Mini Meal Ideas I Make on Repeat
If you have ever stood in front of the refrigerator at noon not wanting to cook a full meal but also not wanting to just snack all day, this post is for you. These mini meal ideas are the answer to that exact moment. Small, snack-style meals and no-cook dishes that feel genuinely satisfying and delicious.
These mini meals are little bites of nirvana that not only taste fantastic, but also pack the punch with protein and fiber. I’ve included 11 different mini meals here (with one more coming your way on Substack to make it an even dozen), plus you’ll find my favorite recipe for egg salad!
A Note from Teri on Mini Meals
There’s been a trend of mini meals lately, but to know me is to know I’m a gal who always has a jar of something delicious in my bag. My kitchen is always stocked with jars, and I use them for everything from granola to have on hand for gifting to my juices to freezing broth to stocking up on these mini meals.
I absolutely love a delicious snack, and my preference would always be to have mini meals throughout the day rather than big meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner. There’s something particularly delightful about the mini meal. I’m so excited that people are interested in learning more about these meals, and I’m thrilled about the list of mini meals we’ve gathered.
If you need a set of these jars for your own mini meals, you can check them out here.
What is a Mini Meal?
A mini meal is exactly what it sounds like! It is a smaller, simpler plate that doesn’t require a ton of fuss. Mini meals are perfect for solo lunches, light summer dinners, or a hearty dish on the go.
The best mini meal ideas come together quickly, use good ingredients that don’t require a lot of work, and they feel like an actual meal, not a snack. Every dish on this list gives you the perfect mix of all three!
Teri’s Mini Meal Round Up
Asian Inspired Chicken Salad
This is one of those mini meal ideas that looks and tastes far more impressive than the effort it takes. Perfectly seasoned chicken bites are cooked until crispy, tossed with shredded cabbage, julienned carrots, sliced green onions, slivered almonds, and mandarin oranges. Everything is drizzled with a creamy almond sesame dressing. It is crunchy, savory, and bright.
This salad also travels beautifully. You can store the dressing separately to keep everything crunchy until you are ready to eat.
Italian Antipasto Salad
This antipasto salad packs so much flavor in a tiny jar. The best part of this mini meal is that it requires zero cooking. For this version, we skipped the greens and stuck with all of the powerful flavors from California green olives, slivered salami, pepperoncini, peppadew peppers, mozzarella pearls, cubed manchego, grated parmesan, and marinated red onions. Dress it with red wine vinegar and marinated red onion oil to complete this perfectly briny and delicious meal.
Tunacado Bowl
Good canned tuna packed in olive oil is mixed with avocado and hot sauce mixture as the base of your mini meal. Then it is topped with more avocado, marinated red onions, and pickled ginger. You can serve it on its own or with cucumber slices alongside it. I love this meal because it’s one of the easiest to throw together quickly, but it’s so satisfying.
The key is the quality of the tuna. Olive oil-packed tuna has a richness and flavor that water-packed simply cannot match, so make sure to use a high quality tuna.
Egg Salad and Cucumber Salad
Get the Egg Salad recipe
Egg Salad has been a core food group in my household for a long time. September absolutely loved it growing up, and my recipe ended up in the no crumbs left cookbook. We’ve also included a recipe for it below!
The cucumber salad that it’s paired with is also a favorite from the no crumbs left cookbook. Combine diced cucumbers, chopped red onion, dill, chives, white vinegar, kosher salt, and white pepper. Add sour cream and a little maple syrup, and enjoy!
These jars are amazing for a quick meal on the go.
Greek Style Meal
Get the recipe this mini meal was inspired by
If you have never bought sheep’s milk feta in brine, it is an absolute must. It is a complete revelation, and I hope you are ready to fall in love.
For this mini meal, we did a mini meal inspired by my Greek Salad. Each jar is filled with baba ghanoush or hummus, sumac, cucumber, feta, marinated onion oil, cherry tomatoes, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, celery sticks, edamame, marinated onions, some kind of crunchy chip like a pita chip. It is the perfect mix of flavors for a filling mini meal.
