Healthy Recipes Nutrient-Focused Diets High-Protein Recipes High-Protein Dinner 24 High-Protein Dinner Recipes to Make Forever By Camryn Alexa Wimberly Camryn Alexa Wimberly Camryn Wimberly is EatingWell's Editorial Fellow. As a food and mental health blogger, Camryn explores how food and cooking can help improve mental health and also be an avenue to connect with one's culture and heritage. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on September 16, 2024 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, is nutrition editor for EatingWell. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Close Photo: Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lindsey Lower If you’re searching for delicious meals to get out of a cooking rut, these healthy dinner recipes are the key! Each dish is high in protein with at least 15 grams per serving. Protein is an important nutrient since it helps repair muscles, energize your body, regulate digestion and so much more. Plus, these recipes are popular with EatingWell readers, having earned four- and five-star reviews. Try some of these highly rated mains like our Buffalo Cauliflower Grain Bowl and Marry Me Chickpeas to end your day with a satisfying meal that’s full of protein. 01 of 24 Crispy Chicken Rice Bowl Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel This crispy chicken rice bowl is a delightful dinner that combines crispy breaded chicken cutlets with brown rice and tender-crisp veggies. The refreshing mint sauce is the star of the dish, bringing a burst of cool, zesty freshness. We love the combination of cooked zucchini, fresh cabbage, cherry tomatoes and shredded carrot to finish the dish, but any combination of your favorite fresh or cooked vegetables will work. View Recipe 02 of 24 Buffalo Cauliflower Grain Bowl Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lindsey Lower This Buffalo cauliflower grain bowl is a delicious and healthy alternative to traditional Buffalo wings, packing plenty of gut-healthy fiber and plant-based protein. It features a variety of fresh and colorful vegetables on a bed of precooked brown rice to keep prep speedy. Feel free to swap out the rice for another whole grain. View Recipe 03 of 24 Shrimp Lettuce Wraps Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist Tucker Vines Enjoy these shrimp lettuce wraps filled with crisp veggies and juicy shrimp sautéed with garlic and soy sauce. This light and flavorful dish is perfect for a weeknight meal or weekend gathering. Sambal oelek, a spicy chile paste known for its vibrant red color and intense heat, adds an extra kick. Reduce or omit it to adjust the heat to your liking. View Recipe 04 of 24 Marry Me Chickpeas Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle, Food Stylist: Renu Dhar We put a vegetarian spin on Marry Me Chicken, a dish typically consisting of chicken coated in a sun-dried tomato cream sauce, by swapping in fiber-packed chickpeas as the main ingredient. From the creamy chickpeas to the umami-laden sun-dried tomatoes, you’ll want to sop up every last bit of sauce. To riff on this recipe, you could swap the chickpeas for white beans, like cannellini or navy. View Recipe 05 of 24 Grilled Zucchini & Halloumi Pitas Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless This grilled halloumi pita is summer-ready with tender-crisp zucchini, fresh tomatoes and smoky halloumi cheese. You can prepare this sandwich inside using a grill pan, or outside using a gas grill. You can grill halloumi cheese just like you would any other protein (it doesn’t melt); letting it cook undisturbed makes it release from the grill pan easily. View Recipe 06 of 24 Roasted Cabbage Caesar Salad with Chicken Photographer: Stacy k. Allen, Props: Christina Brockman, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf This warm and inviting salad swaps crunchy romaine lettuce for sweet roasted cabbage in a fun twist on Caesar salad. To make this main-dish cabbage salad vegetarian, opt for vegetarian or vegan Worcestershire, leave out the anchovy paste from the dressing, and use cubed tofu in place of the chicken. View Recipe 07 of 24 Ham & Spinach Quiche Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hauser This ham and spinach quiche is ideal for any meal, from brunch to dinner and all the moments in between. This quiche skips the crust, making it incredibly easy to pull together even on short notice. Swap out the Cheddar cheese for Gruyère or use Swiss chard in place of the spinach for a slightly different spin. View Recipe 08 of 24 Skillet Bruschetta Chicken Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster This flavorful skillet chicken bruschetta puts a tasty spin on a traditional dish. Drawing inspiration from the Italian appetizer, we replace the usual toasted bread with protein-packed chicken cutlets. The vibrant and juicy chopped tomato topping remains a constant, complemented by a drizzle of sweet and tangy balsamic glaze. For an added layer of flavor, serve topped with shaved Parmesan cheese or add some chopped olives to the tomato mixture for a briny kick. View Recipe 09 of 24 Tajín Shrimp Tacos with Cabbage Slaw Greg DuPree Tajín, a Mexican chile-lime seasoning, adds a spicy and acidic punch to sweet and mild shrimp. Opt for a low-sodium chile-lime seasoning, or improvise by combining chili powder, a little lime zest and a healthy squeeze of lime juice. Look for pineapple that’s already been peeled and cored for speedier prep. View Recipe 10 of 24 Crustless Caprese Quiche Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell This light and fluffy crustless quiche is dotted with tomatoes, little bites of melty mozzarella and savory pesto. And the best part—it’s mixed, assembled and baked in a pie plate for easy cleanup. Enjoy as an easy breakfast or brunch