Fourteen easy back-to-school recipes from Jamie Oliver, Joe Wicks and more to make term-time easier

The return to school after the summer holidays always feels like a fresh start – shiny shoes, crisp uniforms and, of course, the promise to get more organised. But when it comes to food, that can be easier said than done. Between rushed mornings, hungry kids piling through the door at 3.30pm and the constant juggle of what to pack in lunchboxes that won’t come home untouched, mealtimes can quickly feel like another battle on the back-to-school to-do list.

That’s where a little prep – and the right recipes – come in handy. This collection is packed with ideas designed to make family life smoother, from bright, mix-and-match sandwiches and savoury muffins that sneak in extra veg, to batch-cooked sausage rolls and patties you can stash in the freezer for a week’s worth of grab-and-go lunches. There are popcorn snacks that turn school break into something fun, plus family-friendly dinners that double up beautifully as next-day lunches for both kids and adults.

Think creamy pasta bakes that reheat well, hearty stews that can be portioned into tubs and flatbread pizzas that are as quick to assemble as they are to demolish. Whether you’re after colourful lunchbox fillers, after-school crowd-pleasers, or dinners that stretch to cover tomorrow’s packed lunch too, these recipes tick the lot – making the school week just that bit easier, and a lot more delicious.

Sandwiches are a great and easy-to-make lunchtime option for any day of the week. By picking colourful veg and mixing it with protein, they can be easily made on a budget with just a few ingredients.

Recipe by: Jamie Oliver

Ingredient options:

Bread: wholemeal roll or tortilla wrap, or “best of both” sliced bread

Protein: cheddar or hard cheese, leftover roast chicken or turkey, tuna in spring water

Veg or fruit (40g total): sweetcorn, grated carrot, red pepper, courgette, sliced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, cress, iceberg lettuce, grated apple, sliced pear, grapes

Spread: 15g low-fat mayonnaise, natural yoghurt or nut-free pesto

Method:

Mix and match to create rolls, wraps and sandwiches, such as…

Tuna roll:

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Cut a roll in half, then drain the tuna and flake into a small bowl. Stir through the yoghurt, mayo, sweetcorn, tomatoes, red pepper, cucumber and cress. Spread the mix onto the roll before wrapping in foil or baking paper.

Cheese sandwich:

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Spread the mayo or yoghurt over both slices of bread, then grate the cheese over one slice. Top with carrot and lettuce or mix sweet and savoury by adding apple and grapes. Top with the remaining slice of bread and cut into fun shapes.

Chicken wrap:

Spread the yoghurt or mayo over the wrap, then spoon the pesto down the middle using the back of the spoon. Pile the chicken on top, keeping it in a neat line, and top with lettuce, courgette, sliced tomatoes and grated carrot. Tuck in the sides, then confidently roll the wrap over the filling until tightly wrapped up.

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Making nutritious and fun lunches can be tricky to master. However, with this easy-to-follow snack idea, parents can inject excitement into lunch hour and put a smile on their kids’ faces. Plus, you can plan ahead and prepare a batch for the entire week.

Recipe by: Jamie Oliver

Ingredient options:

120g popping corn

1 tsp oil

Toppings: honey, cinnamon, Marmite, Cajun spice mix, red wine vinegar

Method:

1. Grab a handful of popcorn and put it into a small pan with a dash of oil. Make sure the lid is on to avoid a kitchen catastrophe!

2. While you wait for the popping to begin, pick an ingredient that your child loves to use as a topping. Stir in three teaspoons of Marmite to add a savoury tang, go for a bit of a kick with one tablespoon of red wine vinegar and three teaspoons of Cajun spice mix, or satisfy their sweet tooth with two tablespoons of runny honey and a large pinch of cinnamon.

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Full of goodness and easy to make, this updated muffin formula will help parents to pack in more fruit and veg – and make getting some of your five-a-day a bit more exciting.

Recipe by: Jamie Oliver

Ingredient options:

Eggs

Oil

Wholemeal self-raising flour

Baking powder

Semi-skimmed milk

Star of the show ingredient: sultanas, honey, grated carrot and apple, grated orange zest, cinnamon and pumpkin seeds

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and put paper muffin cases in the holes of your muffin tray.

2. Grate carrots into a large bowl, add eggs, flour, baking powder, milk and oil as well as your key ingredient, eg apples or sultanas, and beat well with a wooden spoon until the mixture is even.

3. Bake for about 35 minutes and voila, the mouth-watering lunch snack your kids have been waiting for is here.

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Recipe by: Rachel Stirling, aka The Lunchbox Mama

Serves: 12

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cooking time: 14 minutes

Ingredients:

500g 5% fat lean pork mince

1 small brown onion (approximately 50g)

1 apple

1 toasting muffin

1 cheese slice

½ tsp garlic granules

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C and place a 9cm circular cookie cutter on a baking tray (you will need two trays in total, so have both ready).