Corn and Shrimp Sauté
This corn and shrimp sauté is so simple but absolutely perfect for a mini meal. It comes together really quickly, and the flavors meld into one another. It’s a little spicy, a little smoky, and full of flavor.
It’s easy to divide it into glass jars for a quick and easy mini meal that is super satisfying.
Cucumber Sandwiches
This is an underestimated mini meal idea. Thinly sliced English cucumber on good soft bread with a smear of cream cheese or butter is divine.
Spread the bread with softened cream cheese mixed with finely chopped fresh dill, chives, and a little lemon zest. Layer on thinly sliced cucumber. Finish with a sprinkle of Celtic sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a few small mint leaves or microgreens. Cut into small squares.
Whether you’re making mini sandwiches for an afternoon tea or need a quick but hearty snack on the go, these cucumber sandwiches are perfect.
Egg, Cottage Cheese and Tomato
This was a go to meal growing up, and it makes the best mini meal. It’s packed with protein, but it still feels light. Combine tomatoes, good cottage cheese, and a jammy egg for one of the most satisfying mini meals in this roundup.
Use a full-fat, good quality cottage cheese and beautiful tomatoes. Add a jammy egg (boiled for 7 and 1/2 minutes and placed directly in an ice bath). Sprinkle everything with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
I love a meal like this because it involves so little prep, but the taste is incredible.
Baked Egg Cups
These baked egg cups are a bit of a revelation. We shared all about them on Substack, but the idea is that you fill each cup with some vegetables, cheese, and any other fillings you love. Add in blended eggs and bake for a quick, easy and satisfying mini meal.
Tuna Pasta Salad
Tuna pasta salad is Roy’s specialty, and it creates the perfect mini meal. What I love most is that gets better the longer it sits, so it is the ideal make-ahead lunch. It is packed with tons of flavor, and I love to top it with marinated red onions.
If you’re a gluten-free gal like me, check out this version with rice instead of pasta.
Burrata Peach Salad
This mini meal is summer in a jar. It comes together with very few ingredients, and it lets the peaches be the star of the show.
This is a great no-cook mini meal when it’s too hot to turn on the oven or stove, but you still want something delicious. It’s satisfying, and it combines sweet and savory perfectly.
Mini Meal Ideas FAQ
A mini meal is a bit more intentional than a snack. Think of it as a little more curated. It’s satisfying in the same way a meal is, but it’s a smaller, lower-effort version.
All of the mini meals on this list are good for prep, but the pasta salad is especially great for prep. It gets better and better as the flavors develop in the fridge. It’s easy to divvy into grab-and-go lunches throughout the week.
These mini meals are filling already, but if you want to add even more satiation, add a protein (a jammy egg, good canned tuna, leftover roast chicken, cottage cheese), fiber or a healthy fat (avocado, nuts, a drizzle of good olive oil, a torn piece of burrata).
These are the jars I use to make my mini meals!
How to Make Egg Salad
Egg Salad has long been a staple in our house. It was one of September’s favorite meals in childhood and I first shared this recipe in the no crumbs left cookbook.
To take your egg salad over the top, hand grating the eggs is a must. They become the perfect texture to build your salad and get the most delicious and perfect bite.
What I love about egg salad is how delicate it feels but how easy it is to make. Simple flavors come together to make something totally delicious. You can eat it on its own, or you can serve it with crackers, on a sandwich, or in a lettuce wrap.
For even more lunch inspiration, make sure to check out this Substack all about lunches.
If you make this Egg Salad or one of the mini meals, be sure to review it below and let me know what you think! If you’re looking for more inspiration, subscribe to my Substack, and follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok to join in all the fun!
