Homemade Lunch Meat Recipe

This post is from KS contributing writer Mary Voogt of Just Take A Bite.

Warning.

You may want to cover your ears.

I’m going to use the dreaded L word – LUNCHES.

There. I said it.

As much as I don’t like to think about it, before we know it we’ll be packing school lunches again.

You want to send your kids to school with nutritious food. But you also don’t want to make their lunches too different or “weird” (liver pate or sardines anyone?). Not to mention you don’t want to spend an hour making lunch.

RELATED: Easy lunches for homeschooling and virtual school

Mary has some GREAT ideas here for how to use lunch meat, both in sandwiches AND out. If you need more ideas on sandwich-free lunches don’t miss out on The Healthy Lunch Box!
You don’t just get 45 recipes, you get a whole lot more:

• how to pack a waste free lunch
• how to work around allergies
• BONUS printables
• coupon code for 50% off The Healthy Breakfast Book

Just the other day my seven year old asked why I never put “normal” sandwiches in her lunch like her friends have. She mentioned peanut butter and jelly and ham and cheese.

I don’t send peanut products often because I don’t want to make the school an unsafe place for those with allergies.

The ham and cheese? Well, we just don’t have any lunch meat.

Until now.

Did you know you can make your own lunch meat?

Homemade lunch meat is so easy to make. It literally takes five minutes of hands on time.

Start with whatever ground meat you like. Puree the meat with water and seasoning. Then cook it. That’s all there is to it!

What’s really great about homemade lunch meat is that you control the ingredients. That means NO:

• high fructose corn syrup
• nitrates/nitrites
• fillers/thickeners/gums
• artificial flavors or colors
• GMOs
• MSG
• solutions
• BHT
• carageenan

Just a few simple ingredients will give you great tasting, homemade lunch meat for easy sandwiches. You can cook it on the stove top or in your Instant Pot!!

Using an electric knife will allow you to make thin slices. You can also slice the meat thicker by hand.

Growing up we always had smoked or honey roasted chicken or turkey. You can make your own version of a honey roasted lunch meat by increasing the cane sugar or adding honey. Note that it will be for kids one year and older if you include honey.

RELATED: Check out more delicious, real-food recipes for kids in this ebook from Traditional Cooking School!

Homemade Lunch Meat Recipe

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• Author: Mary Voogt
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 3 hours
• Total Time: 3 hours 15 mins
• Yield: 12-16
• Category: Lunch

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Description

Homemade lunch meat is perfect for school lunches. Use it on sandwiches, crackers or eat it plain.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 lb. ground pork, chicken or turkey
• 2 tsp. unrefined sea salt
• 1 tsp. organic cane sugar or coconut sugar
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 tsp. desiccated liver (optional)

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Instructions

Stovetop:

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and process until well combined and smooth.
2. Split the meat mixture into two equal parts
3. Place each half in a round 2-cup glass container (like a Pyrex dish).
4. Spread the mixture in the dish and smooth the top.
5. Place each glass dish in a large pot. Fill with water half way up the glass. Cover with a lid.
6. Bring the water to a low simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
7. Remove the glass container from the pan and drain any excess liquid.
8. Allow the glass to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.
9. Chill the glass dishes in the refrigerator, about 2 hours.
10. Remove the meat from the glass dishes and slice to desired thickness.
11. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer.

Instant Pot:

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and process until well combined and smooth.
2. Place the mixture in a round 4-cup glass container (like a Pyrex dish).
3. Spread the mixture in the dish and smooth the top.
4. Place 1 cup of water in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Set the trivet in the Instant Pot.
5. Place the glass dish on top of the trivet.
6. Close the Instant Pot and cook on the meat setting for 20 minutes.
7. Use the natural release method to open the Instant Pot.
8. Remove the glass container from the pot and drain any excess liquid.
9. Allow the glass to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.
10. Chill the glass dish, covered, in the refrigerator, about 2 hours.
11. Remove the meat from the glass dish and slice to desired thickness.
12. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freezer.

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Notes

To make this more like a “honey roasted” lunch meat add extra cane sugar, coconut sugar (use the code STEWARDSHIP for 10% off at that site!) or honey when processing.

This is a very mildly flavored meat. You can add any extra herbs or seasonings you like to change the flavor.

Find this recipe on Plan to Eat too, so you can add it every other week as part of a lunch-ready meal plan! Jump right to it: Homemade Lunchmeat

No more boring lunches!

For variety, try different types of meat. Or even combine meats. Then change up the seasoning.

Use the lunch meat for sandwiches with an array of toppings like:

• tomatoes
• avocado
• lettuce
• cheese
• mustard
• pesto
• mayonnaise
• homemade Miracle Whip®

But don’t limit  yourself to sandwiches. Use the lunch meat to make your own Lunchables®! Homemade crackers (I have a recipe for soaked gluten free crackers, soaked teff crackers or Katie has some “Wheat Thin” style crackers), sliced cheese and cut up lunch meat make a simple and fun lunch for kids of all ages.

Slice the meat thinly, add a layer of cheese, and roll it up. You have a delicious finger food that you can dip in honey mustard or eat plain.

RELATED: How to Stretch Meat & How To Make Side Pork Taste Like Bacon

Don’t forget the little ones.

They need easy lunches too. One of the things that surprised me most when I made homemade lunch meat was that my infant liked it so much! The meat is pureed, mildly flavored and soft so it can be gummed. Just break it into pieces and let your little one dig in.

Homemade lunch meat is actually a great on-the-go snack for babies. No big mess. Just simple finger food.

I love to cut half of the batch into sticks for my toddler. I grab a couple out of the freezer any time I need a quick protein for breakfast, lunch or snack.

Try homemade lunch meat. It is even free of allergens!

Make a batch at the beginning of the week and you’ll have the starting point for great sandwiches and fun finger food all week long.

Camping Fun.

Homemade lunch meat can even replace hot dogs!! Cut it into larger sticks. Put some on a fork and get roasting! Such a fun way to enjoy a camping trip or backyard roast.

Stock your freezer.

Homemade lunch meat freezes well. Use some fresh and keep some of it in the freezer for easy lunches later on.

Sandwiches make great school lunches. Now you can pack sandwiches your kids will love and you will feel good about.

Looking for more Lunch?

• 10 Bread-Free “Sandwiches”
• Reusable sandwich bags review
• Bento Style lunch box reviews
• 5 Easy Tips for School Lunch Packing
• Packing a lunch: tips and tricks for easy packing
• Packing the Perfect Lunch (and Avoiding Wasted Food)
• Gluten-Free Lunch Ideas
• The Best Real Food Allergy Friendly School Lunches

Struggling with picky eaters, allergies or oral aversions? Mary has her tried and true methods for turning your kids into great eaters in her book Why Won’t My Child Eat?!. Get your copy today.
You’ll learn how to observe your child, what to watch for and where to start, the three different types of allergic reactions your child could have, the key first step to getting your child interested in food again and feeding strategies from birth to teens. She’ll teach you how to to bring joy and nourishment back to feeding your child.