A recipe for a Star Wars Bento Lunch Box with rice, blueberries, a cheese-shaped BB-8, hard-boiled eggs, and Death Star-shaped apple!
Disclosure: I received products from Bento&co in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Evan loves all things Star Wars and is so excited to see the newest movie, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. We can’t see it for a couple of weeks, so we made this Star Wars Bento in the meantime to celebrate.
Darth Vader Star Wars Bento Box
I packed the ingredients for the Star Wars Bento in a Star Wars Darth Vader Bento Box from Bento&co. This two-layered box includes a divider and chopsticks with a holder.
The total capacity is 670 milliliters with the bottom section holding 400 milliliters and 270 milliliters in the top. It is dishwasher and microwave safe (remove the lid before heating).
I filled the box with rice topped with a BB-8 formed out of cheese, blueberries with stars cut from additional cheese, a salad, Star Wars-themed hard boiled eggs, and a Death Star apple.
A friend of mine gave me a tip to use black rice to really make the BB-8 and eggs pop.
Cheese BB-8
The most time-consuming part of this box was the formation of the BB-8.
I cut out the circles from a sheet of nori as the base. You can either freehand it like I did or print off a BB-8 to use as a template. I used these circles as a guide to cut from the cheese slices, then arranged the nori circles over the bed of rice.
Cut two thin strips, one slightly longer than the other, and place over the top circle for the antennas.
For the smaller cheese circle, cut a small piece across the bottom to form a flat edge. Attach the cheese circles to the nori base using honey, mayonnaise, or peanut butter.
For BB-8’s head, I cut out two thin strips of nori and attach to the upper and lower parts of the smaller circle. Cut out a small circle from the nori for the eye and a smaller one to attach just below it to the right.
Add a dot of provolone cheese over the nori eye. Cut out strips of cheddar cheese and attach around the nori to finish decorating the head.
For BB-8’s body, use a small circle cutter to create two circles from the cheddar cheese slice. Use a smaller circle cutter or an exacto/paring knife to cut out the center. Cut one of the circles in half.
Attach the intact circle to the top left corner of the body. Arrange the two half along the right side and bottom.
Place a piece of nori inside each of the circles on the body. Cut out strips of nori and use to connect each of the circles.
Use a punch or scissors to cut out small circles from the nori and attach along the lines of nori to further decorate. Add little pieces of cheddar cheese around the insides of the orange circles to finish the BB-8.
Apple and Stars
I found the idea for the Death Star Apple from One Crafty Thing. Check hers out, because it is much more intricate and detailed than mine.
I first attempted to use a V-shaped fruit cutter to create the Death Star, but 3 apples and a slight knife injury later led me to just using a plain paring knife. It personally gave me a bit better control.
I just need a bit more practice on with less detailed designs using a V-shaped cutter (and perhaps a smaller size) before attempting it again.
Small cutters and punches come in handy to form some of the more intricate pieces. I used mini star cutters to cut out stars from the extra cheese slices and scattered them over the blueberries.
To separate the blueberries from the rice, I used a small red silicone square cup.
I also added a couple of lightsaber picks to the box. Evan loves using these picks to pierce blueberries and other small, soft items. As a note, they do break easily. I got a set of 12 last year and we are down to about 7.
Star Wars Bento Egg Molds
For the Star Wars Bento, I used Darth Vader and R2-D2 egg molds. These molds took me a few tries to figure out.
After working with different types of eggs, I found that the smaller ones among the large eggs work the best. The bigger larges are often too big and mediums just aren’t large enough to fill the mold. Use eggs on the older side, so they will peel more cleanly.
To prepare the eggs, place them in a pot and cover with cold water. Occasionally gently stir the eggs to move them to different sides (this will help center the yolk) and bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat and cover with a lid. Allow to sit for 10-12 minutes.
Transfer the eggs to cold water and peel them as soon as cool enough to handle (they should still be hot). If the egg has cooled completely by the time you get a chance to peel it, briefly place in hot water to reheat before placing in mold.
Open the mold and wet the surfaces with water. Add the egg in the direction that best fits. Close the mold over the egg and click it shut. Either place the closed mold in the cold water for 10 minutes or in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Gently remove the eggs once formed.
If any pieces of egg squeezed outside of the mold, use a sharp knife to gently cut away the edges.
Food Safety
Be sure to follow food safety guidelines when packing your lunch, especially if it will be stored at room temperature until lunch. Nami from Just One Cookbook has some great information on bento food safety, as does Just Bento.
For rice: Only use freshly steamed or frozen rice to pack in your bento. Make sure it has been cooled to room temperature before adding the rest of the ingredients and closing the lid.
When handling the ingredients, use clean utensils and gloves. Wash everything well and avoid touching items with your bare hands. I personally find chopsticks and tweezers easier for placing small decorations and assembling things like the BB-8.
More Ideas
Enjoyed this Star Wars Bento and looking for more Bento ideas?
Try my:
Star Wars Bento Recipe
Adapted from One Crafty Thing
Star Wars Bento
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked Japanese short grain rice
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup blueberries
- 1 sheet nori
- 2 slices provolone or other white cheese
- 2 slices orange cheddar cheese
- Honey, mayonnaise, or peanut butter to keep cheese in place
- 1/2 cup desired salad mix dressing packed in a separate container
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 apple
- Juice from 1 lemon
Instructions
To make the rice:
- Rinse the rice in cold water until the water runs clear. Soak the rice in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain for 15 minutes.
