The BEST Pesach packed lunch ideas!

A delicious Pesach packed lunch doesn’t have to be difficult! Try a bento-style lunchbox or a hearty salad for a filling Passover option for school or the office.

If you’re back at work, or the kids are at school or a holiday club for chol hamoed – the intermediate period between the ‘holy’ days at the start and end of the festival – you’re probably thinking about Pesach packed lunches.

So often a packed lunch is a sandwich, or maybe a pasta salad, so the idea of a Passover-friendly packed lunch can be daunting. However there are plenty of options for delicious, filling packed lunches that are completely suitable for Pesach.

And of course if you’re not working, or going to school, during chol hamoed Pesach, these packed lunch ideas are also great for picnics! Pack up your lunch and head out on a matza ramble, day trip, or just for an al fresco meal in a local park.

Bento-style Pesach packed lunches

Pesach packed lunches are a great opportunity to experiment with bento-style lunches. These kinds of packed lunch originated in Japan, and feature several different items in a compartmented lunchbox.

If you don’t have a special bento box, don’t worry! You can divide up a regular sandwich box using small dishes or silicon cupcake cases. Save and wash the plastic pots from yogurts or apple sauce cups, and you can use those. If your lunchbox contents are ‘dry’ you can use paper cases. Alternatively, you can make dividers using aluminium foil. Lots of options!

What to include in a bento-style Pesach packed lunch

Depending on how many sections are in your lunchbox, you can choose as many as you like from these suggestions:

Carbs

• Matza or matza crackers – ready buttered, or plain
• ‘Tam tams’ or other Passover crackers
• Potato crisps
• Kosher-for-Pesach bissli or similar snacks
• Homemade ‘machos’
• Rice cakes or rice crackers – if you eat kitniot

Proteins

• Hard boiled egg or a spoonful of egg and onion
• Fried gefilte fish balls or tuna balls
• Flaked tinned tuna or a spoonful of tuna mayo
• Smoked salmon slices
• Slices or wedges of hard cheese
• A pot of cottage cheese, cream cheese or cheese spread
• A dollop of humous – if you eat kitniot on Pesach
• Cooked chickpeas or beans, or readymade falafel – if you eat kitniot
• Chia seeds, or other seeds if you eat them on Pesach – sprinkle over the top for crunch!

Vegetables etc.

• Cucumber, celery or carrot sticks
• Strips of pepper
• Whole or sliced radishes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Olives or pickled cucumbers (or both!)
• Baby spinach, rocket or other small salad leaves
• Sliced avocado
• Shredded green or red cabbage or a spoonful of coleslaw
• Lightly steamed cauliflower or broccoli florets, or asparagus spears
• Sliced spring onion (scallion) or thinly sliced red onion

You might also like to combine a few different veggies into mini skewers with some mozzarella pearls, basil leaves etc.

Fruits and snacks

• Apple wedges
• Grapes
• Tangerine segments
• Blueberries and raspberries
• Sliced strawberries
• A banana
• Raisins
• Dried apple rings
• Dried apricots
• Fresh or dried dates
• Nuts – as long as your lunchbox doesn’t need to be nut-free! (See below.)

Cookies, cakes and treats

School lunchboxes often have to be nut-free to accommodate allergies within the school. The following are all devoid of nuts, but you should be especially careful to check ingredients on readymade products like cakes and cookies.

• Coconut macaroons
• Small bar or piece of chocolate
• Coconut butter cookies
• Chocolate dipped fruit
• Meringues
• Fudge brownie cookies – omit the nuts!
• A little cup of jelly, pudding or flavoured yogurt – don’t forget to pack a spoon!

Pesach packed lunch salads

Another option for Pesach is to make a lunchbox salad. These can be as simple or as fancy as you like!

If you already have prepared salads in the fridge, you can simply take a selection in a plastic box. A packet of crisps or a few buttered crackers in a separate bag and you’re all set.

Alternatively, you can make a more filling lunchtime salad using cooked potatoes or quinoa as a base.

Ideas for Passover packed lunch salads

If you’re looking for lunchtime salad inspiration, some ideas include:

• Arrange boiled new potatoes, flaked salmon and halved cherry tomatoes on a bed of crisp shredded lettuce. Add sliced red onion, cucumber, and a wedge of lemon for squeezing.
• Curried potato and egg salad – made with boiled potatoes in a creamy, spicy dressing. Spoon over a layer of baby spinach and you’re all set.
• Make an easy quinoa salad by mixing cooked quinoa with roasted Mediterranean vegetables and halloumi cheese, plus a drizzle of olive oil and a squirt of fresh lemon juice.
• A simple Greek salad of tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives and feta can be mixed with cooked quinoa to create a delicious and filling lunch.
• Make a fresh and tasty twist on tabbouleh salad using quinoa instead of bulgur wheat.
• Top mixed leaves with flaked tuna, sliced avocado, cucumber and black olives. Take some herby dressing in a separate pot to dress the salad when you’re ready to eat.

Of course if you eat rice on Pesach, you can also include this in a salad or bento box.

Personally, I find a hearty salad to be plenty filling. However if you need something a bit more substantial, simply add a few items from the lists of suggestions above to bolster your meal.

Looking forward to lunchtime!

I hope these Pesach packed lunch ideas have got you excited about eating lunch-on-the-go during chol hamoed! For those at work or school, having a tasty Passover-friendly lunch to enjoy can be fun and filling too.

These packed lunches are also great picnic food! Check out this post for a full rundown of everything you’ll need for a perfect picnic.

Of course all of these lunch ideas work just as well when it ISN’T Pesach! Maybe it’s time to shake up your sandwich routine, even after the festival ends….?

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