10 Dinner Leftovers That Make Great Packed Lunches
Whether you’re making school lunch for little ones or a desk lunch for yourself, the “cook it once, eat it twice” approach is the secret weapon for any lunch packer. All it means is that you can pack leftovers from last night’s dinner for lunch today! It’s so smart, I even devoted a whole chapter to it in my first cookbook, “Prep: The Essential College Cookbook.”
The key is to pick the right type of dinner recipe and upping the amount you make. Do that and you can get leftovers into lunch containers before the dinner dishes are done. Here are a few tips for packing up leftovers:
- Invest in a sturdy thermos that keeps hot food hot. The old-school Thermos brand is a reliable option.
- Heat soup, chili, or any food that you want to keep warm until piping hot. Then, get it into the thermos straight away.
- If you have time, preheat your thermos by pouring in boiling water. Dump it out just before you add the reheated food.
- For chilled items, you’ll need a small cold pack. Alternatively, fill a water bottle nearly to the top and freeze it overnight. It can serve as an ice pack that will defrost by lunch time, so it doubles as an icy cold way to stay hydrated.
Now the question is, “What to cook for dinner, so you have extras the next day?” Below you’ll find 10 recipes that make great leftovers and can be scaled up with ease.
