High Protein Vegetarian Dinners

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1992Leigh1992
1992Leigh1992 Posts: 100 Member
in Recipes
I was hoping anyone who regularly cooks meat-free food could share their dinner recipes.

I have found recipes posted by users here a lot better than what I find on Google, pinterest and a range of cooking sites (though I have found great recipes in these places).


I'm looking for some new high-protein vegetarian dinners under 400 calories.

I am trying to branch out and cook different things. I normally make soups, teryaki tofu or some kind of curry with pasta, cous-cous or quinoa.

I have always thought about making a second attempt at lentil patties but I find it hard to be sure that I am measuring them equally when it comes to logging.

I like to have at A LITTLE bit of non-sugary, carbohydrates (pasta, lentils, chick-peas, quinoa, ect, or really starchy vegetables).

I have become a major fan of adding plain, non-fat chobani yoghurt to curries. It makes it creamy and boosts the protein count.

But the idea of this thread is to get some new ideas for next time I go grocery shopping.

So if you have any favourite high protein vegetarian dinners, please post here.
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Replies

  • alannawass1
    alannawass1 Posts: 1
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    Tempeh is a great high protein vegetarian food, if you can find it. They sell it pre-seasoned, or you can look up easy ways to cook it online. If you aren't opposed to processed foods, there are a whole lot of delicious fake meat products, Gardein being a good brand. Other than that, there's always eggs and dairy!
  • teelynn35
    teelynn35 Posts: 239 Member
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    Bump. I'm curious as well
  • rachelrb85
    rachelrb85 Posts: 579 Member
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    Green Lentil Dish
    3/4 cup lentils, soak in water overnight, washed and drained
    1 onion, finely chopped
    50 ml extra virgin olive oil
    1 tsp cumin
    3 tbsp crushed tomatoes, canned
    1 tbsp orzo, optional
    2 cups warm chicken stock or beef stock or just water

    Saute the onion with olive oil for about 3-4 minutes. Add the lentils and saute for another 4-5 minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook for about 20-25 minutes at medium-low heat until the lentils are soften, stir occasionally. This tastes great with some greek yogurt as well.

    Makes 2-3 servings
  • jwooley13
    jwooley13 Posts: 243
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    I'm not a vegetarian, and a lot of people might consider this more of a breakfast, but here is what I had for dinner:

    Mexican Salsa Scramble

    3 X Large eggs
    2 babybell light cheese wheels (any cheese will do but it's all I had and didn't want to go to the store)
    110 g avocado, cubed (1 small avocado)
    4 tbsp TJ's Double Roasted Salsa
    1/2 lime
    2 tsp chili powder
    Salt and Pepper

    Scramble the eggs in a bowl along with the cheese, chili powder, 2 tbsp of the salsa, and salt and pepper to taste. Chop avocado and sprinkle with lime juice and a little salt and pepper. Scramble up the egg mixture, adding half of the avocado when almost cooked through. Plate and spoon the rest of the avocado and remaining 2 tbsp of salsa on top. The way I made it, it wound up being 566 calories without counting the lime juice. You could add other things like jalapeño, onion, bell pepper, or whatever and it can certainly be scaled up/down too as a breakfast, lunch, or snack!
  • rbiss
    rbiss Posts: 422 Member
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    I love beans on toast. Black beans, onion, cumin, paprika, garlic, etc. Sometimes I put on some avacado.
  • Blueseraphchaos
    Blueseraphchaos Posts: 843 Member
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    I made tofu-lentil burgers yesterday...recipe: one container of firm tofu (i had a 12.5 oz container), mashed; i cooked a cup of dry lentils in 2 1/4 cups of water, then mixed them until they were basically mush; and 1 cup of instant potato flakes. I mixed these all together in a bowl, added whatever spices i wanted (parsley, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, oregano, basil), then formed them into patties (i ended with 6 decent-sized parties), then cooked them in a skillet that had about a tablespoon of olive oil in it until they were browned.

    I've also made black bean and corn burgers by mashing some of the beans and adding bread crumbs as the binder for the black beans and whole corn kernels and whatever spices, cooked the same way.
  • Ryhenblue
    Ryhenblue Posts: 390 Member
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    Lentil Chili is one of my favorites

    Half bag of lentils cooked
    1 large can pinto beans rinsed
    1 large can tomato sauce
    1 can El Pato (it's spicy tomato sauce in a little yellow can)
    1 packet Lawry's chili mix
    I add V8 till it's the consistency I want
  • gillster2015
    gillster2015 Posts: 8 Member
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    I like making green lentil curry, using spices like turmeric and garam masala. I made one recently with cubed Paneer (cheese) & then flung in a big handful of fresh spinach when it was almost done.
    Or mixed bean burritos. I buy a few different cans and combine them so I can make the dish a few times. Chop some peppers and heat them with the beans and some chopped tomato and taco powder. Roll it in a wrap and throw some salsa and cheese on the top, then throw it in the oven for 5 until that melts.
    Not sure of the calories for these, guess you could just alter portion sizes to suit.
  • White_Pumpkin
    White_Pumpkin Posts: 12 Member
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    I am a vegetarian. Our every-week recipes are lentil soup, frittata, burritos. I have the left overs, like rice and beans with salsa and cheese for lunch.

