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Pulses for Kids

Pulses are the nutritionally-dense edible seeds of legumes, including dry peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas. No matter the variety, pulses have unique nutrient compositions that provide your students with high-quality, plant-based nutrition that can fit in your school lunch or breakfast program.

Recipes For Schools

Level Up Lunch Time

Dry beans, dry peas, lentils, and chickpeas are rich in fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals, and help meet National School Lunch Program Guidelines (NSLP). Pulses can credit as either vegetables (beans and peas sub-category) or meat/meat alternates under the NSLP. In the School Breakfast Program guidelines, they can also count toward the fruit requirement. From breakfast to lunch and Ă  la carte meals, pulses are a versatile addition. USA Pulses offers a variety of school foodservice recipes to inspire your next menu.

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Learn With Pulses Resources

Pulses in the Classroom

Educating students about the food they eat goes beyond the cafeteria. Find activity pages, science projects and lesson plans to bring pulses into the classroom and home.

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Testimonials

Pulses are student-approved!

From Maine to California, students taste-tested and gave their feedback — giving you even more reasons to add pulses to your menu.

  • ”Served on a tortilla chip, students at Los Osos Middle School tasted the Nacho Average Lentil Taco. This vegan recipe was a huge hit among students looking for more plant-based options! Students commented that she would eat this again if it were served on the lunch menu because it was a new and interesting vegan recipe!”

    Los Osos Middle School

    San Luis Obispo, California

    Recipe: Nacho Average Lentil Taco

  • “The Orange Sriracha Protein Bowl was served in the high school and elementary school – students “loved” the recipe, according to school nutrition director, Michele Carter. She customized the recipe by including the spicy sriracha sauce on the side for her high schoolers. For the elementary schoolers, the recipe was served deconstructed – with the rice-pulse mixture kept separate from the chicken and the broccoli.
    This recipe uses split peas, which were a new ingredient for some of her staff. She recommends reviewing the recipe with chefs and line cooks to make sure they are comfortable with it and offering training when using new ingredients.”

    Park County High School

    Livingston, Montana

    Recipe: Orange Sriracha Protein Bowl

  • “The Farmer’s Meatball Sandwich was served to middle and high schoolers during lunch. They were offered a sample of the sandwich – one meatball on a slice of baguette. Students absolutely loved this recipe – rating it a “1000 on a scale of 1 to 10” and asking for it to be served again on the menu!

    Since the taste tasting, the district has gone on to serve this recipe again! This time, for a board meeting catered by the school nutrition team.”

    Windham Middle & High School

    Windham, Maine

    Recipe: Farmer’s Meatball Sandwich

Tips for Serving Pulses in School Meals

Smart, Practical Ideas

Looking for easy ways to to include more pulses in your menus? Our powerhouse crops make it easy to serve nutritious, flexible options kids will love. Check out our quick tips to see how dry peas, lentils, chickpeas, and beans can credit as both vegetables and meat alternates in school meals.

Pulses credit in the Meat/Meat Alternate category or in the vegetable category, in the beans and peas subgroup. Dry or canned beans, dry peas, lentils, chickpeas, hummus and oh-so much more can help you meet National School Lunch Program guidelines.

Vegetable Subgroup

Vegetable Subgroup

Grades K-12: minimum of 1/2 cup beans/peas weekly

Chickpeas, beans, lentils and split peas may be added to smoothies and credit towards the vegetable

Meat/Meat Alternate

Meat/Meat Alternate

1/2 cup of beans, chickpeas, lentils, dry peas = 2 oz. meat/meat alternate
1/4 cup of beans, chickpeas, lentils, dry peas = 1 oz. meat/meat alternate

Resources for your Cafeteria

Serving nutritious meals is an important part of education too. Find recipes, menu ideas, and resources to help you incorporate pulses into your school lunch and breakfast programs.

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