Kid’s Sweet Soy Meatballs & Buttery Rice
+ Snack: Cinnamon-Sugar Pretzel Bites with Peachy Yogurt Dipper
- Eggs
- Milk
- Wheat
- Sesame
- Soy
Does planning, cooking, and packing kids’ lunches + snacks feel like a part-time (or full-time) job? We feel you, and we’re here to help. This 15-minute lunch (+ 15 minute snack) is the perfect make-ahead lunchbox time-saver: a kid-approved saucy meatball and rice bowl complete with cucumber, orange slices, and grapes—to stay or to go! But that’s not all—it’ll be snack time before you know it! Serve up buttery cinnamon-sugar pretzel bites with a peachy yogurt dipping sauce. That’s right: We’re thinking outside the lunchbox (so you don’t have to!). This recipe is designed to provide lunch and snack components for multiple days. For each lunch and snack meal, 3 servings and 6 servings are provided for a 2 person and 4 person box respectively. Nutrition information under the Nutrition Values section below is for the lunch portion. The following nutrition information is for 1 serving of the snack meal: Calories: 290, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 20 mg, Sodium: 330 mg, Carbohydrates: 40g, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 12g, Protein: 5g. Download the nutrition labels to see final nutrition information for both lunch and snack components.
Ingredients
1 unit
Peach Jam
1 unit
Microwavable Rice
8 ounce
Fully Cooked Beef Meatballs
(Contains: Eggs, Milk, Wheat)
6 tablespoon
Yogurt
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Pretzel Bites
(Contains: Wheat)
1 unit
Mini Cucumber
4 tablespoon
Sweet Soy Glaze
(Contains: Sesame, Soy, Wheat)
2.25 ounce
Red Grapes
1 teaspoon
Cinnamon
1 unit
Orange
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
3 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Sugar
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Wash and dry produce. • Thinly slice cucumber into rounds. Halve orange; slice crosswise into ½-inch-thick half-moons. Halve grapes if desired.
• Halve meatballs. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, preferably nonstick, pan over medium heat. Add meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until warmed through and lightly browned, 4-5 minutes. • Drizzle sweet soy glaze over meatballs; stir to coat. Cook until sauce is warmed through, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
• While meatballs cook, massage rice in package to break up grains; snip to partially open. Microwave for 90 seconds. Add 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 6 servings). Fluff with a fork until butter melts; season with salt and pepper.
• To serve: Divide rice between plates; top with saucy meatballs and serve with cucumber rounds, orange slices, and grapes on the side. • To stash: Let meatballs and rice cool completely. Refrigerate meatballs, rice, cucumber rounds, orange slices, and grapes in separate containers and pack as desired for lunch!
• Adjust rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. • Place 2 TBSP butter (4 TBSP for 6 servings) in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until butter melts, 30-45 seconds. Add 2 tsp sugar (3 tsp for 6) and ½ tsp cinnamon (¾ tsp for 6) to same bowl; whisk to combine. • Add pretzel bites to bowl with cinnamon-sugar butter; toss to evenly coat. • Spread out coated pretzel bites in a single layer on a baking sheet (drizzle any remaining cinnamon-sugar butter over top). Bake on middle rack until lightly glazed and warmed through, 6-8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together yogurt and jam until combined. • Serve cinnamon-sugar pretzel bites with peachy yogurt dipper. • To store: Keep pretzel bites in an airtight container at room temperature. Refrigerate peachy yogurt dipper in a separate airtight container.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Kids had mixed reactions to the meatballs; some loved them, while others found them lacking flavor or unappealing.
- Ease of prep: Super easy to make before school, with quick assembly for both lunch and snack components.
- Suggestions: Consider adding extra sauce for the meatballs and more peachy yogurt for the pretzel bites.
- Portions: Some wished for single-serving options, especially for the lunch components.
- Snack: The cinnamon-sugar pretzels were a hit with many kids, though a few found them dry.
Reviews from our home cooks
A bit too sweet, but overall pretty good. The pretzels had a weird aftertaste not related to the butter, sugar and Cinnamon. I've had these pretzels before and felt they tasted the same. We threw them out both times. They just aren't edible.
Kids really liked the pretzels. They also liked the rice and the sauce. They said the meat was lacking flavor.
My kids loved this too. Super easy to make before school
Love the cinnamon sugar pretzels. Would love to have these available again!
Kids didn't want the meatballs. Cinnamon pretzels were a hit.
The kids didn't like the sauce for the meatballs. Pretzels were good
I thought this would be a huge hit. But no. Kiddo refused to eat them.
Meatballs were super dense and not too appealing to eat.
Enjoyed everything but the meatballs. They tasted gross and had a weird consistency.
