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While I feel like I have a pretty firm handle on packing healthy, delicious lunches for my kids, I totally struggle in the area of after school snacks! At least, I did struggle, until we started making these Easy Gluten Free Pasta Snack Jars to keep on hand in the fridge! These jars are all layered up with marinara, fresh mozzarella balls, and gluten free pasta that tastes great and doesn’t loose its tender texture when cooled. Now you too can say “yes” to perfectly portioned, crave worthy, after school snacks that are actually good for your crew!

5 small glass jars with orange lids are stacked on a wooden table top. Teh jar are layered with tomato sauce, mozzarella balls, gluten free penne pasta, and spices on top.

If there is one thing I know after 17 years of parenting it is that kids are typically hangry after a hard day at school!

My kids in particular can be downright ravenous by the time we get home. I want to feed them something that curbs their hanger, but I also don’t want to ruin their appetites for dinner. Sound familiar to you too? Geez, I’m glad I’m not in this alone!

A little boy in a sleeveless black t-shirt that says

For as far back as I can remember we have had a self service snack station in our pantry for afternoon noshing. Grab n’ go granola bars, apple sauce packets, chips, and fruit snacks – they’re all favorites with my kids, but they don’t fill them up enough so they wind up eating more than I would like for them too. Which not only sets them up for not being hungry for dinner, it’s also super expensive to buy convenience snacks like those. Don’t even get me started on the sugar crash that is often associated with those goodies either!

So, a few weeks ago I decided to swap it up and see what would happen if I added a new, homemade grab ‘n go snack option to the mix. Say hello to my Easy Gluten Free Pasta Snack Jars!

A prep scene where small glass jars are being filled with pasta sauce, mozzarella balls, and pasta.

I mean, what’s not to love? I’ve never met anyone that says no to spaghetti, especially not my kids! So, I made a stash of these babies big batch style to stock the fridge, told my kid’s all about them and how to heat them up, and then I waited…… I’m happy to report that it didn’t take long to see that these little jars were a HUGE hit! They have the perfect portion of sauce, pasta, & cheese to comfortably fill my kid’s bellies without ruining their dinner. ( Plus, no sugar crash later either!)

A box of Pamela's gluten free penne pasta on a wooden board next to small glass jars that are layered with marinara sauce, mozzarella balls, and gluten free pasta.

Let’s talk about how I layered these Easy Gluten Free Pasta Snack Jars shall we?

The jars || Honestly, any small jar or meal prep container will work for this. I chose these small 11-ounce Le Parfait Jam Pot’s because I liked the snap on lid design for Kash. However, if I was using these jars for anything else outside of him accessing their contents for a snack I would prefer to use metal twist on lids. They’re just more secure!

The sauce || You can literally use ANY sauce your heart desires in these easy gluten free pasta snack jars – in the images I just used plain old jarred pasta sauce. But, I have since made versions of these with my easy 5-ingredient marinara and with pesto and both were BIG hits too!!

The cheese || Again, you can literally use ANY cheese your heart desires here. I like to use small bocconcini which is just itty biity mozzarella balls because they’re super delicious and fun to eat, but hey, if you want mozzarella shreds or goat cheese crumbles or vegan parm, you do you!

The pasta || I know what you’re thinking – you’re thinking surely these can’t be gluten free because leftover gluten free pasta is typically anything but delicious. I HEAR YOU!!! This gluten free pasta however my friend is from Pamela’s and it is the only brand of gluten free pasta that I have found can be cooled after cooking and it will keep its soft texture without drying out. Which means you can say “Yes!” to cold pasta salads and reheating your favorite noodles without fear!

5 glass jars layered with pasta sauce, mozzarella balls, and penne pasta are on a table top. There is also a bowl of pasta on the table as well as a box of Pamelas gluten free pasta

Kash loves these pasta snacking jars both hot or cold and I have to admit it’s super cool to see him stop by the fridge to check if these are waiting on him before he heads to the “grab n go” snack station!

Here’s how he heats the jars up || Pour the contents of the jars into a small bowl, give it a big stir, and microwave in 15-20 second intervals, stirring in between each cook time, until warmed through.

A little boy with a big smile on his face in a sleeveless black t-shirt that says

If you’ve made these Easy Gluten Free Pasta Snack Jars or any of the other recipes on our site, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know what you thought in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food, design, and decor.

Easy Gluten Free Pasta Snack Jars

Author: This Mess is Ours
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: about 5 jars 1x
Category: lunch/snacks
Method: stovetop
Cuisine: italian

Description

Mix and match these pasta jars by using your favorite pasta shapes, sauces, and cheeses. Add meat, add veggies…add dried herbs..add whatever your little one’s heart desires!

Scale

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sauce of choice, marinara, pesto, & alfredo are all delicious!

5 bocconcini per jar or 2-3 tablespoons shredded cheese

1 box Pamlea’s gluten free pasta, or pasta of choice, prepared according to the instructions, drained & then rinsed in cool water

To season: salt, pepper, red pepper flakes

Instructions

To assemble || Line up empty jars on the kitchen counter. Scoop about 1/3 cup pasta sauce into the bottom of each jar. Add the cheese in an even layer. Fill to about 1/4 inch from the top of the jar with the prepared pasta. Add a few more pieces of cheese and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Seal the jars and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

To reheat || Pour the contents of the jars into a microwavable bowl, give it a big stir, and microwave in 15-20 second intervals, stirring in between each cook time, until warmed through.