TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
Basic Bento Rules
Build Up Your Stash
Bento Safety

MAKE-AHEAD BENTOS

1. Meatballs and mini-burgers
• Teriyaki Meatballs
• Tomato Ketchup Meatballs
• Italian Meatballs
• Sweet and Sour Meatballs
• Japanese Chicken Meatballs
• Pan-fried Meatballs and Mini-burgers
• Mediterranean-style Spiced Mini-burgers

2. Chicken
• Steamed Chicken with Sesame Sauce
• Easy Chicken "Ham"
• Chicken and Beansprouts with Umeboshi Sauce
• Crispy Fried Chicken with Chili
• Maple Chicken Teriyaki
• Grilled Garlic Chicken

3. Soboro
• Japanese Dry Curry
• Classic Japanese Soboro
• Meat Soboro with Miso and Eggplant
• Dandan-style Spicy Meat Sauce
• Bento-friendly Spicy Meat and Tofu
• Mini Shepherd's Pie
• Tuna Soboro

4. Pork
• Pork and Vegetable Rolls
• Sweet and Sour Crispy Sesame Pork
• Baked Mini-tonkatsu
• Stir-fried Miso Pork with Eggplant and Peppers
• Ginger Pork with Peppers
• Sweet and Spicy Bacon-wrapped Broccoli
• Bacon-wrapped Tofu

5. Beef
• Bibimbap
• Sesame-miso Beef
• Stir-fried Steak with Rosemary and Orange
• Roast Beef for Bentos
• Cold Roast Beef with Wasabi Ginger Sauce
• Roast Beef Salad with Southeast Asian Flavors

6. Egg
• Chicken Omu-rice
• Marinated Hard-boiled Eggs
• Egg Salad with Miso
• Japanese Rolled Omelette
• Egg Crepes
• Egg Parcels
• Mini Quiche

7. Fish
• Lemon Butter Tilapia
• Spicy Pan-fried Fish Nuggets
• Salted Salmon
• Salmon Soboro
• Tuna and Ginger Nuggets
• Salty-sweet Simmered Sardines

8. Tofu and Vegan
• Tofu Donburi Bento
• Baked Tofu
• Ginger Tofu Teriyaki
• Tofu Soboro
• Fried Tofu Roll-ups
• Bean and Pea Curry
• Green Lentils and Brown Rice

9. Rice Sandwich
• Ham and Egg Rice Sandwich
• Egg-wrapped Rice Sandwich with Bacon Rice Filling
• Rice Burger with Swiss Chard and Cheese
• Tuna Salad with Dried Shiso Leaves
• Brown Rice Sandwich with Japanese Omelette and Edamame Filling

10. Low Carb, featuring Shirataki Noodles and Konnyaku
• Stir-fried Shirataki Noodles
• Rice and Shirataki Pilaf with Shrimp
• Shirataki Chicken "Ramen" in a Lunch Jar
• Shirataki with Sesame
• Chicken and konnyaku "noodle" peperoncino
• Spicy Simmered Konnyaku

EXPRESS BENTOS
1: "Instant" Soup in a Thermal Lunch Jar
2: Mediterranean Pasta Bento
3: Yakisoba Bento
4: One-pan Bento
5: Deconstructed Taco Salad Bento
6: Wrap Bento
7: Appetizer Bento
8: Stir-fry Bento
9: Salad Bento
10: Tasty sandwich ideas

MORE RECIPES
How to Cook Rice and Other Grains Side Dishes: Vegetables
• Roast Asparagus with Balsamic Vinegar
• Asparagus with Sesame Seeds
• Asparagus Mimosa Salad
• Spicy Broccoli
• Broccoli Florets with Bacon and Garlic
• Broccoli-stalk Kinpira
• Salted Cabbage
• Carrots Cooked in Soup
• Carrot Shirishiri
• Max's Lemon Carrot Salad
• Miso-peanut Green Beans
• Sautéed Mushrooms
• Sake-steamed Mushrooms
• Tricolor Peppers with Anchovies
• Braised Pepper and Eggplant
• Caponata
• Potato and Corn Salad
• Cheesy Potatoes
• Spinach with Sweetcorn
• Spinach Namul
• Spinach with Bonito Flakes
• Marinated Vegetables
Side Dishes: Japanese Vegetables
• Burdock Root Kinpira
• Burdock Root Tataki
• Simmered Kiriboshi Daikon
• Kiriboshi Daikon Salad
• Buttery Kabocha Squash
• Lotus Root Salad
• Spicy Stir-fried Lotus Root
• Lotus-root and Tofu Burgers with Sweet and Sour Sauce
• Simmered Soy Beans with Konnyaku
• Crunchy Stir-fried Soy Beans
• Edamame Cheese
• Hijiki Seaweed with Carrots and Shiitake
• Hijiki Seaweed with Garlic
• Simmered Konbu Seaweed
• Nori Seaweed Bento
• Wakame Seaweed and Cucumber in Vinegar Sauce
• Wakame Seaweed and Beansprout Stir Fry
Little Bento Side Dishes
• Miso Soup Balls
• Tomato Soup Balls
• Decorative Sausages
• Other "Gap Fillers"
Dashi Stock Recipes
• Katsuobushi and Konbu Seaweed Dashi Stock
• Rice Sprinkles
• Konbu Seaweed Dashi Stock
• Shiitake Dashi Stock
• Chicken Stock

Tools and equipment
Types of Bento Boxes
Bento Box Accessories
Glossary
Index
Resources