Mason Jar Meals are the perfect solution to lunch-packing boredom. They offer quick healthy meals for lunch, on the go, or a busy weeknight. You can prep a bunch of meals at once and your fridge will be stocked with delicious meals all week long.
Robin Joss, owner of Big Red Kitchen introduced us to Mason Jar Meals a few years ago. Robin’s blog contains hundreds of family-friendly Mason Jar Meal ideas & recipes
There are a lot of reasons we love Mason Jar Meals, but these top the list:
Want to learn more? You’ll find everything you need to know about Mason Jar Meals here.
A big thanks to Robin for sharing some really great recipes at the PA Farm Show. We are featuring the two Cuppa Noodle Soup recipes below, and Robin is sharing the recipe for a Roasted Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad over on her blog.
For each 1 pint/.5 liter jar you will need:
2 sheets of ramen noodles, each the size of a deck of cards. Do not break them up
1/3 cup roasted chicken, diced. Tip: 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs will fill 6 jars. Or to save time, use a rotisserie chicken.
1/3 cup mixed frozen vegetables – carrots, green beans, peas, and corn
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. dried parsley flakes or 2 tsp. fresh
1/8 tsp. black pepper
Layer the ingredients in pint jars in the order above. Screw the lids on and store in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 1 month. When you are ready to eat the soup, fill the jar with cold water to the base of the neck of the jar. Microwave on high heat for 2.5 minutes. Cover and let rest 2 minutes. Stir and eat. Caution, these are hot! TIP: Slip the jar into a cozy to protect your hands from the hot jar.
For each 1 pint/.5 liter jar you will need:
Angel hair rice noodles the size of 2 decks of cards. Using a pair of scissors is the easiest way to cut the noodles the right size.
1/3 cup-roasted chicken, diced. Tip: 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs will fill 6 jars. Or to save time, use a rotisserie chicken.
1 tbsp. sliced green onions – greens only
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/8 tsp. toasted sesame oil – always store in fridge
1/4 tsp. ginger powder, or 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. sriracha
*salt to taste
Layer the ingredients in pint jars in the order above. Screw the lids on and store in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 1 month. When you are ready to make, fill the jar with cold water to the base of the neck of the jar. Microwave on high heat for 2.5 minutes. Cover and let rest 2 minutes. Stir and eat. Caution, these are hot! TIP: Slip the jar into a cozy to protect your hands from the hot jar.
If you like a little crunch with your soup, use a BNTO to pack some crackers inside the jar. The BNTO sits right inside the jar keeping your crackers nice and crispy. Before you add water to the soup, just remove the BNTO.
Remember to use glass safely:
Do not pour boiling water in a cold or frozen jar.
Do not freeze with water in jars.
Head over to Big Red Kitchen to get a recipe for Roasted Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad, and you’ll find so many other great Mason Jar Meal recipes to try.
The giveaway is over – but here’s what one lucky winner won.
A Mason Jar Meal Kit – filled with all the Mason jar essentials needed to make the Cuppa Noodle Soup recipes and the Roasted Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad.
Mason Jar Meal Kit includes:
Love food in jars and these variations look so good!!
I’ll make all both of the cup-of-noodle soups!
Asian Cuppa Noodles
I love storing things in my empty canning jars (mixes, paperclips, nails, etc.) and making salads in them and baking mini pies in them to take to work. This would be so wonderful! Have never seen the BNTOs before – how absolutely wonderful!
I think I’d like the Asian noodles. We love the combo of soy sauce and sesame oil (actually combined with rice vinegar, too) so this sounds like something my family would enjoy.
Going to have to try that Asian noodles recipe! Sounds delicious
Love the BNTO’s!
Chicken noodle!
I have enjoyed BRK’s mason jar recipes for a while 🙂 They are awesome! I will probably start making these cuppas in place of regular ramen packs. Thanks for the recipes.
Loved seeing Fillmore at the Pa farm show, and even better was getting a new cookbook. I can’t wait to try the recipes!
Definitely the chicken cuppa noodle. My daughter loves noodles and would love this recipe!