2. Tip pork mince into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Grate the apple and onion, and add to the pork mince along with garlic granules (and a little black pepper if you’d like). Using your hands, combine everything in the mixing bowl.

3. Use a knife to roughly divide the mixture into quarters in the bowl. Remove one-quarter and split it into three on a plate.

4. Take one portion of the meat mixture, roll it into a ball and then squash. Place this inside the cookie cutter and press it out evenly (you can do this with a teaspoon if you’d rather). When you have removed the cookie cutter, you should have a perfectly round patty. Repeat for all 12 patties.

5. Pop the trays in the oven for 12-14 minutes, flipping halfway. Once fully cooked through, remove from the baking tray and cool on a cooling rack. Once fully cooled, you can transfer them to a tub to put in the fridge or freeze them flat in freezer bags until needed.

6. Pop the toasting muffin in the toaster, then transfer to a cooling rack.

7. Once both items are fully cool, assemble your sandwich by sparingly buttering the muffin and adding the patty and cheese slice.

Optional: add a little pot of reduced-sugar ketchup for dunking, if you have a ketchup fan.

To make into a full lunchbox, pack with:

Jelly

1 pear

1 carrot

Ric crackers

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Recipe by: Rachel Stirling, aka The Lunchbox Mama

Serves: 12

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

1 roll puff pastry

1 small red onion

100g cherry tomatoes

½ red pepper

100g medium cheddar

Method:

1. Take puff pastry out of the fridge and leave to come up to room temperature.

2. Preheat the oven to 200C and line two baking trays with parchment paper/reusable silicon mats.

3. Finely chop all the veggies. Add red onions to a frying pan with a splash of oil and gently fry until softened. Add the peppers and tomatoes and cook for a further few minutes.

4. Unroll the pastry sheet and top with the vegetable mix, spreading it out evenly across the sheet, leaving an inch-wide gap along one long side. Top with grated cheddar.

5. With a pastry brush, add a little milk or water to the “gap” edge of the pastry.

6. Starting with the long edge without the gap, start rolling the pastry up, keeping it as tight as possible (you can roll forwards a bit, then tuck the roll back and under to keep it tight). When fully rolled, use the dampened edge to stick the roll together.

7. Cut the long roll in half, then quarters. Then cut each quarter into three slices – this should give you 12 even slices. Brush with milk. (You can remove a thin slice at each end first – this will give you 12 neat slices. Use a bread knife to cut your slices, gently saw rather than pressing down to keep your swirls in circles rather than squished shapes.)

8. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Cool fully on a cooling rack before packing for lunches.

To make into a full lunchbox, pack with:

20g blueberries

½ carrot

Fruity oat bar

Yoghurt

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Recipe by: Rachel Stirling, aka The Lunchbox Mama

Serves: 24

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

10 chicken chipolatas

8 mini tortilla wraps

1 medium-sized carrot

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C and line two baking trays with parchment paper/reusable silicon mats.

2. Remove the skin from the sausages and put the sausage meat into a large flat dish.

3. Peel and finely grate carrot, then place inside some kitchen towel/a clean tea towel and squeeze out most of the moisture (this will stop your sausage rolls getting soggy). Add to the sausage meat.

4. Using the back of a fork, mash the carrot and sausage meat together so it is all evenly combined.

5. Using a knife, cut the mixture into eight portions.

6. Take one-eighth of the sausage meat mixture and place it on a mini wrap, at about a third of the way up. Using your fingers, make a long sausage shape with the meat mixture, then roll the wrap from the bottom up.

7. Cut into three even-sized pieces and place on your lined baking tray.

8. Repeat on all wraps. Note: if some of the wraps are pinging open a bit, you can secure them with a wooden cocktail stick.

9. Brush with a little milk, then bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Be sure to check the sausage is cooked all the way through with a meat thermometer.

10. Enjoy warm at home or fully cool on a cooling rack before packing with an ice pack.

To make into a full lunchbox, pack with:

Yoghurt

Mini banana

Cucumber

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Classic fajitas get a pitta pocket makeover with an easy homemade fajita spice mix.

Recipe by: Joe Wicks

Serves: 4-6

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp smoked paprika

½ tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried mixed herbs

400g pack chicken drumstick fillets, cut into 3cm pieces

1 red onion, thinly sliced

½ x 500g carton passata

2 mixed peppers, sliced

White pitta breads (6 pack), toasted

130g bag shredded iceberg lettuce

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the chicken for 5 minutes. Stir in the spices, onion, tomato passata and peppers, cover and cook for another 5 minutes until the peppers are soft and the chicken is saucy and cooked through.

