I used to eat ramen in my student days, but never really experimented until I got into cooking. It's amazing what you can do with ramen because I can go away and get my cook, or I like to involve my kids in picking their favorite lunches.
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My kids hate boring sandwiches for lunch, but if the filling gets soggy, it always comes home uneaten. This is one reason I like to use the Thermos regularly, and it's so flexible you can make just about anything for your kids' lunch.
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Think of these school lunch ideas like a blank canvas you can use with your kids to reinvent their favorite school lunches. The best part is that they are so tasty your kids won't want to trade them with their friends at lunchtime.
1) Cheesy Ramen Carbonara
I love good carbonara, and this made perfect sense for me to make. And when you make it using ramen, it's so quick, and it's ready before the kettle begins to cool.
My kids love when I make these; it's definitely one of the quickest ones I've ever thrown together. I make proper carbonara regularly, but this shortcut version is great for a quick lunch, and my kids love it.
It's all about making sure there is enough cheesy sauce, but not too much. Make the crispy bacon the night before, or even use shop-bought crispy bacon to make this even quicker. Don't skip this step, my kids love the bacon, it's their favorite part.
Ingredients
Method
- Cook the ramen noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes, then reserve some water and drain.
- Whisk the eggs with the parmesan and black pepper in a bowl.
- Toss the hot drained noodles with a splash of reserved water, then quickly stir in the egg mixture so it turns creamy without scrambling.
- Fold in the crumbled bacon and a little of the ramen seasoning to taste.
- Serve warm, or pack into a thermos to keep it cozy until lunch.
Notes
2) Ramen Stir-Fry with Veggies
Ramen stir-fry with vegetables is a great way of getting those veggies into your kids. You can throw just about any vegetable into the noodles.
I try to make their food colorful, and still we avoid too many green vegetables; those are the ones they really hate. I like to make a honey chili chicken stir-fry; my kids love the sweetness and the little bit of spice, so they don't notice the vegetables that I add.
Ingredients
Method
- Boil the ramen noodles for 2 minutes until just barely tender, then drain.
- Heat the sesame oil in a skillet and stir-fry the broccoli, carrot, snap peas, and bell pepper for 4 minutes.
- Whisk the soy sauce and honey together and pour it in.
- Add the drained noodles and toss everything together for 2 minutes until coated and glossy.
- Cool slightly and pack into lunch containers.
3) Spicy Ramen Noodles with Egg
These spicy ramen noodles with egg are ideal for kids. They're nutritious and topped with a tasty, jammy egg, and they're mild and not too spicy, so your kids will love them. My kids like a little spice in their food, but not too much. I always like to have them taste and tell me their opinion so I can get the spice level right.
When making the jammy egg, I cook the egg for around five minutes, then put it straight into a bowl of ice water. Works every time.
When it comes to noodle bowls, I always like to add crushed peanuts. You need something crunchy or crispy to give a little bit of contrast and texture.
Spicy Ramen Noodles with Egg
Ingredients
Method
- Gently boil the eggs for 7 minutes, then cool in ice water and peel.
- Bring the 3 cups water to a boil, add the noodles, and cook 3 minutes.
- Stir in the ramen seasoning, sriracha, and sesame oil.
- Ladle into bowls, halve the soft eggs, and lay them on top.
- Finish with sliced green onions and serve hot in a thermos.
Notes
4) Creamy Chicken Ramen Bake
You will love this version of a creamy chicken bake using ramen. It's perfect for making ahead of time, and you can use it throughout the week, not just for lunch.
Bake it until it is golden brown and bubbly for a week's worth of lunches. I always tend to cook this way; batch cooking is so efficient. I prep a week in advance.
Creamy Chicken Ramen Bake
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 375F and grease a baking dish.
- Boil the ramen noodles for 2 minutes, then drain.
- Stir together the soup, milk, half the cheese, and a little ramen seasoning.
- Fold in the noodles, shredded chicken, and peas, then spread into the dish.
- Top with the remaining cheese and bake 20 to 25 minutes until bubbly and golden. Cool, portion, and refrigerate for lunches.
Notes
5) Tuna Ramen Salad
This tuna ramen salad needs no cooking, is loaded with tuna, and is nice and crunchy. It almost feels like a picnic in a lunch box.
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I eat a lot of tuna, and incorporating it into salads and sandwiches is the classic way that I eat it. My kids like this, but they do prefer hot lunches as opposed to cold.
I am a big fan of making a chicken Caesar salad on hot days using a rotisserie chicken. I like to add herb croutons not only to my Caesar salad but to my salads in general. You can either buy them or make them yourself from stale bread; they're so tasty.
Tuna Ramen Salad
Ingredients
Method
- Boil the ramen noodles for 3 minutes, drain, and rinse under cold water to cool.
- In a bowl, mix the tuna, mayonnaise, celery, carrots, lemon juice, and salt.
