Name: Kid-Friendly Pizza Pasta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 1 16 oz box vegetable rotini; 1 1/2 cups Italian dressing; 1/2 cup pizza sauce; 2 tsp Italian seasoning (optional); 3 oz sliced pepperoni (cut in half); 2 cups Borden® Cheddar and Monterey Jack Shreds; 1/2 cup Borden® Finely Shredded Aged Parmesan Shreds

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5 from 54 votes

This is a sponsored conversation on behalf of Borden^® Cheese. All opinions and text are my own.

Kids + Pizza = Happy

I don’t know about y’all, but my kid, like many kids, loves pizza. Big time. I’m pretty sure he would eat it for every single meal if I let him! 🙂 So, when thinking about back-to-school lunches, my mind goes to pizza-inspired lunches for him. As he gets older, he is starting to experiment more with different flavors and veggies (thank goodness – finally!) but I also need to keep the lunches simple enough for me and my husband to put together in the morning, yet still nutritious enough to keep him fueled all day long.

Lunches for kids and parents

So today I am sharing TWO lunch ideas for kiddos. These are easily tailored to the tastes that your kids will love. These are also lunches that you can take to work for yourself (pepperoni smiley faces are optional). 😉 Included in both of these lunch ideas are Borden® Cheese shreds. Every slice, single and chunk of Borden® Cheese is pure, creamy goodness that transforms lunchtime into something memorable. It is also delicious and nutritious with calcium and protein packed into every shred, single, chunk or bite. Even if you just pop some Borden® Cheese String Cheese or Borden®Snack Bars – which just so happen to be a great source of calcium and protein – into their packed lunch, you can feel good knowing you packed some nutrition (and love) into their day. 🙂

Kid-Friendly Pizza Pasta Salad

First up is this pizza pasta salad. I am using vegetable rotini noodles, a mix of Italian dressing and pizza sauce, pepperoni slices, and of course, the Borden® Cheese shreds. My son enjoys raw broccoli so I think I might throw some of that in there next time. You could also add in whatever veggies your child loves (olives, diced tomatoes, sliced mushrooms or diced green/red/yellow peppers).

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) box vegetable rotini
1 1/2 cups Italian dressing
1/2 cup pizza sauce
2 tsp. Italian seasoning (optional)
3 oz. sliced pepperoni, cut in half
2 cups Borden^®Cheese Cheddar & Monterey Jack Shreds
1/2 cup Borden^®Cheese Finely Shredded Aged Parmesan Shreds
Optional add-ins: diced green pepper, sliced mushrooms, diced tomato, broccoli florets

Directions:

Cook rotini according to package directions. Drain and rinse pasta under cold water until cool. Place pasta into a large bowl.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together Italian dressing with pizza sauce and Italian seasoning.

Pour dressing mixture over cooled pasta. Stir well.

Then stir in pepperoni and Borden^® Cheese shreds (and any other additional veggies you are using).

Cover with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator to cool for 2 hours before serving.

When it’s time to pack lunches, put some pasta salad in a lidded container. Pack some baby carrots and apple slices on the side.

Don’t forget to pack a fork and a freezer pack to keep it cool until lunch time!

Homemade Pizza Lunchables

I like to use compartmental containers for this. You can also use small bowl containers with lids or those Bento boxes that are pretty popular these days. My son is older now and he eats a lot more so I have to send more food with him than I did when he was in elementary school. Borden® Cheese adds a good source of protein to this lunch, providing the necessary nutrition to get him through the day while delivering a great flavor I know he will eat. This larger-sized one is perfect for him.

Ingredients:
sandwich thins (slims)
pizza sauce
Borden^®Cheese Triple Cheddar Shreds
pepperoni slices
compartment lunch container
spoon
freezer pack

Directions:

Place Borden^®Cheese Triple Cheddar Shreds in one of the compartments and pizza sauce in another. Then open up the sandwich slims and place them in the third compartment. I cut out some of the pepperoni slices to make a face. I used some of the Borden^® Cheese shreds to make the eyes for the smiley face. My son is almost 12 years old and he still loves lunches like this!

Don’t forget to include a spoon and a freezer pack (to keep it cool until lunch time). 🙂 I like to pick up a few disposable spoons for school lunches. So if they accidentally get thrown away – it’s not a big deal.

Enjoy! Kids Super Hero Lunch

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