5 Quick and Easy Lunches for Passover

One of the most difficult parts about Passover is dealing with lunches for your kids. No flour, no corn, no rice, no beans—which means typical favorites like sandwiches, chicken nuggets, quesadillas, and macaroni and cheese are no longer an option.  For a full week!  

While my kids have requested peanut butter (really almond butter) and jelly on matzah for every day, I am certain that it’s going to lose its appeal very quickly.  Every year I’m searching the web for new and creative ideas, which frankly, are just not out there for lunches you can pack to bring to school. So here are my top 5, easy to put together lunches, that will keep your little ones happy for the whole week.

*My first tip is to stock up on Passover friendly snacks. I feel like that makes the real difference between a kid that comes home complaining about lunch, and one that doesn’t even mention the change in routine.*

1) Yogurt and Berries

This is an easy, no recipe lunch. In fact, growing up this was typically my lunch year round. I wasn’t as much of a sandwich kid, but I loved yogurt. And my kids love it too. So yogurt for lunch is a no-brainer. Throw in some berries they can mix into the yogurt or eat on their own and, at least in my family, you have some happy campers. An easy addition is the perennial child favorite- turkey roll ups. Turkey rolled around string cheese is easy to hold and fun to eat. Plus, who doesn’t love turkey and cheese!

2) Chicken Nuggets

I know, I said chicken nuggets are off limits.  And for the most part, they are.  However, you can make your own Passover friendly nuggets at home.  Just cut up a chicken breast into bite sized pieces and roll it in Parmesan cheese or even shredded coconut. I serve my Parmesan nuggets with a marinara sauce for dipping, and the coconut nuggets with a marmalade sauce. At the request of my eldest son, this year I also picked up some seaweed to tuck into their lunches as snacks.   

3) Soup

Grab a thermos and pack some soup!  This was my favorite Passover lunch growing up. Potato soup, onion soup, even tomato soup. I saw another blogger throw in some cheesy matzah with it, which sounded really good, so I would recommend that. Just remember to add in some fruit to counteract one of the tell-tale signs of a week of matzah and cheese. My kids request these jelly fruit slices every year, and they’re an easy addition to throw into a lunch that might be lacking in a little color or pizzazz.

 4) Eggs

This doubles as  breakfast selection too. Eggs can be served a bunch of different ways. Since Passover starts on a Friday night this year, you have the weekend to do a little meal prep. I like to make “egg cups” or “egg muffins” by baking eggs in a muffin tin. Add in whatever cheese, meats, and veggies your children like. One of my personal favorite ways to do this is to line the bottom of each muffin tin with frozen shredded hash browns before pouring in the egg/vegetable/meat/cheese mixture. I also use the weekend to make some Passover friendly muffins or bread that can be tucked into lunches or eaten for breakfast. If that sounds like way too much work, then just make some hardboiled eggs. As a bonus, if you celebrate both holidays like my family does, then you’ll already have a ton of hardboiled eggs left over from Easter!

5) Matzah Pizza

No list of Passover lunches would be complete without this staple. Along with the quintessential Passover snack – Bissli.  These are classics people!  Marinara on matzah, topped with mozzarella, then baked just until the cheese melts.  I add some Italian seasoning and garlic powder to mine, and of course, whatever pizza toppings your kids like.