- Cook the rice in a rice cooker according to manufacturer’s instructions or place the rice and 2/3 cup water in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover, and cook until all the water has been absorbed, 10-13 minutes. Remove from heat, leave the cover on, and allow to rest for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the cover, fluff the rice with a fork or rice scooper, and allow to cool slightly.
- Pack the rice into 1/2-2/3rds of the bottom tier of the bento box. Use a divider or container if desired to keep the rice separate from the blueberries. Allow the rice to cool to room temperature uncovered before adding any other ingredients.
- Add the blueberries to the remaining part of the bottom tier.
To make the Cheese BB-8:
- Cut out a circle from the sheet of nori, about 3 inches across. Cut out a smaller circle, about 2 inches across. Cut out two thin strips of nori one slightly longer than the other, for the antennas.
- Use the two circles as templates to cut out circles from the slice of cheese. For the smaller cheese circle, cut a small piece across the bottom to form a flat edge. Attach the cheese circles to the nori base using honey, mayonnaise, or peanut butter.
- For BB-8’s head, cut out two thin strips of nori and attach to the upper and lower parts of the smaller circle. Cut out a small circle from the nori for the eye and a smaller one to attach just below it to the right. Add a dot of provolone cheese over the nori eye. Cut out strips of cheddar cheese and attach around the nori to finish decorating the head.
- For BB-8’s body, use a small circle cutter to create two circles from the cheddar cheese slice. Use a smaller circle cutter or an exacto/paring knife to cut out the center. Cut one of the circles in half. Attach the intact circle to the top left corner of the body. Arrange the two half along the right side and bottom.
- Place a piece of nori inside each of the circles on the body. Cut out strips of nori and use to connect each of the circles. Use a punch or scissors to cut out small circles from the nori and attach along the lines of nori to further decorate. Add little pieces of cheddar cheese around the insides of the orange circles to finish the BB-8.
- Use a mini star cutter to cut out stars from the remaining scraps of cheese. Sprinkle over the blueberries.
- Place the salad in the top tier, storing the desired dressing separately.
To make the eggs:
- Place the eggs in a small pot and cover with cold water. Occasionally stir the eggs to move them to different sides (This will help center the yolk) and bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat and cover with a lid. Allow to sit for 10-12 minutes.
- Transfer the eggs to a bowl of cold water and peel them as soon as they are cool enough to handle (they should still be hot). If the egg has cooled completely by the time you get a chance to peel it, briefly place the peeled egg in hot water to reheat before placing in the mold.
- Open the mold and lightly wet the surfaces with water. Add the egg in the direction that best fits the mold. Close the mold over the egg and click it shut. Either place the mold in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes or in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- Gently remove the eggs from the molds. If any pieces of egg squeezed outside of the mold, use a sharp knife to carefully cut away the edges and place the molded eggs in the top tier of the box over the salad.
To make the Death Star Apple:
- Place the lemon juice in a small bowl and dilute with a big splash of water.
- With a small, sharp knife, cut a side of the apple off from top to bottom, just off-center from the core to avoid any seeds and stem. Dip the cut side in the lemon juice and place on the cutting board.
- Use a small paring knife or U shaped knife to cut out a line across the center of the apple, revealing the flesh from the red skin. In the top right corner, cut out a shallow circle.
- Continue to cut out lines parallel and perpendicular to the original center line, dipping the apple in lemon juice to coat and keep the flesh from browning. Place the decorated apple over the salad, next to the eggs.
- Pack the Star Wars Bento, with an ice pack if needed, and serve within a couple of hours.
Danielle
Oh my goodness, my 8-year is a Star Wars fanatic and he would *love* this lunch! So creative.
Ayngelina
That apple is adorable, I am blown away by how creative you are and the level of detail you put into this.
Julia
Wow! What a fun idea! I bet every Star Wars fan would love this not only kids 🙂
Tracy | Baking Mischief
This is SO cute! I love creative bento boxes, and this is definitely one of my favorite ones I’ve even seen! I can only imagine how excited a Star Wars-loving kid would be to get this at lunch.
Katie | HealthySeasonalRecipes
OMG this is so creative. The death star apple is adorbs! I still have to see the newer movies. Pinning this to my Recipe ideas for Kids board.
Lauren
That’s seriously insane, Tara. I don’t know how you do it!!
Mirlene
Such a great and creative idea. My kids would go nuts for this.
Jeannette
That is SO cute. Love bento boxes, especially when they’re made with a theme and with so much love and attention! It’s seriously amazing how much flavour you can pack into a bento box. Yum!
Genevieve | Fitty Foodlicious
I’m a huge Star Wars fan and I love that this recipe is perfect for kiddos and adults. Super cute!
Beth
Such great fun especially for all my older star wars fan friends! They will love it!
Lily {Gastro Senses}
What a yummy treat! Kids and kids at heart will definitely love this.
Cynthia | What A Girl Eats
This is so stinking cute! What a great way to get kids to eat healthy!