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Recipes / School lunch prep
School lunch prep

Lunchbox Pasta Salad

Pesto pasta with a light yogurt dressing, mixed vegetables, and whatever cooked protein you have on hand.

Prep
15 min
Cook
11 min
Total
26 min
Serves
4

Let the pasta cool before adding the dressing.

Kid-friendly: Kids can stir in the vegetables and pick their own topping. Packs well cold.

Ingredients

  • 14 ounces dried pasta
  • 4 to 5 tablespoons pesto
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • About 1 1/2 cups (7 ounces) mixed cooked vegetables, such as peas, green beans, or zucchini, cut small
  • About 3/4 cup (3.5 ounces) cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • About 7 ounces cooked chicken, ham, shrimp, hard-boiled egg, or cheese

Steps

  1. 1Boil the pasta until just tender, about 11 minutes or as the package says. Drain it, move it to a bowl, stir in the pesto, and let it cool.
  2. 2Once the pasta is cool, fold in the mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, vegetables, and tomatoes.
  3. 3Divide it among lunch containers and top with the chicken or other protein. Keep it cold until lunch.

Adapted from BBC Good Food. Checked Nov 13, 2026.

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