Midweek Meals: Five lunch-box-friendly recipes for back-to-school season

From scones to salads and puff pastry bites 

As school starts back, here are five lunchbox-friendly recipes to try.

Lunchbox scones

recipe by:Neven Maguire

These light scones with crisp crumbly edges are delicious with clotted cream and jam

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 225g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting

• pinch of fine sea salt

• pinch of baking powder 

• 40g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

• 75g butter, diced 

• 1 egg, lightly beaten 

• 3 tbsp buttermilk, plus a little extra

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C.

2. Sift the flour into a bowl with the salt and baking powder, then stir in the sugar and rub in the butter. The best way to do this is to pick the mixture up with your fingertips and lightly rub it together before letting it fall back into the bowl.

3. Repeat this until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

4. Beat the egg with the buttermilk. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Using a palette knife, gently and quickly stir the liquid into the flour. When it begins to come together, finish it with your hands – the dough should be soft but not sticky. If it seems a little dry, add a bit more buttermilk, 1 teaspoon at a time.

5. Lightly flour the work surface. Turn the dough out onto it and pat into a circle about 2.5cm thick.

6. Cut into triangles with a sharp knife or stamp into 5cm rounds with a cutter, giving it a sharp tap – don’t twist it, just lift it up and push the dough out. Carry on until you are left with all the trimmings, then bring these back together to roll out again until you can cut out the last scone.

7. Arrange the scones on a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper and brush the tops with buttermilk, then sprinkle with a little more sugar.

8. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until well-risen and golden brown. Leave to cool for at least 10 minutes on a wire rack.

9. Serve with butter/cream and jam.

Jolene Cox’s Oaty Banana Bakes

recipe by:Jolene Cox

No sugar needed for these tasty oaty banana bakes

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 8 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 28 mins

Course

 Baking

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas

• 200g rolled oats

• 100g butter melted

• 100g raisins (optional)

• 1 egg, beaten

• 4 tbsp maple/golden syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line 13 × 9 inch baking tray.

2. Mash the bananas and add the wet ingredients to a large bowl.

3. Mix in raisins and rolled oats. Pour the mix onto your baking tray, spreading out evenly to the edges.

4. Bake for 20 minutes and remove the tray to a wire rack. Once cooled, slice into portions.

Caitlin Ruth’s Greek Salad

recipe by:Caitlin Ruth

A tasty salad for school or work lunches

Servings

1

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Total Time

 5 mins

Course

 Side

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 5 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

• ¼ cucumber, peeled, seeds scraped out and cut into chunks

• ¼ block feta, crumbled

• 8 kalamata olives, stones removed

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tbsp wine (or other) vinegar

• Pinch salt

• Pinch dried oregano

• A bit of thinly sliced red onion (optional)

Method

1. Mix all of the ingredients together.

2. Decant into a well-sealed container.

3. Accompany with some baguette that has been buttered.

Lunch box quesadillas

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

Forget the sandwiches, and pack some tasty quesadillas

Servings

1

Preparation Time

 8 mins

Cooking Time

 4 mins

Total Time

 12 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Mexican

Ingredients

• 2 corn or flour tortillas

• 100g Cheddar cheese, grated

• 1 half of a roasted red pepper, finely chopped – I used jarred Spanish peppers

• 20g sweetcorn kernels

• a small handful parsley, finely chopped – optional

Method

1. Heat a pan dry without any oil.

2. Place one of your tortillas onto your work surface and sprinkle it with half of the cheese. Place the other ingredients on top and then add the rest of the cheese. Top this with the remaining tortilla and press down lightly.

3. Gently slide the tortilla sandwich onto your hot pan. I use a wide fish slice to do this. Allow it to cook in the dry pan for about two minutes on each side or until the cheese has melted. You can press it down slightly with the fish slice as it is cooking to make it more compact.

4. Remove from the pan and once cool cut into eight wedges, then pop into a lunch box.

Orla McAndrew’s Puff Pastry Bites

recipe by:Orla McAndrew

A tasty treat for school lunchboxes

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 8 mins

Cooking Time

 25 mins

Total Time

 33 mins

Course

 Baking

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 1 sheet of puff pastry

• 1 egg, beaten with a little water

• 1 apple, grated

• Cheddar cheese

• Tomato relish or ketchup

• Ham, chicken, chorizo

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.

2. Cut a rectangle of puff pastry into eight squares.

3. Brush the edges with egg wash. Grate some apple and cheddar cheese into the centre, add a dollop of relish or tomato sauce, sprinkle on some cooked ham, chicken or chorizo and grab the edges of the pastry to make a little parcel.

4. Bake for 25 minutes and allow to cool before packing into lunchboxes.