    I've also been making a pasta dish with white beans, and cauliflower instead of pasta.I add ricotta for a creamy sauce. With a little nutmeg and maybe kale and hot pepper flakes.

    Last night I tried a eggplant dish with layers of thinly sliced eggplant, bread crumbs and cheese with lots of tomato sauce.

    There are some good salads: smitten kitchen had a great kale salad. We also like a salad with black beans, corn, avocado.

    Love getting more ideas here!

  • Noreen2014
    Noreen2014 Posts: 33 Member
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    Following
  • ljt0325
    ljt0325 Posts: 1 Member
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    i find a lot of good recipes on Oh my veggies, two peas and their pod and forks over knives.
  • z1ng
    z1ng Posts: 6 Member
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    Roasted lentils added to pasta or a salad help bring the protein content up. My two year old daugher and I love them, particularly with nutritional yeast.
  • tlharin
    tlharin Posts: 143 Member
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    Making seitan at home is pretty easy and much cheaper than buying processed "wheat meats," plus you can build in any flavor you'd like. Using a batch for burritos, fajitas, a stir fry, or tossing with veggies sauce and pasta can make for a great, protein-rich meal.

    For protein-centric meals, I use a lot of beans and am a fan of egg dinners (traditional or green shakshuka, quiches, topping an open sandwich or pile of veggies with a fried egg or two). You can also boost protein in more subtle ways: a tomato soup dinner can get a boost from a boiled egg and a piece of whole wheat toast spread with plain yogurt or hummus, a salad can always benefit from added beans and quality cheese.

    Watching ratios also helps me when I put a dinner together. When I make a quick pasta for myself I'm also usually shooting for 400-450 calories; it's easier to hit by making the protein and veggies the stars. A ratio that often works for me is 1.5 cups cooked veggies, .5-1 cup beans or lentils, a bit of sauce, and .5 cup cooked pasta (I log all ingredients to check, but this is the basic idea).
  • juliec1188
    juliec1188 Posts: 3 Member
    edited May 2015
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    Vegetarian Slow cooker lentils
    1.5 cups green lentils
    4 cups vegetable broth
    1 onion (diced)
    2 small sweet potatos cut into large chunks (yams in america I think)
    4 tablespoons green curry paste
    2 cups fresh spinach
    Salt (to taste)

    Basically throw everything except spinach into slow cooker and cook until fragrant and tender, then add spinach and serve with coconut milk and lime juice

    Note if you choose a green curry paste that doesn't have shrimp paste in it then it is also suitable for vegans
  • gkataure
    gkataure Posts: 1 Member
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    Following
  • rstein591
    rstein591 Posts: 1 Member
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    Bump
  • Misskittyfantastico
    Misskittyfantastico Posts: 35 Member
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    Not mega high protein, but high ratio of protein to carbs and cals for a quick and tasty lunch... http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10172638/warm-halloumi-potato-salad-with-mustard-dressing#latest
  • SkinnyAdele2
    SkinnyAdele2 Posts: 6 Member
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    Drain Tofu well, and dry some more with paper towels. Slice in half lengthwise, and fry in small amount of oil to brown a little. Place in pan and cover with good tomato sauce (as for spaghetti) and as much mozzarella cheese as you'd allow yourself. Bake until tofu is warm and cheese is melty and browned. Bliss. Can be adapted all sorts of ways.
  • cherylwrites1
    cherylwrites1 Posts: 1 Member
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    It's Friday night and usually our pizza night, but since trying to eat healthier, I had to come up with an alternative. I used whole wheat tortillas sprayed olive oil on both sides and baked them in a 400 degree oven until they were crisp. then I removed them, added 2 tablespoons of pizza sauce--you could make your own or you could as the recipe said use a hummus, but I chose to go with the pizza sauce and I put low fat or reduced fat Italian cheese, turkey pepperoni, some spinach leaves, black olives. Could just make it vegetarian if you wanted to. then I put it back in the oven for a minute just kind of heat it all and it was wonderful had our pizza!
  • FreakForFreeWeights
    FreakForFreeWeights Posts: 1 Member
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    This is one of my favourite tasty dinners.

    Cut bell peppers in half and put into oven to roast
    Boil some quinoa in veg stock cube (I use kallo)
    Whilst these are cooking, fry some onion, garlic and finely chopped mushrooms
    When the quinoa is cooked add to the onion, garlic and mushrooms as well as some spinach and feta.
    After a few minutes spoon the mixture into the roasted peppers and return to the oven (I judge it by sight but it's usually approx 5 minutes.

    Serve with salad :-)

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