Eat yourself to an A grade: Healthy recipes for school canteens

Healthy recipes for your school canteen could be the educational ingredient you’ve been missing.

Your pupils are what they eat – literally. Junk food and irregular meals can leave them feeling listless and sapped of energy. Whereas healthy, colourful and nutritious meals can make them feel energetic, vibrant and eager to learn.

What impact can healthy recipes have on pupil attainment?

A healthy diet can help your pupils move closer to that coveted A grade. It can:

• Boost attainment
• Enhance memory
• Improve alertness
• Increase participation
• Improve overall mood

Healthy recipes for school canteens

Encourage your pupils to eat healthily by incorporating the following recipes into your school canteen meal planning:

Simple salad

This salad can be used as a main meal or side dish. Simply chop, wash and combine (per serving):

• ½ kos lettuce (or similar)
• 2 tomatoes
• ¼ cucumber
• ½ red onion

Cover with an olive oil-based dressing, or leave on the table so that students can choose.

Vegetable soup

Peel and chop the following vegetables into small, bite-sized pieces (per serving):

• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 leek
• 1 potato
• 2 celery sticks

Simmer the vegetables (except potatoes) lightly in low-fat oil, then add 25g of flour and cook for two minutes. Dissolve a vegetable stock cube in 500ml boiling water. Pour the stock over the vegetables, add the potatoes and leave to bubble for 30 minutes. Serve alongside fresh bread.

Pork meatballs

Gather the following ingredients (per serving):

• 60g lean pork meatballs
• 5ml vegetable oil
• 15g onion (peeled and chopped)
• 37g mixed peppers
• 120g canned tomatoes
• 5g tomato purée
• 3g basil (fresh)
• 20ml water

Bake the meatballs for 10 minutes at gas mark 6 (200°C). At the same time, heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion/pepper until soft (approx. five minutes).

Add the tomatoes, tomato purée and meatballs. Simmer for 5 – 10 minutes, add the basil (roughly chopped) and serve alongside pasta or a simple salad.

Salmon, pasta and tomato sauce

The following ingredients serve approximately 12 pupils:

• 750g salmon fillet
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 450g onion (peeled and chopped)
• 400g chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 21g mixed herbs (dried)
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 500ml water
• 700g wholemeal pasta

Steam the salmon fillet for 8 – 10 minutes. Sauté the onion, then stir in the tomatoes, tomato purée, herbs and stock. Heat until the mixture reduces.

Cook the pasta in unsalted water, then combine with the tomato sauce. When plated up, add a few bite-sized chunks of salmon on top.

What catering equipment will my school need?

Here’s an introduction to some of the basics your school will need to produce healthy meals regularly:

• Professional grade cookers with ample oven/hob space that are robust enough to withstand the rigours of school life
• Reliable and efficient school dishwashers with enough capacity to handle all canteen and/or pupil crockery and cutlery
• Large, low-carbon fridges and freezers that can help reduce your energy bills and decrease food wastage

Give your pupils the best possible start in life by helping them learn to eat healthily and achieve more academically with these tasty school canteen recipes.

Call on Utility Rentals to help your school canteen staff make the most out of mealtimes.