I am always taking things to work in my jars and everyone calls me the jar lady!
I can think of a lot of uses for these jars!
Asian cuppa noodle!
I absolutely love the quality of the bento- I have to admit that besides storing my tuna salad in one and salad on the bottom. I have used these for crafting as well. I take my projects along with me all contained in this set up. Brads in the top and material strips in the bottom. Nothing spills and it stands upright- and easy to pack up and go. Thanks for the great recipes!!!!!
Many of the recipes look awesome, so many to choose from and so many courses. I would go with the Chicken Cordon Bleu and finish the night of with Peanut Butter Pies!
I love that the jars are ego friendly and perfect for lunches! The Asian noodles recipe looks awesome.
I’ll try the Asian noodles first since I always have those ingredients on hand.
I’d like to try both!
The Asian one sounds good!
I want to try the Asian noodles,
These jars look like so much fun to pack! The recipe for the sweet potato chickpea salad sounds so tasty!
Yum, What a great way to pack and go.
I think that the Asian soup sounds good. I like the salad ideas, too
The mason jar meal kit looks so cool.
Both recipes sound delicious, but with all this snow, the soup might come first! 🙂
definitely the sweet potato and chickpea salad!
The Asian Cuppa Noodles
I’ll do the chicken noodle, and I’ll add some dehydrated onion, garlic, and dehydrated veggies, and make myself and my Hubby a quilted cozy, because I LOVE this whole idea so much!
Love these jars. I believe canning has become a heathy addiction. Love it!
Love layered salads in jars! Easy meal prep for lunches for the week.
I would like to make some salad in jars for taking to work for lunch
Sweet potato chick pea salad!
The Asian cuppa noodles.
The fresh fruit one looks delicious !
I’ll try Chicken Cuppa Noodles.
Asian Cuppa Noodles looks good
Any noodle soup!
salad in a jar
What a great idea! I would love to try the cuppa soup recipe and maybe a dessert. Love the jars!
Chicken cuppa noodles! Yum!
I would love to make some yummy salads for work lunches.
Would be great to try these out.
salads for my kids lunches
love all sizes
Chicken noodle soup sounds like a recipe we could use at our house with all the cold weather and flu that had been going around.
I really want to try the Asian cuppa soup recipe!
I would love to try the salads!
Love meals in jars!
The cuppa noodle soup
A salad sounds perfect to make in the jars!
Love these! Great for making ahead quick meals to grab and go
This is so smart, I will totally make these in the future!
Asian cuppa noodles sounds wonderful! Love the jars!
The chicken noodle soup.
I want to try some noodles in a mason jar.
I am going to try the Asian Cuppa Noodles but going to look for more recipes!
Chicken Cuppa Noodles!
I do prepare meals in jars, and even baked desserts in jars. We’re especially fond of my sugar free pies in half-pints! To look further down the weather-laden road here in Florida, we have to have supplies for hurricane season, and I now have a few, but will soon have many more, dehydrated meals in jars to use in an emergency. They also make excellent fare for those days when we’ve had to be gone all day but don’t want to eat out. Even if the power goes out, I have a little alcohol-burning camp stove that I can heat water on and give us a hot, comforting meal. I dehydrate food year ’round, and it is easy to pack several vegetables into some Ramen packets or my own dry chicken noodle soup. I am thinking about offering a short course to my fellow retirement community residents in this method of feeding oneself and others who need a little help from time to time. To some it is convenience food; to those in need, it is life-saving nutrition in an easy-to-prepare container.
Salad in a jar
Roasted Sweet Potato and Chickpea Salad!
I want to try the Asian Sesame recipe
I would try the Chicken Cuppa Noodles. They all sound fantastic and I love those jars!!
I would make a gluten free version of the Asian Noodle Soup!
I would try Asian Cuppa Noodles.
My husband will love these ideas for his workday lunches. Thanks!
Chicken Cuppa Noodles sounds so yummy – especially for cold winter days!
I would love to try the cuppa noodles.
Soup and salad, please!
