Hammy omelette wrap

Operation empty lunch boxes: say hello to the egg and tortilla wrap

Tired of opening your kids’ lunch boxes at the end of the day (or worse, the end of the weekend) and finding the food uneaten? We hear you! We’re all about empty lunch boxes here and one of the easiest ways to achieve that is to get the kids involved in making their lunches. Now, we know time is tight, so we suggest doing some prep on Sundays for the week ahead and getting the kids to help in the kitchen: think simple recipes that can be stored in the fridge like healthy zucchini slice or quick ham frittatas. For later in the week, pull out make-ahead sandwiches from the freezer. For Mondays, try these ham and cheese wraps that have an omelette layered in, too. The kids can choose their toppings and help with the rolling. 

Why omelettes are so good in a lunch box

This recipe is an easy twist on a classic egg salad wrap or basic ham wrap, and adding omelettes is a creative way to fuel the kids for the afternoon ahead. The best thing about omelettes is they’re versatile – we’ve made ours with ham, corn, cheese and herbs but you can use anything you have left over in the fridge (hello, zero waste cooking!). Try shredded chicken, capsicum, mushroom, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley… you name it. Plus, omelettes are pretty budget-friendly, too. To turn it into an omelette wrap that’s lunch-box friendly, we’ve rolled it in a tortilla. 

Looking for more ideas? There's lots of nutritious variety and clever ideas to keep even the fussiest of eaters satisfied with our collection of easy lunch box recipes.

Top tips for how to make the perfect omelette

If you set out to make an omelette but end up with scrambled eggs, listen up. Start with your frying pan on medium heat, not high – if you cook the omelette too fast it will be hard and crisp instead of soft and tender. When you add the egg, swirl the pan to coat the base and use a fork to gently move the egg around. If there is a gap in the egg over the base of the pan, tilt the pan so the uncooked egg runs into that space. After about 30 seconds, stop swirling. Add your toppings. The egg should still be a little uncooked at this point. 

For this recipe, we don’t flip the omelette, which is good news because that’s where people can come unstuck. Cover the frying pan after you’ve added the toppings and keep cooking until the egg is cooked. Watch Curtis Stone make the ultimate easy omelette using a similar technique (although, instead of covering the pan, he finishes his omelette under the grill). Once done, it should slide out of the frying pan easily but if it is sticking, gently run a spatula under the egg around the edge of the pan to loosen it. 

Why they’re the perfect wraps for kids to roll themselves

Now the rest is easy. Let the omelettes cool completely then place a tortilla on a clean work surface. Top the tortilla with one omelette and, starting from the edge, roll it up firmly. We secured our wrap with baking paper and kitchen twine (the kids may need help here). This will keep in the fridge like this for up to 2 days – pop the kids’ wraps in an airtight container. 

The secret to packing easy ham and cheese wraps in lunch boxes

We suggest packing an ice brick in the kids’ lunch boxes to keep the food cool until lunchtime. Pack the wrap in an airtight container inside the lunch box and add a little container of tomato chutney or tomato sauce for dipping. You’re probably thinking right now you wouldn’t mind one of these for your lunch – they also make great work lunches for adults and are perfect breakfast omelette wraps, served warm, for friends, too.