- Add the cooled noodles and toss to coat.
- Chill at least 20 minutes so the flavors come together.
- Pack into lunch containers with an ice pack.
6) Ramen Noodle Buddha Bowl
Your kids will love making their own Buddha bowls from ramen noodles. They love being able to pick their own toppings. I usually give my kids a few things that they can have as they pick. I try to make their food as nutritious as possible. My kids like to eat like this at home too, making their own tacos at family dinner. It makes them feel important.
Letting your kids choose their own toppings helps to cut down on their complaints and makes sure they eat all their school lunch.
Ingredients
Method
- Boil the ramen noodles for 3 minutes, drain, and rinse cool.
- Divide the noodles into two bowls or containers.
- Arrange the edamame, cucumber, cabbage, and carrot in neat sections on top.
- Drizzle each with peanut sauce or pack the sauce on the side.
- Keep chilled until lunch.
Notes
7) Ramen and Cheese Frittata
A ramen and cheese frittata is perfect for using up leftovers and gives your kids protein and extra nutrition from the eggs. A handy thing, too, is that you can slice this neatly for packing into your kids' lunch boxes.
I am a big fan of trying to use leftovers as it cuts down on waste. They regularly make frittatas for breakfast, weekends, and sometimes even dinners. Just be careful not to overbake your eggs.
I like to make sure these are sliced neatly, as I think the appearance matters. When it comes to your kids, they definitely eat with their eyes. I always like to do this with leftover cooked point rice. Fried rice always goes down well; you can use just about anything, and it will still taste delicious.
Ramen and Cheese Frittata
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 375F and grease an oven-safe skillet or pie dish.
- Whisk the eggs with the milk and salt.
- Stir in the cooked noodles, mozzarella, and diced ham.
- Pour into the dish and bake 18 to 20 minutes until set and golden.
- Cool, slice into wedges, and pack for lunch.
Notes
8) BBQ Pork Ramen Rolls
Barbecue pork and ramen noodles are wrapped into small rolls. They are a family favorite, and my kids can't get enough of them. We love barbecue pork and good Kansas-style sauce; it's all about the sauce in our house. I made little mini pizzas, which my kids love. This is a great example of their favorite handheld food.
My kids tend to prefer to eat with their hands instead of fork-and-bowl meals. My kids are loving the mozzarella meatballs, which I am making right now, and seeing the melted cheese in the middle of the meatballs. It's so much fun to watch.
BBQ Pork Ramen Rolls
Ingredients
Method
- Boil the ramen noodles for 3 minutes, drain, and let cool slightly.
- Warm the pulled pork with the barbecue sauce until coated and saucy.
- Lay out the tortillas and layer with shredded lettuce, noodles, and BBQ pork.
- Roll each up tightly and slice in half on a diagonal.
- Wrap snugly in foil for the lunchbox.
9) Ramen Burrito Wrap
This fusion-style dish wraps up some saucy ramen burrito-style, avoiding the mess of a bowl, into something your kids can grab with their hands and that still survives the trip to school.
When I first started making these, I wasn't the best at wrapping burritos; they tended to fall apart, but you get the hang of it the more you do it. My favorite fusion-style food is kimchi and bacon fried rice; the rich, salty flavor of the bacon really does cut through the spicy kimchi.
When it comes to feeding my kids, it's important that their food's good, but equally important that it's easy for them to eat. Grab-and-go food is always a hit. Lunches can easily turn messy. If the kids start coming home with half their lunch on their uniform, that's when I tend to switch up one or two lunch recipes.
Ramen Burrito Wrap
Ingredients
Method
- Cook the ramen for 3 minutes, drain, and toss with half the seasoning packet.
- Warm the tortillas so they fold without cracking.
- Layer each with noodles, black beans, corn, cheddar, and a spoonful of salsa.
- Fold in the sides and roll up tightly into a burrito.
- Wrap in foil and pack for an easy handheld lunch.
Notes
10) Ramen Veggie Spring Rolls
Making these veggie spring rolls with fresh, crunchy rice paper, filled with ramen noodles and vegetables, is a great way to add vegetables to your kids' diet. They will love dipping them into the sauce.
Don't worry too much about rolling the rice paper; it takes a little skill and awareness. One of my favorite dipping sauces is a creamy peanut sauce.
My kids love these veggie spring rolls, but it's definitely all about the sauce, and they tend to prefer warm, baked food. My family is currently enjoying spicy salmon rice balls for a fresh, light change of pace.
Ramen Veggie Spring Rolls
Ingredients
Method
- Boil the ramen noodles for 3 minutes, drain, and rinse cool.
- Dip a rice paper wrapper in warm water for a few seconds until softened.
- Lay down a little lettuce, carrot, cucumber, mint, and a small nest of noodles near the bottom.
- Fold in the sides and roll up tightly like a little burrito.
- Repeat with the rest and serve with hoisin sauce for dipping.