Definitely I would try a salad in a jar. I love the idea for work lunches.
Asian noodles
Kale salad
Crudite and dip
Cuppa Noodles sounds awesome!
Chicken Cuppa Noodle sounds good to me
these are very interesting. never seen anything like them.
The sweet potato one!!
Asian noodles
Salad in a jar.
WANT! <3
The Asain Cuppa Noodles look yummy! Can’t wait to try them
Asain noodles!
Hmmm… which recipe to try first… since I don’t actually like soup, I’d probably pack some sort of salad or put yogurt in the jar and granola in the BNTO to add at meal time. Thanks for the great giveaway!
I would like to try the cuppa noodles. Sounds great. 🙂
I can’t wait to try the Sweet Potato and Chick Pea Salad! YUM!!!
I am excited to try the chicken cuppa noodles and the Asian cuppa noodles! They sound delicious and much healthier than normal cup noodles.
The cuppa noodle soup! 🙂
Cuppa Soup would be great!
One of my favorite things in the world are mason jars….pair that with some hot chicken soup on a cold winters night…..priceless!!!
Definitely gonna try the Asian cuppa. Looks Tasty
Love the new cups!
I want to try all the recipes. I love lunch from a jar.
Sweet potato and chickpea salad. YUM !
Great Giveaway!
Asian noodle soup! I have some roasted chicken in the fridge leftover from last night’s dinner and now I know what to do with it! Hooray!
I would make the Asian noodle soup
the sweet potato and chickpea salad looks amazing!
The Asian Cuppa Noodle sounds yummy. I am wondering how I can do this without a microwave, since I no longer use them.
I have so many jars! I’m always looking for new ways to use them. ThE soup recipes are a great idea.
chicken cuppa noodles sounds perfect on these cold days!
This is brilliant!
Would love to try them all!!
I love the salad and the soup but I think I will start with the salad for my husbands work lunches!
YUM! they all look great! great lunch ideas!
I love using mason jars for everything!
I am going to try the asian noodle recipe
the sweet potato and chickpea salad looks reallly good to me 🙂
i am going to try them all!!!
Would love to try them! Hard to choose!
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Chickpeas looks like something I would love!
Shepherd’s Pie sounds delicious!
I would love these!
Chickpeas!
I just discovered your website today! I can’t wait to try some of these ideas!
The sweet potato chick pea salad looks soo yummy! I can’t wait to try it!
I will try all of them. I love different chicken noodle soups and chick peas. First I will try the Asian Cuppa Noodles.
Can’t wait to try the Asian Cuppa!
The cuppa noodles looks amazing.
Chicken Cuppa Soup sounds delicious.
Lovely jars. I think I’m addicted.
I’d absolutely love to make noodle jars for my husband and kids. I’d add stuff like carrots and water chestnuts though, and maybe baked crunchy lotus roots in the BNTO.
Asian Cuppa Noodles!
The Sweet Potato and Chick Pea Salad sounds terrific. Love sweet potatoes AND chick peas … win, win!!
The Sweet Potato and Roasted Chick Pea Salad sounds terrific. Love sweet potatoes and chick peas … win win!!
Chicken Cuppa Noodles
I want to try the roasted sweet potato and chickpea salad; they’re two of my favorites.
I am new to the mason jar craze. I will definitely try some of these ideas.
Chicken noodle is my favorite!
I would try the cup a noodle soup, it sounds so Yummy!
The Asian cuppa soup sounds delicious.
Cant wait to try the soup. I dodnt know you stocked the inserts! Thank you!
I’ll try both, but the Asian Noodles first.
That Asian cuppa noodles looks pretty good. Definitely trying that one!
These jars sound very interesting. I would begin with chicken noodle soup.
I would like to try the soup recipes. I’ve been canning for years and never thought about meals in a jar! That’s a big DUH! lol
I pack my husband’s lunch every day. These containers open up so many options! ALL the recipes will be tried, trust me! My husband would appreciate the variety, but I think he would especially liek the roasted sweet potato and chickpea salad.