe is perfect to pack for a warm lunch for school days.
Hot dogs are a kid friendly go to for dinner time, so why not turn it into a hot lunch too? Make a big batch of chili cheese dogs with this easy oven baked method, top with some cheddar cheese and pack them up into a preheated thermos container! Eat with a spoon or fork just like a casserole and your kids will love it!
Photo Credit:
yummykidsfood.com
BLW Roasted Cauliflower Nuggets: Quick and Healthy Meal For Your Baby
These roasted cauliflower nuggets are easy to make and perfect for younger kids like toddlers or kindergartners.
Sweet potato soup is not only healthy and easy to keep warm in a thermos container for lunch, but it's a fun and unique flavor to celebrate the fall back to school season!
This brunch themed waffle taco box is a fun hot lunch idea for kids! Simply pack up the sausage or bacon in a warm thermos container and let the kids assemble the tacos at lunch time.
This white chicken tortilla soup is a 30 minute meal that will make a huge batch to dole out to the kids and family to bring in their hot lunch containers.
You might think it difficult to send a pulled pork sandwich in a lunch box, but it's simple really! Just send the bun separately and put the shredded pulled pork inside an insulated food container to keep it warm. Your kids will have so much fun assembling their lunch all on their own!
If you have an air fryer, these chili cheese nuggets are a delectable snack that make the perfect bite sized lunch box meal. Keep them warm until lunch in any insulated food container and enjoy!
This Hamburger Helper inspired ground beef pasta can be made in a large batch in the Instant Pot at the beginning of the week to prepare for days of hot school lunch packing!
Anytime you can make a casserole or large batch of pasta or soup, it makes for great leftovers to enjoy for dinner AND as a hot lunch the next day. This chicken tetrazzini will fulfill the need for both, and the whole family will love it!
How to Pack Hot Lunch for School
Now that you have all of the best ideas for hot school lunch, you’re probably wondering the best way to keep your child’s lunch warm.
It’s simple really! The best tip to keep your child’s lunch warm for hours is to use a stainless steel container like this one and add boiling hot water to the container to preheat the thermos as follows:
- Boil water in a tea kettle, pot, or microwave safe container.
- Fill thermos container about 3/4 of the way full and replace the lid.
- Allow boiling water to sit inside the container for about 5 minutes.
- Empty the water from the container. Be careful, it will be hot!
- Add your warm food to the container and replace the lid.
- Enjoy your hot school lunch at meal time!
You can see a full tutorial for this process in my blog post here for how to pack hot lunch for school.
Insulated Food Containers for Packing Hot Lunch for School
The best containers for keeping school lunch warm for hours will be stainless steel and well insulated. Here are some of our favorites for packing hot school lunch for kids.
- Thermos Funtainer
- Hydroflask Food Jar
- Bentgo Stainless Insulated Food Container
- Stanley Insulated food jar
- OmieBox Bento Box
Conclusion
There’s no need to be intimidated by thought of coming up with hot school lunch ideas! Simply keep this inclusive list as a bookmark on your computer, print it out and keep it on your fridge, or pin it on Pinterest so you can find it easily when you run out of ideas.
Ditch the sandwiches, salads, and pre made lunch items that your kids usually complain about and trade them out for these delicious and easy hot school lunch ideas this year!
If you’re looking for more easy school lunch ideas that your kids will love, make sure you check out our other lunch ideas!
- Easy Frugal Lunch Ideas for Kids
- Healthy Non-Sandwich Lunch Ideas for Kids
- Back to School Lunch Box Ideas for Kids
- Waffle Taco Lunch Box
- Taco Pinwheels Lunch Box
- Pepperoni pizzadilla lunch box
- Rainbow pinwheel lunch box
- Spinach pizzadilla lunch box
- Grilled cheese kabob lunch box
- PB banana sushi lunch box
- 32 Sandwich Lunch Ideas for School
- Pizza dippers school lunch recipe
Which of these hot school lunch ideas will you try? Let me know your favorite hot lunches for your kids in the comments below, and thanks for visiting the blog.
hi! I'm shannon
I’m a wife, mom of three, doctor, and blogger! In 2018, I decided to turn my mom blog, into a personal finance blog so others could follow along on our journey to pay off over HALF a MILLION dollars in student loan and practice start up debt. I hope you enjoy following along, and maybe even find some inspiration along the way.
