Whether you’re trying to cut down on carbs, stay full, build lean muscle, lose weight, recharge for the day or just keep in good health, a high-protein dinner is a very smart choice. We’ve compiled 20 of the best.
Vegetarian
Just because you’re eating meat-free, doesn’t mean you can’t pack a protein punch, as these veggo recipes will attest!
1. Roast veggies with goat’s cheese and lentils
All the goodness of veggies with the power of protein courtesy of the cheese and lentils, served with a double helping of yum.
- See here for the Roast veggies with goat’s cheese and lentils recipe.
2. Thai roasted tofu with ginger basil and chilli vegetables
High-protein tofu gets a turbo-boosted flavour charge thanks to Thai herbs and spices – there’ll be no accusations of tofu blandness here!
- See here for the Thai-roasted tofu with ginger, basil and chilli vegetables recipe.
3. White bean peperonata
Tasty and easily rustled up with pantry ingredients, this is the perfect way to pack some pulse protein power into a veggo dish.
- See here for the White bean peperonata recipe.
4. Pumpkin and chickpea salad
A bright, healthy salad that is also super filling thanks to our friend the chickpea. Onya, chickpea.
- See here for the Pumpkin and chickpea salad recipe.
Eggs and cheese
Nothing like a bit of dairy goodness to up the protein factor.
5. Chorizo kale and feta frittata
You’ve got your chorizo, you’ve got your feta, you’ve got your eggs … this is a protein smorgasbord, peeps!
- See here for the Chorizo kale and feta frittata recipe.
6. Healthy bacon and vegetable frittata
Cheap, cheerful, healthy and you can bung it on the dinner table in 20 minutes flat. Plus, that whole protein thing.
- See here for the Healthy bacon and vegetable frittata recipe.
7. Crustless quiche
A delish bacon and cheese quiche without the heaviness of a crust.
- See here for the Crustless quiche recipe.
BBQ beauties
With the weather still warm, what easier way to get some protein into you than firing up the barbie?
8. Chargrilled lamb and vegetables
Quick and easy, this one also boasts being egg, gluten and lactose-free. Bit of a show-off, really.
- See here for the Chargrilled lamb and vegetables recipe.
9. BBQ pork ribs
Sticky and delicious, these finger lickin’ good pork ribs will have your family saying, “carb who?”
- See here for the BBQ pork ribs recipe.
10. Sausage salad
Bangers don’t have to be served on a slice of bread or with a side of mash, y’know. Pair them with a salad to get more bang for your banger!
- See here for the Sausage salad recipe.
Fantastic fish
You can’t go past healthy, figure-friendly fish as a perfect source of protein … and most of these have an additional hit of protein from another food source, too.
11. Barbecued salmon with asparagus
Simple but eye-rollingly good. And very proteiny. Cos that’s what this post is all about, kids!
- See here for the Barbecued salmon with asparagus recipe.
12. Dukkah-crusted salmon and chickpea salad
Multiple sources of protein here, guys. Multiple. And it’s rather fancy and a wee bit tasty too.
- See here for the Dukkah-crusted salmon and chickpea salad recipe.
13. Macadamia-crusted fish
The added protein power of nuts also lends a delectable crunch to the barramundi’s sweet flavours.
- See here for the Macadamia-crusted fish recipe.
Chicken
Our dear friend the chook has plenty of protein tucked under those little wings. And there are plenty of ways to serve it up to double up on protein power.
14. Chicken rissoles with mash and gravy
Nothing like a good old rissole to please the kiddies, paired with some mash, gravy and relish for a complete meal. And plenty of protein for everyone.
- See here for the Chicken rissoles .
15. Warm chicken, avocado and mango salad
A beautiful, light and healthy summer dish. That whole protein thing is just a bonus.
- See here for the Warm chicken, avocado and mango salad recipe.
16. Chicken and haloumi patties
With two great sources of protein, this recipe also wins for being super versatile – you can serve these babies up any number of ways.
- See here for the Chicken and haloumi patties recipe.
17. 3-ingredient dukkah chicken
What it lacks in ingredients, it makes up for in protein. Anyone else starting to get sick of seeing the word protein? Just me then …
- See here for the 3-ingredient dukkah chicken recipe.
Beaut beef
18. Beef and feta koftas
Greek-style beef mince is perfect with feta and served with a large dollop of yoghurt for extra you-know-what.
- See here for the Beef and feta koftas recipe.
19. BBQ beef san choi bao
This Asian classic combines beef mince with an irresistible Chinese barbecue sauce, all served in a delectable little lettuce cup. A sure-fire winner with the whole family.
- See here for the BBQ beef san choi bao recipe.
20. Hearty beef and quinoa stew
All the protein power of delicious chunks of beef – and betcha didn’t know that quinoa is a none-too-shabby protein source too. Sigh, is there nothing that ancient grain can’t do?
- See here for the Hearty beef and quinoa stew recipe.
Oh yum, great meals and really great protein and healthy for the whole family (if the kids would eat it haha). Our 6 year old is pretty fussy but she is willing to try new things at least, doesn’t always like them though 🙂
I never would have thought to do sausage salad! But what a great idea. Might even be a good idea for bbq session when you end up with a tonne of sausage leftover.
The tofu dish idea is looking good. I’ve always found tofu as a good alternative to meat but found it to be a little on the high side price wise for the amount that I would need for family dinners. But there are other great healthy options here too. I realised recently that carbs are really making us feel more lethargic during the day so yeah protein seems to be the way to go.
Some great ideas here, I am loving the warm chicken,avocado and mango salad, the kids would love this too. I my have to try a few of these recipes at home with the kids.
Chicken, mango and avo salad is a great idea for this season when mangoes and avocados are plentiful right now… i would definitely recommend the crustless quiche cos ita quick and easy…and very yummy..r with a growing family and these ideas means we can spend time together.
The beef and feta koftas look so delicious and don’t look too hard to make either – bonus! The pumpkin and chick pea salad also looks good but I would probably add something like pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds to the recipe.
Yummm these ideas sound absolutely delicious especially the chicken, avacodo and mango salad. Sounds supreme. Liked the idea of pumpkin and chickpea salad too that sounds pretty good. Love these ideas. We are trying to cut carbs and get healthy so these are definitely great ideas.
Yummy I love trying out new recipes and also best of all ones that don’t take a long time to make. A lot of these I would have never used before so will have to make a grocery list to ensure I have everything we need before starting. Since it’s starting slowly warm up with September almost here some new recipes will be handy too.
Loving some of these recipes! Have recently decided to jump on the keto train and doing well so far but deff needed some inspo so particular like the egg and cheese ideas and recipes and also the chicken haloumi patties.
I never understood how important protein was until reading up about keto a few months ago, we are generally a meat eating family so hadn’t thought we might lack protein but quite possibly we are and these help heaps to ensure we do as a family without being so over the top would become expensive or too time consuming