Poached Shrimp Salad with Marinated Eggs
Ingredients
For the Marinated Eggs
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¾ cup tamari
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
For the Edamame and the Shrimp Salad:
- Kosher salt
- ½ package frozen edamame about 1 ½ cups
- 1 tablespoon peppercorns
- Peel of 1 lemon
- Few sprigs of mint
- 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kewpie mayo
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon chili crisp
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
- 1 tablespoons finely chopped chives
For the Jars:
- Sesame oil
- Rice vinegar
- Chili crisp
- Large handful microgreens
- 2 baby cucumbers thinly sliced
- ¼ cup pickled ginger
- Sesame rice crackers
Instructions
- A few hours before serving, set a medium pot filled with water to boil. Once the water is boiling, carefully lower the eggs and boil for 7 minutes and 20 seconds. While the eggs are boiling, make an ice water bath. When the eggs are done, transfer them to the ice water bath with a slotted spoon and let cool for 10 minutes.
- While the eggs are cooling, make the marinade: To a medium bowl, add the sugar and 6 tablespoons of warm water, and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the tamari and rice wine vinegar.
- Carefully peel the eggs and add them to the bowl with the marinade. Give them a stir so that they are coated in the marinade. Marinate the eggs in the fridge for 2-6 hours, or at least an hour.
- Set a large pot with at least 2 quarts of water over high heat. Prepare an ice bath. Once the water is boiling, add 2 tablespoons of salt and the edamame. Cook for 1-2 minutes then remove with a spider or slotted spoon to the ice bath to stop the cooking Drain and set aside.
- Add the peppercorns, lemon peel, and sprigs of mint to the same pot of boiling water you cooked the edamame in. (Turn the heat back up if it isn’t at a boil any longer.)Once at a boil, add the shrimp then immediately cover the pot with a lid and remove the pot from heat. Poach the shrimp in the hot water for 5 minutes then immediately transfer to the ice water bath with a spider or slotted spoon. Let the shrimp to sit in the ice water for a few minutes then drain. Transfer the shrimp to a cutting board and cut then into ¼ inch pieces and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix the mayo, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and chili crisp until well-combined. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Place half of the shrimp mixture in a food processor and pulse a few times until the mixture is in small pieces but not a smooth texture. Add back into the bowl along with the red onion, celery, chives, and a pinch of salt and stir to combine.
- Assemble the jars (or bowls) by adding a drizzle each of sesame oil and rice wine vinegar on the jar bottoms and a little chili crisp, if you want. Add a small handful of microgreens, a quarter of the shrimp salad, half a marinated egg to each jar. Divide the cucumber slices, edamame, and pickled ginger among the jars and top each a few sesame crackers. Enjoy!
Do you have a copy of the No Crumbs Left cookbook yet?
Food is my love language, and this book is a guide to getting you in the kitchen with me, rolling up your sleeves, and reigniting passion for everyday cooking. Woven throughout the book are my Teri’s Tips as well.
This cookbook is a love letter to my mother because it offers the recipe for a well-lived life.
Mini meals are especially suitable for solo lunches, light dinners, FNAF PC or convenient meals on the go. The key idea is to balance simplicity, speed, and satisfaction in a smaller portion.
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I love these mini meal ideas! They’re so practical for busy days. Have you ever tried incorporating similar themes into meals for road trips? I bet they’d pair well with some fun car games!
Teri’s mention of always having a jar of something delicious in her bag really struck a chord. That image almost suggests the jar itself is the true comfort object, not just its contents, which is why having the right ones for your own collection can feel so essential town of salem. Perhaps the appeal of mini meals is deeply tied to this sense of having a self-contained, ready-to-go solution for any moment.
I love the idea of having a reliable rotation of mini meals, especially for those in-between moments when a full recipe feels like too much. The “make on repeat” approach makes these sound genuinely practical for everyday eating.
I love the idea of having mini meals on repeat—those smaller, reliable options are perfect for busy days when a full meal feels like too much. Teri, this is a great reminder that simple and satisfying can absolutely coexist.
I love the focus on mini meals you can make on repeat—having a reliable rotation of smaller, satisfying options makes busy days feel much easier. Teri’s approach is especially helpful for keeping meals simple without falling into the same full-size dinner routine.
I love the idea of having mini meals you can make on repeat—especially for those days when a full meal feels like too much effort. This is such a practical way to keep quick, satisfying options in the rotation.
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