mason jar meals

I love mason jars (and mason jar meals for picnics). They are perfectly portioned, retro, convenient, and reusable. They are affordable, accessible, versatile and stylish. They contain, shake, serve and store. And they travel. 

This mason jar meal for two is perfect for the beach or a picnic in the backyard. It’s also great for meal prepping. Below you’ll find recipes for homemade bagel chips, chicken and chickpea salad, pesto pasta with tomato and mozzarella, chocolate sandwich cookies, and white wine sangria. 

mason jar meal prepping

I wanted a mason jar meal that tasted freshly made, even after sitting for hours in a jar. The narrowness of mason jars allow you to stack food in layers, keeping unfriendly mixing at bay, until right before serving.

The biggest challenge is deciding in what order to layer the meal in the jar. How do you dress the salad but not have limp lettuce? How do I prevent pesto from browning? 

tips for meal prep 

• Put dressings and heavy items on the bottom.
• Foods to stay crisp and fresh go at the top.
• For the salad, I mixed the dressing with the chick peas at the bottom to keep them away from the lettuce.
• Barriers help, such as a  layer of cucumber slices.
• Tomatoes add moisture (for mixing) and acidity (to prevent browning), so these are great to pair with pesto, to prevent browning.
• Leave space at the top of each for shaking and mixing.

the mason jar meal recipes

chickpea and chicken salad:

ingredients you will need:

• 1 can chick peas (garbanzo beans)
• preferred salad dressing
• baby carrots
• chopped rotisserie chicken
• cucumber slices
• romaine lettuce

Drain and rinse chick peas. Place about half in a bowl. (Reserve the rest for another use.) Add your desired salad dressing (generously, as this will dress the whole salad) and mix.

Spoon a layer of the chickpea mixture on the bottom of a mason jar. Top with a layer of sliced baby carrots, a layer of bite-size, cooked, seasoned chicken pieces, a layer of cucumber slices and a layer of lettuce. Shake right before eating. Serves 2. 

Yield: 2 servings

mason jar salad

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Delicious mason jar salad, great for meal prep. Lettuce, chicken, carrots, cucumbers and chickpeas.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 can chick peas (garbanzo beans)
• preferred salad dressing
• baby carrots
• chopped rotisserie chicken
• cucumber slices
• romaine lettuce

Instructions

Drain and rinse chick peas. Place about half in a bowl. (Reserve the rest for another use.) Add your desired salad dressing (generously, as this will dress the whole salad) and mix.

Spoon a layer of the chickpea mixture on the bottom of a mason jar. Top with a layer of sliced baby carrots, a layer of bite-size, cooked, seasoned chicken pieces, a layer of cucumber slices and a layer of lettuce.

Shake right before eating. Serves 2. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 504Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 147mgSodium: 703mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 9gSugar: 8gProtein: 50g

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homemade bagel chips:

ingredients you will need:

• 2 to 3 bagels
• olive oil
• coarse salt
• pepper
• garlic powder 

Slice several bagels in half. Slice crosswise in thin slices. Brush both sides of the bagel pieces with olive oil and arrange on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Sprinkle with kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once. Let cool and place in mason jar. 

Yield: 20 chips

bagel chips

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HOMEMADE BAGEL CHIPS with salt and garlic powder, a quick, easy snack idea.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 bagels
• olive oil
• coarse salt
• pepper
• garlic powder

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice several bagels in half. Slice crosswise in thin slices.

Brush both sides of the bagel pieces with olive oil and arrange on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Sprinkle with kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 97Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 191mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 3g

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pesto pasta:

you will need:

• penne pasta
• pesto
• halved cherry tomatoes
• cubed mozzarella cheese

Cook penne pasta and drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the water. You may cook the entire box and mix with the pesto recipe, however, you will only need a portion to serve two mason jars. 

Prepare the pesto according to the recipe: Process in the food processor two cloves of garlic, 2 to 3 cups of fresh basil leaves and 1/4 cup of walnuts. With the blade running, pour in about 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste and blend. Add about 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Mix briefly. Blend in additional pasta water to desired consistency.

Spoon a layer of pesto on the bottom of a mason jar. Add a layer of halved cherry tomatoes, a layer of cubed mozzarella cheese, and some of the penne pasta. Shake right before eating.

Yield: 2 servings

mason jar pesto pasta

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MASON JAR MEAL PREP: Delicious pesto and pasta with tomatoes and mozzarella.

Ingredients

• 1 cup leftover penne pasta
• 1/4 cup pesto
• 10 halved cherry tomatoes
• cubed mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Cook penne pasta and drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the water. You may cook the entire box and mix with the pesto recipe, however, you will only need a portion to serve two mason jars. 

Prepare the pesto according to the recipe: Process in the food processor two cloves of garlic, 2 to 3 cups of fresh basil leaves and 1/4 cup of walnuts. With the blade running, pour in about 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste and blend. Add about 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Mix briefly. Blend in additional pasta water to desired consistency.

Spoon a generous layer of pesto on the bottom of a mason jar. Add a layer of halved cherry tomatoes, a layer of cubed mozzarella cheese, and some of the penne pasta. Shake right before eating.

Make as many jars as you like.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 316Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 252mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 11g

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white wine sangria

you will need:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup honey
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 6 whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 bottle white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc)
• 1 peeled, cored, and cubed apple
• additional lemon slices

In a saucepan, combine and heat water, honey, the zest and lemon juice, cloves, and cinnamon sticks  over medium heat to a simmer. Turn heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes. In a pitcher, combine a bottle of white wine, the spice mixture, the apple, and lemon slices.

Refrigerate overnight and pour in individual mason jars.

Yield: 6 drinks

white wine sangria

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WHITE WINE SANGRIA with cloves, cinnamon, lemon, and apple. Delicious cocktail, refreshing for summer.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Additional Time 1 minute

Total Time 16 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup honey
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 6 whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 bottle white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc)
• 1 peeled, cored, and cubed apple
• additional lemon slices

Instructions

In a saucepan, combine and heat water, honey, the zest and lemon juice, cloves, and cinnamon sticks  over medium heat to a simmer.

Turn heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes. In a pitcher, combine a bottle of white wine, the spice mixture, the apple, and lemon slices.

Refrigerate overnight and pour in individual mason jars.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 164Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 9mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 16gProtein: 0g

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chocolate sandwich cookies:

Prepare chocolate cookie dough (click the link for recipe). Chill, roll out, cut out 1 1/2 inch circles and bake according to the recipe. Let cool.

Prepare frosting (click the link for recipe) and tint with white food coloring, if desired, to brighten. Assemble a disposable decorating bag with a size 10 tip. Fill with frosting and close tightly with a rubber band. Pipe and fill a circle of frosting on the back of a cookie and top with another cookie.

Money-saving tip: Instead of the decorating bag with tip, put the frosting in a ziploc and snip the corner. 

Let dry overnight before packaging in mason jars.

packaging ideas

The beauty of mason jars is the pretty package. You can add ribbon, labels, and tags. Or attach napkins, plasticware, and straws with ribbon. 

This post was originally published in October 2010 and updated in June 2020.