20 High-Protein, Vegetarian Meals in 3 Steps or Less
Add these whole grains to your weekly diet for a protein flavor boost! Each serving contains at least 15 grams of protein, a nutrient that helps control weight, promotes satiety and can reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure. Not to mention, all of these dishes are ready in three steps or less to help make mealtime a breeze. Choices like Melting Cherry Tomato & Mozzarella Pasta or Pea Pesto Gnocchi with Burrata make a hearty dinner that everyone will enjoy.
Melting Cherry Tomato & Mozzarella Pasta
Ali Redmond
This simple but delicious pasta dish combines cherry tomatoes and mozzarella, highlighting their natural sweetness and the creamy, gooey mozzarella. Mozzarella pearls are the perfect size to add to the finished dish. If you can’t find them, fresh grated mozzarella will work just fine.
Pea Pesto Gnocchi with Burrata
Here we pan-fry the gnocchi to make them crispy, then coat them in a pesto-like sauce made with sweet peas, spinach, basil and cashews.
High Protein Tomato, Mozzarella and Arugula Sandwich
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: LIndsey Lower
This vegetarian sandwich is packed with protein, thanks to the delicious mozzarella cheese and lots of walnuts mixed with roasted red peppers. The spread, reminiscent of romesco sauce, is versatile and can also be used as a dip or sauce, adding depth and complexity to dishes such as grilled meats, seafood and vegetables, or with a topping for pasta.
Spinach, Feta & Artichoke Tater Tot Casserole
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell
This dinner casserole made with eggs is assembled and placed in a single baking dish, making prep (and cleanup!) Potatoes rolled on top add a crispy, golden crust. Be sure to squeeze as much moisture as possible from the frozen artichoke hearts and spinach to prevent the casserole from turning soggy. If you can’t find frozen artichoke hearts, you can use canned ones – make sure you wash them well to remove any excess salt.
Baked Feta & Tomato Chickpeas
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell
This easy baked feta casserole recipe turns cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, and chickpeas into a delicious, protein-rich vegetarian dish. After baking, it makes a delicious tomato-olive oil sauce that is perfect for mixing pita bread. Feta cheese in brine melts more easily than dry, crumbled feta, so it’s worth looking for. For a different take, replace the chickpeas with white kidney beans.
5-Ingredient Brie and Blackberry Jam Cheese Grilled
Photography: Rachel Marek, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco
This irresistible sandwich combines delicious Brie cheese with a sweet and savory jam for a quick lunch or dinner. You can easily double the recipe, or use a sandwich press if you have one.
Grilled Cabbage Cheese
Artist: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall
This warm Cabbage Grilled Cheese features melted cheese, soft cabbage, and delicious sweet apple slices. This sandwich is an easy lunch or dinner winner served with a green salad. A light layer of mayonnaise on the outside of the bread is a great way to grill the grilled cheese to a golden brown without relying on butter. We love Savoy cabbage that is soft, sweet, but this recipe will work with red or green cabbage.
Crustless Caprese Quiche
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell
This light and fluffy quiche has tomatoes, a slight bite of melty mozzarella and a delicious pesto. And the best part – it’s mixed, assembled and placed in a pie plate for easy cleanup. Enjoy as a light breakfast or brunch option or serve for lunch or dinner with a mixed green salad on the side.
Bake Slow-Cooker Sun-Dried Easter & Spinach Pasta
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell
This easy vegetable pasta is high in protein and comes together effortlessly in the slow cooker, for an easy one-pot meal. A combination of sun-dried tomatoes, sun-dried tomato pesto and lots of vegetables provide a combination of sweet and savory flavors in every bite. Feel free to replace the sun-dried tomato pesto with basil pesto, which gives a new twist on the dish.
One Pot Lentils and Rice with Spinach
This delicious vegan dish gets its earthy flavor from cumin and brown rice. If you can handle more heat, try doubling the crushed red pepper for more flavor.
The Best Veggie Enchiladas
Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food stylist: Holly Dresman, Prop stylist: Joseph Wanek
These veggie enchiladas are filled with sweet corn, onions, peppers, zucchini and beans and topped with store-bought enchilada sauce to save on prep time. Enchilada sauce varies from mild to hot. We love the earthy flavor of red enchilada sauce, but green enchilada sauce works just as well. For a slightly different spin, substitute yellow squash for the zucchini and poblano for the bell pepper.
Linguine with a delicious Mushroom Sauce
Brie Passano
Delicious mushroom linguine is ready in 40 minutes, so it’s quick enough for a simple weeknight recipe but sounds great for entertaining.
Slow-Cooker Three-Bean Chili Mac
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell
Chili meets mac and cheese in this slow cooker dinner. Hot tomato sauce, a Mexican canned tomato sauce that includes spices and cheeses for heat, kicks up the flavor. If you can’t find hot tomato sauce, regular canned tomato soup with a tablespoon of chili powder mixed in is a good substitute. You can cook the pasta separately and add it at the end of cooking, or use an alternative method of cooking pasta in a slow cooker with a few modifications listed below.
White Bean, Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo Casserole with Lemon & Feta
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This one-pot pasta dish with white beans, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes is sweet and savory and leaves you with an easy cleanup. Beating the orzo before adding the broth adds another flavor. Another dark leafy green like chopped kale or Swiss chard can stand in for spinach, but it can take longer to dry in a pan. If using hard greens, add them to the pan during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Eggs of Purgatory
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle
Eggs Purgatory, very popular with Italians, involves cooking eggs in a delicious tomato sauce (in some regional varieties) and can go well with breakfast, lunch or dinner. Our version has anchovies for added flavor, and baby spinach to pack it in with the other vegetables.
Caprese pasta salad
This bright and fresh caprese pasta salad is paired with a light and creamy dressing, with fresh mozzarella pearls adding flavor to each bite.
Crustless Spinach & Asparagus Quiche with Gruyère
This light but filling spinach-and-asparagus recipe features lots of greens grilled with creamy Gruyère cheese. Enjoy a slice for dinner with a side salad or as part of a simple spring brunch.
Chickpea Pasta with Mushrooms and Kale
Topping your pasta with vegetables like kale and mushrooms here is not only delicious, it also makes the meal more satisfying.
Vegan Quinoa Chili
This light but filling quinoa chili is full of fresh vegetables, with quinoa and black beans adding protein and fiber. Top this easy one-pot meal with vegan cheese, dairy-free yogurt or your favorite chili sauce.
Green Goddess Grain Bowl
This healthy whole grain bowl tosses greens with peas, asparagus and a delicious yogurt dressing. Tofu adds protein while keeping it vegetarian, but you can also swap it out with shrimp or cooked chicken for a satisfying dinner or lunch that can be prepared in just 15 minutes.
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