15 Warm & Easy Lunchbox Ideas for School

The kids have been back to school for a few weeks now, which has been amazing. A much smoother reintegration than I expected, so everything on that front, is good. However, we’re also back to making school packed lunches and let’s be honest, making sandwiches day in & day out can get pretty boring, right? Of course, it can! Which is why I love it when the colder months come along and I can put together warm and easy lunchbox ideas. Which, in turn, levels up my school packed lunch game!

It’s the time of year when you make big pots of delicious meals which also means leftovers! Which in turn also means, deliciously warm lunches for the kids in their school lunchboxes. I know, as a Mum it makes me feel better knowing that my children are having a warm meal during their school day.

Happy tummies for the colder months

To store their warm lunchbox meals, I use a Thermos Snack pot, which is amazing! I use this TumTumsTots Food Flask that we were gifted so many years ago now and it still gets used. My youngest son, who just started high school has requested one too, so I am looking at getting him an insulated S’well Snack Jar as they have an amazing selection of colours & sizes to choose from.

Firstly, however, here is a little information on how to use a thermos food flask correctly {in case you didn’t already know!}.

How to use a Thermos food flask

You can do one of two things. Fill your thermos with boiling hot water and leave it to sit for ten minutes. Once the 10 minutes has passed, empty out the water, dry it thoroughly and then add the hot food into the food flask.

Alternatively, you can just put the piping hot food straight into the clean food flask. Each option is fine and the food will keep warm for up to 4 hrs. I think preheating the food flask beforehand keeps the flask a little hotter come lunchtime. But either way, your child will have a deliciously warm meal to enjoy when it is time.

Warm Lunchbox ideas for school

This is my list of warm lunchbox ideas for our kids during the colder months of the year. I will add to this list over time but at the moment? I know this is a great list of lunchbox ideas that I know my gang will eat!

Spaghetti Bolognese – I have no sense of portion control when I make this dish for my family, so we always have leftovers. Which is perfect for reheating and filling up the food flasks for a nice warm lunch during school.

Soup – My youngest loves a bowl of tomato soup, especially with a piece of crusty bread. This would be amazing to for a really cold wintry day to enjoy.

Chicken Curry & Rice – This is actually how this post came about. I made this for my youngest daughters school lunch and she’s expected warm lunches ever since! Throw in a slice or two of pitta bread in a wee snack box and you’re onto a winner.

Hotdogs – Who doesn’t love a hot dog! Whisk up some frankfurters, slice in half, pop into your food flask and add a hot dog bun in a separate container. Super easy.

Noodles – Super easy to make in the morning and will be devoured by lunchtime.

Chicken casserole – Again, like spaghetti bolognese, my portion control is out the window. So there is always leftovers. It consists of chicken, boiled potatoes, carrots, peas, gravy and maybe throw in a little broccoli for good measure. Voila.

French toast sticks – This would be amazing, wouldn’t it? And maybe even add a little container of maple syrup to dip the sticks into? Heaven!

Baked beans & sausages – My daughter would go wild for this! So simple & delicious.

Pitta Pizzas – My kids love pitta bread topped with delicious pizza toppings. Don’t yours?

Quesadillas – Ham & cheese, pizza, just cheese! So many tasty options!

Pizza stuffed croissants – This just sounds too good to be true and has to be tried and tested, immediately!

Cocktail sausage rolls – My daughter loves finding these in her lunchbox. Especially with a slice of bread to make a sandwich! Could be an Irish thing!

Meatballs & pasta – Another firm favourite of my daughters. And yet another meal I have zero portion control with!

Chicken wraps – Delicious choice and add a wee pot of peppers and cucumber to enjoy too.

Dutch pancakes – My kids go crazy over these things! You can buy them from the shop or make themselves yourself. It depends on how much time you have. However, they are incredible with a little Nutella or maple syrup dip.

I think this is a decent start to my list of delicious warm lunchbox ideas for school. I will add to this over time, but the majority of these are super simple to whip up in the morning or have stored already thanks to the gift of leftovers.

Is there anything your child would enjoy from the list above? Or maybe your kids have a higher palette than my gang does!

Either way, let me know in the comments below!