2. Split the pittas and stuff with some shredded iceberg lettuce, followed by the chicken and pepper mixture and serve.

Tip: Use your favourite protein here – lean pork or steak would work well too, and you could add a small can of sweetcorn for a kid-friendly veg boost. You can toast the pittas too, if you like.

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Sausages are pan-fried before sliced onion is added with flour, stock and mustard to create an easy onion gravy. Tinned potatoes just need to be warmed through to create a hearty classic in an instant.

Recipe by: Joe Wicks

Serves: 4-6

Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

3 tbsp plain flour

600ml low-salt beef stock, made with 1 cube

Grainy mustard, to serve (optional)

400g reduced-fat pork sausages (8 pack)

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 x 300g tins new potatoes, peeled, in water, drained

300g pack carrots and peas

Method:

1. Put the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and brown the sausages all over for 4-6 minutes. Remove with tongs, then add the onion. Season and cook for 4-6 minutes until beginning to soften.

2. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 min. Add the stock. Bring to a boil, add the sausages back to the pan then simmer for 10-12 minutes until thickened.

3. Add the potatoes (halving any large ones), peas and carrots and cook for another 3-4 minutes until everything is heated through. Add a lid if you don’t want the sauce to thicken or reduce anymore.

4. Spoon the stew into bowls and serve with mustard, if using.

Cook’s tip: Got any yorkies in the freezer? Cook your yorkshire puds quickly in the air fryer and serve alongside.

Leftover tip: Any leftovers will keep well refrigerated in an airtight container for two days. Slice any sausages thinly to help with quick reheating.

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Classic but so simple, every family should have an easy fish pie in their repertoire.

Recipe by: Joe Wicks

Serves: 4-6

Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

3 tbsp plain flour

1 low-salt vegetable stock cube

750g white potatoes, peeled and chopped into roughly 4cm chunks

568ml (1 pint) semi-skimmed milk

520g frozen white fish fillets

300g frozen mixed vegetables, plus 400g to serve

Method:

1. Put the milk into a medium-sized saucepan and add the fish. Place over medium heat with the lid on and cook for 7 minutes until steaming. Cover and turn off the heat and leave for 5 minutes. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon and place in an ovenproof dish approximately 22x22cm.

2. Put the potatoes into a pan of salted cold water with a lid on and bring to the boil. Cook for another 10-12 minutes until really tender. Drain well and allow to steam dry for a few minutes before adding 150ml of the fish milk and mashing well.

3. Add 250ml cold water to the saucepan of remaining milk, then turn off the heat, tip in the flour. Over a medium heat, whisking vigorously and constantly, bring everything gradually to a simmer. Continue whisking and cooking until the sauce has thickened, 2-4 minutes. Crumble in the stock cube, add the veggies, and cook for 2 minutes more.

4. Preheat the grill to high. Pour the sauce over the fish and then top with the mash. Grill for 8-10 minutes until golden. Serve with the extra veggies on the side, cooked following pack instructions.

Tip: Once you’ve mastered this version, you can vary it to suit your children’s likes and dislikes. Substitute small, frozen prawns for some of the white fish fillets or top with a grated cheddar-spiked cheesy mash. Serve with lemon wedges, if you like. Bags of chopped, frozen veg also last for months and make it super easy to up the count in stews, pasta sauces and fried rice or noodles.

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You would never know this creamy sauce is made from just two store cupboard ingredients. Use whichever cheese you have but mozzarella makes the sauce super smooth and cheesy.

Recipe by: Joe Wicks

Serves: 4-6

Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

3 tbsp plain flour

1 low-salt vegetable stock cube

1 broccoli, florets removed (you can save the stalk for crudités)

569ml (1 pint) semi-skimmed milk

125g light mozzarella cheese ball, roughly torn

250g pack vine tomatoes, sliced

500g penne pasta

1 white pitta, blitzed into breadcrumbs

Method:

1. Cook the pasta according to pack instructions, adding the broccoli florets for the last 4 minutes. Drain, reserving 250ml of cooking water and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, turn off the heat, pour the milk into a medium-sized saucepan and tip in the flour. Over a medium heat, whisking vigorously and constantly, bring everything gradually to a simmer. Continue whisking and cooking until the sauce has thickened, 2-4 minutes. Crumble in the stock cube, pour in the reserved pasta water and cook for 2-4 minutes more. Season and stir in half the mozzarella until melted, then remove from the heat.