option or serve for lunch or dinner with a mixed green salad on the side. View Recipe 11 of 24 Creamy Caramelized Cabbage Pasta Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Lexi Juhl In this comforting vegetarian dinner, cabbage is sautéed in butter until it caramelizes, imparting a subtle sweetness to the dish. A light, creamy sauce coats both the cabbage and the pasta. If you want to stretch the sauce a little further, you can thin it out by adding in a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water. View Recipe 12 of 24 Easy Tofu Curry Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Rishon Hanners, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless Baking the tofu for this protein-packed tofu curry adds texture and helps the tofu hold its shape once added to the sauce. The curry itself is smooth and creamy, with warmth from the spices and some kick from Madras curry powder and jalapeño. If you want to dial down the spice level, swap out the Madras curry powder for regular curry powder. Tearing the tofu by hand helps the curry sauce cling onto all the craggy bits, but if desired, you could cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes instead. View Recipe 13 of 24 Mustard-Dill Grilled Salmon & Vegetables Photographer: Carson Downing, Food stylist: Annie Probst, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek In this easy grilled salmon recipe, the salmon is cooked on a cedar plank, one of the most foolproof ways of grilling. We call for zucchini, tomatoes and onion, but feel free to use your favorite vegetables instead. View Recipe 14 of 24 15-Minute Pesto Shrimp Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Ana Kelly, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen This versatile and quick pesto shrimp can be served alongside a hunk of crusty bread, over pasta or rice, or even used as a topping for pizza. Look for shrimp that are free from preservatives, which can alter the texture and add sodium to the dish. We like the brightness and fresh flavor of refrigerated pesto, but a homemade classic basil pesto will make the dish extra special. View Recipe 15 of 24 Chickpea Pasta with Mushrooms & Kale Greg DuPree Loading up your pasta with vegetables like the kale and mushrooms here is not only delicious, it also makes the meal more satisfying. View Recipe 16 of 24 Pistachio-Crusted Halibut Ali Redmond A layer of pistachios combined with panko breadcrumbs on top of the halibut fillets provides a delicious crunch and a pop of vitamin B6, a nutrient important for blood sugar regulation. We like the firm texture and mild flavor of halibut, but cod, haddock or tilapia can be used in its place. View Recipe 17 of 24 Cajun-Spiced Tofu Tostadas with Beet Crema Photographer / Jacob Fox, Food styling / Sue Mitchell, Food Styling / Kelsey Bulat Crumbled tofu spiced up with Cajun seasoning is layered onto these tostadas with a juicy mango slaw. A dollop of sour cream zhuzhed up with beet and lime adds even more flavor. Look for precooked beets in the produce department of your grocery store. View Recipe 18 of 24 Chicken Milanese with Arugula-Cherry Tomato Salad Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco Chicken Milanese, referring to the city of Milan, Italy, where the dish is believed to have originated, features breaded and pan-fried chicken cutlets usually served with a side salad and a generous squeeze of lemon. Here we stick (mostly) to tradition, but we skip the pan-frying in favor of cooking the chicken in the oven. Preheating the pan helps get a nice crispy crust on one side, so it’s important not to skip that step. View Recipe 19 of 24 Roasted Tofu & Broccoli with Peanut-Curry Sauce Jacob Fox Pressing the tofu before roasting rids it of some excess moisture for crispy results. If you have the time, let it sit for more than 10 minutes—the longer it's pressed, the better! View Recipe 20 of 24 Sausage & Kidney Bean Soup Lee Harrelson Sausage, kidney beans and vegetables make this 30-minute soup a filling dinner in a bowl. View Recipe 21 of 24 Red Lentil Fritters with Ginger-Yogurt Sauce Charlotte and Johnny Autry Here we soak lentils instead of fully cooking them, which gives them just enough added moisture to be whirred up into a fritter without being too wet. Serve these curry-spiced fritters on top of a green salad or tucked into a pita. View Recipe 22 of 24 Caprese Stuffed Chicken Breast Sandwiches Matthew Francis This caprese stuffed chicken breast features the classic ingredients of a caprese salad—juicy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, basil and balsamic vinegar—nestled into a seasoned and cooked chicken breast that can be picked up and eaten like a sandwich. The perfect chicken breast for this recipe is small, but avoid thin-cut breasts so you can slice them open easily. You can trim a regular chicken breast down to the right size, or cut a large 8-ounce breast in half crosswise to get two smaller pieces. View Recipe 23 of 24 Vegan Quinoa Chili Photographer / Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist / Christine Kelly, Food Stylist / Karen Rankin This light but filling vegan quinoa chili is packed with fresh veggies, with quinoa and black beans adding protein and fiber. Complete this easy one-pot dinner with vegan cheese, dairy-free yogurt or your favorite chili toppings. View Recipe 24 of 24 Mushroom Orzo with Lemon & Parmesan Photographer / Fred Hardy, Food Stylist / Ruth Blackburn This mushroom orzo with lemon and Parmesan is a creamy dish rich with flavor thanks to mushrooms and a velvety smooth sauce. Enjoy this cozy pasta dish with a glass of wine. View Recipe Medically reviewed by Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, is nutrition editor for EatingWell. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit