5 Cozy + Sustainable Lunchbox Recipes for Fall

As the weather cools down and the leaves start to change, there’s nothing better than warming up with a cozy lunch. Fall is the season of comfort foods, soups, breads, apples, and pumpkin everything. But while the flavors of fall are timeless, the way we pack them doesn’t have to involve waste.

With ECOlunchbox, you can enjoy all your favorite fall meals without single-use plastics. Packing a hearty soup or crunchy trail mix in a stainless steel container means you’re nourishing your body and protecting the planet at the same time.

Here are five cozy and sustainable recipes perfect for fall lunches that travel beautifully in an ECOlunchbox.

1. Hearty Minestrone Soup with Mini Baguettes

A classic Italian soup filled with vegetables, beans, and pasta, minestrone is comforting and filling. We grew all of the vegetables in our own garden! Pair it with a mini baguette for dipping, and you have the ultimate portable fall lunch.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 onion, diced
  
• 2 carrots, chopped
  
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
  
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 zucchini, diced
  
• 1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz)
  
• 1 can cannellini beans (14 oz), drained and rinsed
  
• 4 cups vegetable broth
  
• 1 cup small pasta (such as ditalini)
  
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
  
• Mini baguettes or a slice of homemade pizza

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot and sauté onion, carrots, and celery until soft.
   
2. Add garlic and zucchini, cooking for 2 minutes.
   
3. Stir in tomatoes, beans, broth, oregano, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes.
   
4. Add pasta and cook until tender.
   
5. Serve with mini baguette slices.
   

Eco Tip: Pack your soup in the ECOlunchbox leaf-proof canister and your baguette in a Seal Cup to keep lunch completely waste-free.

2. Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin carving season means lots of leftover seeds. Don’t toss them, roast them into a healthy, crunchy snack.

Ingredients:

• Freshly scooped organic pumpkin seeds
• Olive Oil
• Healthy salt free of microplastics*
  

Instructions:

1. Scoop the pumpkin pulp out of a fresh, organic pumpkin.
2. To separate the pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin, put everything in a bowl of water. The free pumpkin seeds will float to the top. Use your hands to free the ones embedded in the scooped out pumpkin.
3. Rinse and thoroughly dry the pumpkin seeds.
4. Coat the pumpkin seeds with a generous amount of olive oil.
5. Toss the pumpkin seeds with a generous amount of sea salt.
6. Spread the pumpkin seeds on a cookie sheet.
7. Bake at 300° for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Eco Tip: Store in a stainless steel ECOlunchbox snack container instead of single-use plastic bags.

3. Pumpkin Pie Trail Mix

Trail mix with a fall twist is perfect for packing in a lunchbox or snacking on the go. Whether you pack it to hit the trails or to take a roadtrip to see the fall colors, everyone will enjoy this snack. 

Pumpkin Pie Spice & Seed Trail Mix Recipe 

• 1/4 cup sucanat or whole cane sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon, Ground
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup unsalted whole almonds
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup unsalted pecan halves
• 1 cup roasted salted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
• 1 cup walnut halves
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 Tablespoons all natural apple juice
• 2/3 cup dried cranberries
• 2/3 cup raisins
  

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 250°F. Mix sucanat, cinnamon, paprika and pumpkin pie spice in small bowl. Set aside.
2. Place almonds, oats, pecans, pepitas and walnuts in large bowl. Mix together pumpkin puree and apple juice; pour over nut mixture and toss until nuts are evenly coated. Sprinkle with spice mixture, tossing to coat well. Spread evenly on two baking pans.
3. Bake 30-35 minutes, stirring halfway through cook time. Cool completely. Stir in cranberries and raisins. Store in airtight container.

Recipe credit @eatingbirdfood

Eco Tip: Buy bulk ingredients to avoid packaging waste.

4. Roasted Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad

Fall is the perfect time for a harvest salad. Whip up this hearty and nutritious salad that tastes great warm or cold for a fall twist on a dinner staple. 

Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad

• ½ cup quinoa, rinsed well
• 2 tsp. Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup butternut squash, medium-size dice 
• 3 Tbls. pumpkin seeds, roasted & salted
• 3 Tbls. dried cranberries
• 3 Tbls. green onion, thinly sliced
• 3 Tbls. roughly chopped pecans

Dressing: 

• 3 Tbls. EVOO
• 1 Tbl. cider vinegar
• 1 Tbl. maple syrup
• 1 ½ tsp. Dijon mustard
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper
  

Eco Tip: Pack dressing separately in a Seal Cup Mini to keep greens fresh until lunchtime.

5. Caramel Apple Slices

Who doesn’t love a caramel apple? It’s a classic fall treat that you can dress up in any way your heart desires, and when you slice it, it’s made portable.

Caramel Apple Slices Recipe

• 2 apples, sliced
  
• ½ cup caramel sauce
  
• ¼ cup crushed nuts or granola (optional)
  

Instructions:

1. Slice apples and dunk or drizzle with caramel.
   
2. Sprinkle with nuts or granola for crunch.
   
3. Pack in a small container with a reusable fork for dipping.
   

Eco Tip: Use your favorite ECOlunchbox to store your caramel apple slices, that is if there are any left! 

Whatever fall recipes are your favorite, remember that when you pack them in an ECOlunchbox, every plastic-free lunch you pack keeps an average of 167 single-use bags out of the landfill each year. Small swaps make a big difference.

Shop the ECOlunchbox Fall Collection and make every cozy lunch waste-free this season.