3. Preheat the grill to high. Toss the pasta and broccoli with the sauce and transfer to an oven-proof dish approximately 20x28 cm. Top with the pitta, reserved mozzarella and sliced tomatoes and grill for 5 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Cook’s tip: The fatless white sauce method used above is super simple and cuts out the need for lots of butter. Just make sure the liquid is cold when the flour is added, and whisk constantly until the sauce begins to thicken.

Leftover tip: Old pitta bread can be freshened up easily by popping it in the toaster or sprinkling it with water and a short blast in the air fryer. It’s ideal for perfectly portioned sandwiches – or can be turned into mini pizzas. Freeze leftover pasta portions in individual dishes for future busy weeknights.

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Flatbreads are topped with a simple herby tomato sauce, shredded chicken, sweetcorn and peppers for a speedy, simple pizza alternative.

Recipe by: Joe Wicks

Serves: 4-6

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

½ tsp dried mixed herbs

1 red pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced

125g light mozzarella cheese ball

198g can sweetcorn

6 tbsp (about 120g) passata

6 plain flatbreads (6 pack), opened out

160g pack Korean-style BBQ chicken thighs, shredded

Method:

1. Put the red pepper in a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Pop the mozzarella and sweetcorn in a sieve to drain. Preheat the grill to high.

2. Mix the passata with the herbs in a small bowl, then spread all over the flatbreads.

3. Drain the peppers and tear the mozzarella into small pieces (or coarsely grate). Top the flatbreads with the chicken, sweetcorn and peppers before finishing with the mozzarella.

4. Transfer to a lined baking tray and place under the grill for 6-8 minutes until golden and the cheese is bubbling.

Cook’s tip: These are the perfect vessels for any leftovers you have in the fridge – make it veggie by adding seasonal mushrooms or other favourite vegetables.

Leftover tip: Keep tomato puree in the fridge for enriching tomatoey or stock-based sauces with a little squirt. Reheat leftover pizzas well-wrapped in foil to prevent the bases from drying out too much and becoming too hard for little mouths.

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A classic chilli gets a twist using frozen protein-rich veggie meatballs plus hidden extra vegetables in the tomato sauce, topped with diced pepper and served with rice.

Recipe by: Joe Wicks

Serves: 4-6

Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 low-salt beef stock cube

500g boil-in-the-bag basmati rice (4 pack)

2 medium carrots, quartered (about 200g)

400g tin chopped tomatoes

400g pack meat-free meatballs (frozen)

400g tin red kidney beans, drained

1 red or yellow pepper, deseeded and diced

Method:

1. Cook the rice according to pack instructions, adding the carrots to the water too. Remove the carrots once very soft and mash well with a fork.

2. Meanwhile, add the chopped tomatoes, cumin, paprika and stock cube to a large saucepan. Fill the tomato can halfway with water then stir in along with the mashed carrot and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and blitz with a hand blender until smooth.

3. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, covered, until the meatballs are cooked through. Stir in the kidney beans and cook, uncovered, for another 2 minutes.

4. To serve, add the rice to bowls, spoon over the meatballs and scatter with the pepper.

Cook’s tip: Boiling the carrot with the rice saves time and is a super speedy way to add more veggies to your meals. Serve with lime wedges and chopped fresh coriander, if you like.

Leftover tip: Spoon leftover sauce onto baked potatoes or rice.

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This speedy supper uses wholewheat pasta and is tossed with a colourful, Mediterranean-inspired tuna and tomato sauce and finished with a garlic bread, crunchy topping to serve, for the win.

Recipe by: Joe Wicks

Serves: 4-6

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

½ tbsp olive oil

1 low-salt vegetable stock cube

½ x 170g garlic bread

500g wholewheat fusilli pasta

1 yellow pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped

1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped

1 large courgette (about 150g), halved lengthways and sliced

400g tin chopped tomatoes

2 x 145g tins skipjack tuna chunks in spring water, drained

Method:

1. Cook the pasta according to pack instructions, reserving 250ml of the pasta water.

2. Meanwhile, tear the garlic bread into chunks and pulse in a food processor to rough breadcrumbs. Toast in a frying pan on medium heat for 4-5 minutes until golden. Set aside.

3. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and cook the peppers and courgette over medium heat, stirring occasionally until they start to soften, about 6-8 minutes.

4. Dissolve the stock cube into the reserved pasta water, add to the pan along with the chopped tomatoes and stir to combine.

5. Stir the tuna into the sauce and bubble for 2 minutes more to heat through, before tossing it with the drained pasta and topping it with the garlic breadcrumbs.

Cook’s tip: Get the kids involved with this one and allow them to (carefully!) halve the tomatoes and deseed the peppers. They can choose their favourite pasta shape, too!

Leftover tip: Any leftovers will store well in the fridge in an airtight container for two days. Serve the pasta with the extra garlic bread on the side, if you like.