Hot lunch ideas for children

[winterlike]

I've bought a food flask last winter for dc to take hot lunches to school, but we rarely used it.

If people use them what do you normally put in there?
Pasta in the flask, after keeping hot/warm for hours seems to taste not as nice (tastes overcooked), and I'm not sure it's safe to have rice for so long at that temp? Am I being silly?

We used it for soup a couple of times and was wondering if others use them what hot lunches do you send in? (Dc doesn't eat potatoes.)

My dcs have rice dishes, noodles and pasta mostly

My DD often takes beans or spaghetti hoops. Or honestly just any leftovers from the night before- shepherds pie, stir fry etc.

Why the need for hot meals?

My dd (18) has has a flask for her lunch every single school day.

She has various pastas and on the days o have time she has a stir fry.

I make a double quantity of teriyaki sauce from the Wagamama cookbook and keep it in a jar in the fridge.

One time I had rice in a flask and it sealed itself so tight I couldn't get the lid off. When I finally did it let off a bang like a gunshot. I absolutely shit myself. Never did it again.

I find pasta is fine. Pasta with bolognese usually. Can't really beat soup and crusty bread though.

Spaghetti hoops, baked beans, soup, chilli, stew, curry? Obvs not all at once though 😂

Besides the above, quesadillas or a burrito (but wrap the burrito in foil so it doesn't fall apart).

Thank you