Roasted veggie lunch jars are my new favorite meal-prep item.  Have you jumped on the meal-prep bandwagon yet?  I’m definitely not an expert in the area, but I do know that when I take a little time to prep some lunches for the week, I’m SO glad I did.  I prefer to only cook one really meal in the kitchen each day – and since that is typically dinner, breakfast and lunch have to be simple and easy.

Salad jars are all the rage, but I actually prefer roasted veggie jars that are pre-cooked and just need to be heated in the microwave.  I love the flavors that roasting brings out and these protein-packed jars are hearty and filling.

The great thing about roasted veggie jars is that they’re totally customizable!  Use a variety of your favorite vegetables, pick a whole grain like quinoa or brown rice, and add a protein or meat and sauce.  The options are endless.  I’m showing you one of my favorite varieties – teriyaki and tofu veggie jars.

I actually love using tofu because I feel like it reheats beautifully (unlike chicken which has a totally different flavor after day 1, and other meats that get tough when reheated).  If you’re using tofu, you’ll want to prep that first by pressing out some of the liquid.  Line a plate with paper towels, then tofu, then paper towels, then another plate with a couple heavy cans and let that press for 20-30 minutes.

Then you’ll dice the tofu and let it marinate in your sauce of choice for another 20-30 minutes since tofu takes on the flavor of anything it’s cooked with.

While the tofu is marinading, dice your other vegetables.  I love using this dicer that makes is SO easy to chop everything the same size so that it cooks uniformly.  All you do is slice the veggies you’re going to chop horizontally to the thickness you want, then place them on the dicer, press down, and voila … a perfect dice!

You can really customize your jars here with whatever veggies are your favorites.  I like to use a few zucchini, yellow squash, one medium sweet potato, kale, brussel spouts, cauliflower, broccoli, butternut squash, etc.  Use heavy duty aluminum foil to line 3 sheet pans and then spray them with nonstick spray (my favorite is this one from Trader Joe’s or this one from Amazon).  After spreading your chopped veggies evenly on the baking sheets, spray with more oil spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, until tofu and vegetables are tender.  Allow to cool completely, then layer in jars with some cooked brown rice or quinoa.

I like to include a little extra teriyaki sauce, so I use a 2 oz condiment cup and place it on top of the veggies in the jar.

Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.  When ready to eat, dump contents into a bowl, reheat and enjoy.

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Roasted Veggie Lunch Jars

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Ingredients

• 15.5 oz extra firm tofu
• teriyaki sauce
• 3-4 zucchini
• 3-4 yellow Squash
• 1/2 package brussel sporuts
• 1 medium sweet potato
• 1/2 bag kale
• 1 package microwavable brown rice or quinoa

Instructions

• Remove tofu from package and place it on a plate lined with paper towels.  Top with more paper towels and another plate with a few heavy cans on top to drain out some of the liquid.  Let sit for 20-30 minutes.
• Dice tofu and marinade in teriyaki sauce for another 20-30 minutes.
• Dice all your vegetables so they're uniform and bite-size.
• Cover 3 sheet pans with heavy-duty aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Layer veggies and tofu on top and spray veggies with more spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Roast everything at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes until tender, rotating pans if you're not using a convection oven.
• Microwave brown rice or quinoa.
• Let everything cool completely.
• Pour a tablespoon or two of teriyaki sauce into small condiment cups.
• Layer all ingredients into jars and seal tightly with lids. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week. Dump contents into a bowl and reheat when ready to enjoy.

Notes

This recipe can be completely customized with the veggies and protein of your preference.  I just like to have 3 full sheet pans of ingredients to make 6 lunch jars.

What I Used