23 Packed Lunch Ideas So Good They (Sometimes) Don't Make It Into My Kindergartener's Lunch Box

Held together by pepperoni, these mac & cheese bites are a pizza lover's dream. Creamy mac, pepperoni, and plenty of Parm combine to create a best-of-both-worlds treat. We bake this kid pleaser in muffin tins to make things easy too—less mess and just the right size for little hands.

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Filled with flavorful chicken, plenty of cheese and mix-ins, this quesadilla is not only completely satisfying, but totally customizable. Make it as is for a simple cheap and easy dinner (or afternoon snack) you can count on, or use it as a jumping off point to create your kid's perfect quesadilla.

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With only 5 ingredients these black bean tostadas are the easiest and fastest meal to throw together. You can always add on additional toppings like corn salsa, avocado ranch, or endless crunchy veggies like radishes or pickled red onions, but here we keep things simple.

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Pinwheel sandwiches are here with their totally retro swirls, ready to be packed into lunchboxes or eaten as an afternoon snack. To make them, you'll layer flour tortillas with ranch-flavored mayonnaise, sliced cheese, deli meats, and lettuce. All that's left to do is roll them up tightly and slice. Simple!

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Quesadillas are a classic late-night snack or easy, kid-friendly lunch, but when we need to serve a crowd (or want to meal prep), we bring out the sheet pan. This hack makes cooking quesadillas for a crowd easier than ever. In just around an hour, you'll have a cheesy, crowd-pleasing meal that is sure to satisfy.

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Here’s the deal: Hot pockets are a delicious convenience. Take the handheld cheese-filled bundle, heat it up, and you have a complete meal in under 10 minutes. The bread-like wrap somehow works with every ham and cheddar, bacon, egg, cheese, or copycat pizza combination. But you know what's even more delicious? Our homemade version that uses those “pop and fresh” crescent dough sheets to minimize efforts; all you have to do is roll.

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Tired of the flimsy, flavorless taquitos in the freezer section? You’ve come to the right place. Taquito literally means lil’ taco, and these are usually fried until crispity-crunchy. To keep this cheap, simple, and less messy, we turned to ground beef for the filling and included an option for baking the taquitos instead of frying them.

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This isn't just a quesadilla filled with mozz and pepperoni. It's topped with the works and looks just like an actual pizza. Plus, it's so easy to make at home and pack for later.

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Store-bought crescent dough is stuffed with our sloppy joe recipe before being covered in gooey cheese—what more could you want? They only take a little over half an hour to come together, meaning they're the perfect comfort food for popping into your kid's lunch box.

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Want to feel like a kid again or just simply make your kid's day? Make homemade chicken nuggets. Coated in crispy seasoned bread crumbs, these tender, juicy bites are hard to beat. The recipe may technically serve 2 to 4, but we’ve definitely demolished an entire tray all by ourselves.

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This creamy pasta is kind of the grown-up version of mac & cheese, but even easier and better. The broccoli is in no way hidden, but it's still a great way to sneak in an extra serving of greens, and even the pickiest of eaters will eat their vegetables if they are coated in cheese.

Get the One-Pot Broccoli Cheese Pasta recipe.

Giving cold hard cash to Starbucks seems far-fetched in this economy, even if that cash is in exchange for their fluffy, cheesy, protein-packed egg bites that go oh so well in a packed lunch. Lucky for you (and your wallet), we've figured out a perfect dupe for the iconic breakfast bites that only taste like you shelled out $5 for one.

Get the Copycat Starbucks Egg Bites recipe.

Craving homemade pizza, but don’t want to deal with finicky pizza dough? We get it, that stuff can be tricky. Skip it altogether, and grab the nearest loaf of French bread instead. The loaf makes for a delicious pizza “crust” that will get crispy on the outside while staying nice and soft on the inside. It’s truly the best of both worlds.

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Like our chicken taquitos, these vegetarian versions are quick and easy to make—even if you don’t want to bust out the big bottle of oil. Instead, brush them with a little oil, then bake them at 450° for around 15 minutes.

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Although these shortcut falafel aren’t as crispy as the classic fried variety, they develop a nice golden crust and contain all the key spices. A zippy roasted pepper salad is the perfect foil, and creamy tahini sauce ties it all together.

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In our book, the perfect macaroni & cheese recipe has to nail three things: be extra creamy, plenty cheesy, and paired with a golden, crunchy topping. This tried-and-true recipe aces all of these requirements (and more!) with flying colors, so put that blue box back on the shelf.

Get the Homemade Mac & Cheese recipe.

We love using muffin tins for genius hacks like this. The "cups" are pieces of white bread that get molded and then filled with a ground beef mixture that tastes just like a cheeseburger. Don't forget to drizzle with your favorite condiments and top with a pickle chip.

Get the Cheeseburger Cups recipe.

This copycat recipe allows you the joys of eating incredible chicken nuggets (and you'll save a couple of bucks, too.) Dip them in our copycat Chick-fil-A sauce, ranch, ketchup or even directly in some honey and you'll never need to go Chick-fil-A again.

Get the Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets recipe.

With this recipe, we’ve re-imagined what a pizza bagel is really all about. Many members of Team Delish like to order a tomato pie and a white pie whenever we have our own pizza nights, so we mimicked the two versions with a margarita-style and ricotta “white” pie your kids will love.

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In our opinion, the crunchier, the better. Which is why pretzels make the perfect chicken coating for these nuggets. The obvious and best dipping sauce? Honey mustard, of course. It's a MUST.

Get the Sheet Pan Honey Mustard–Pretzel Chicken recipe.