Top High Protein Recipes for Easy Weeknight Meals
These High Protein recipes call for basic ingredients and cooking methods that may appeal to new cooks looking for low-cost meal ideas that don't require hard-to-find ingredients. Other recipes in this collection include slow cooker chicken with peppers, skillet beef stir-fry, baked chicken nuggets, skillet flatbread, gyro, smoothie, and rice and soup dishes that are flavorful and simple to prepare at home.
Why These High-Protein Recipes Work
- Common Foods: Chicken, ground beef, cottage cheese, peanut butter, rice, and other canned or packaged seasonings are common foods.
- Cooking Ideas: Try slow cooker meals, baked chicken, skillet flatbreads, and smoothies and other blended dishes. Add other dishes as desired.
- Cooking Techniques That Don't Require Skill: Recipes with marination and other slow-cooking techniques that help make food flavorful.
- Diverse Meal Options, Database materials include recipes for wraps, bowls, nuggets, flatbreads, and a smoothie to add variety to protein-containing foods.
1. Crockpot Pepper Steak with Tender Sirloin and Savory Pepper Sauce
Choose beef sirloin strips or tips or other prepared products labeled for stir-fry use for the tenderest meat in this Crockpot Pepper Steak recipe. Use a slow cooker to prepare a satisfying main dish with beef and sliced bell peppers and onions in a sauce flavored with soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey, and ginger. Hot beef broth helps dissolve bouillon and other sauce ingredients, including soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey, ginger, other seasonings, and cornstarch or flour. The sauce is poured over sirloin steak and topped with sliced peppers and onions and raw garlic. Bell peppers add bulk and color to the dish. A sweet onion or yellow onion adds mild flavor. When starting the recipe, the slow cooker may seem dry compared to other dishes, but the beef and other vegetables add moisture during the cooking process. The finished dish should be saucy and tender when eaten. Other potential problems with this recipe include overcooking and soggy bell peppers. To help prevent soggy bell peppers, cook them for 30 to 60 minutes near the end of the recipe. Served with white, basmati, or brown rice; noodles; or mashed or baked potatoes. Can also be served without additional toppings or sides. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in airtight containers. Store leftovers in the freezer in freezer-safe containers. Reheat in the microwave or oven.
2. Cottage Cheese Flatbread with Soft Centers and Golden Toasted Spots
These cottage cheese flatbreads are a quick lunch or side dish to make four puffy skillet flatbreads. The four flatbreads are lightly browned and puffy in places and can be served as wraps or sandwiches or in soups or curries and other dishes, including pizza crust. Cottage cheese, all-purpose flour, egg, baking powder, salt, and olive oil are combined to make the dough mixture. Cottage cheese helps keep the dough moist and soft. Mix the dough until it is workable and slightly sticky. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, covered. Egg and baking powder help hold patty ingredients together during cooking. Make handful-sized balls of dough and flatten them. Olive oil will prevent the patties from sticking to the pan during cooking. Mix the dough only enough to knead it into a ball. Excessive mixing of the dough will result in tough flatbreads. Cooked flatbreads should have some browned areas and be slightly puffed and crunchy on the outside with a toasted aroma. To cook flatbreads that are not fully cooked inside, lower the heat and continue to cook. To cook flatbreads that do not brown on the outside, increase the heat of the pan slightly. Cook one flatbread at a time to keep the heat level in the pan consistent. Cover cooked breads with a towel to prevent drying and serve with other dishes such as curries, soups, and yogurt- or cheese-based dips and spreads, including hummus. Bread is typically served warm. Leftover breads will keep for up to two days in an airtight container and can be reheated in a pan for the best texture.
3. Slow Cooker Peanut Chicken With Thai-Inspired Peanut Sauce
Make this recipe for four using a meal planning service. Chop vegetables and prepare sauce one day before serving. Place chicken in the slow cooker on the day you plan to serve. Slow Cooker Peanut Chicken includes chicken cooked in peanut sauce with Thai ingredients and other ingredients, including red bell pepper, lime, and cilantro, for extra flavor. Creamy or chunky peanut butter is mixed with chicken broth, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, and other ingredients. Chicken breasts are baked with diced peppers, onions, and garlic, topped with a peanut butter mixture. The recipe recommends natural peanut butter for better flavor. Red peppers provide sweetness that complements the flavor of the sauce. After slow cooking, the chicken will be fully cooked and covered with mixed peanut sauce rather than separate stripes of peanut butter and broth. Mix the peanut sauce thoroughly before adding it to the chicken to avoid issues with texture. Chicken thighs without bones may be used instead of chicken breasts, though boneless chicken thighs take longer to cook, according to the recipe. Add lime juice and fresh cilantro to chicken after cooking. Enjoy with rice, noodles, or other vegetables. Store leftovers, including sauce, in airtight containers for future meals.
4. Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets with Crispy Almond Flour Breading
For a family dinner, these baked chicken nuggets are a tasty variation on a traditional meal, with a crunchy-browned coating made from almond flour. Bite-sized pieces of chicken breast are marinated in dill pickle juice and seasoned with garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, and other spices rather than deep-fried. The pickle juice marinade is the best choice because it adds flavor to the chicken during baking. Drain the chicken before dipping it in a beaten egg and almond flour mixture. Season the almond flour coating with garlic powder, paprika, sea salt, and black pepper. Almond flour is used instead of other types of flour for the coating. In addition to baking time, look for a golden-brown, crispy coating and fully cooked chicken in the nuggets. Flip the nuggets at the 10-minute mark to promote even browning. Other issues with this recipe include dense, underbrown nuggets from too much egg. Try wiping away the excess egg before rolling the nuggets in almond flour. Serve nuggets with honey mustard, vegan ranch, healthy barbecue sauce, or healthy Chick-Fil-A sauce. Good side dishes for an informal meal include sweet potato fries, turnip fries, jicama fries, macaroni and cheese, roasted Brussels sprouts, sautéed green beans, and kale crunch salad.
5. PB&J Protein Smoothie with Frozen Strawberries
Peanut butter is one of the ingredients in this PB&J protein smoothie. I like this smoothie as a quick breakfast or anytime I want a drink with peanut butter and fruit. Frozen strawberries give the smoothie a jam-like taste. Vanilla protein powder adds protein to the smoothie. Frozen strawberries are a good choice because they provide fruit flavor and frozen ingredients for the smoothie without added sugars and other ingredients that contribute PB&J flavor (without needing to add ice to the smoothie). Vanilla powder is another flavorful addition, and you can view and measure all ingredients before preparing the smoothie. Ingredient order is important. Place almond milk in the blender first, then frozen strawberries, peanut butter, and powder. The liquid will help the blender get the other ingredients before the frozen ones. Blend until the finished drink is smooth and does not leave strawberry bits in the glass. Each smoothie ingredient has a specific role. I do not include any additional ingredients in the smoothie. Peanut butter acts as a binder in the smoothie. Frozen strawberries provide fruit flavor. Vanilla powder acts as a binder for all smoothie ingredients (vanilla is a sandwich flavor). The smoothie tastes similar to a peanut butter and strawberry sandwich without bread and jam. It takes 7 minutes to make the smoothie.
6. Easy Oyakodon: Japanese Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl With Silky Dashi Sauce
Prepare oyakodon, a Japanese recipe for four, by seasoning the chicken and mixing the dashi sauce ahead. Serve the other components, including eggs and rice, hot or at another temperature. Oyakodon is made with chicken thighs, onions, and a glossy, tasty dashi-based egg sauce. This dish would be suitable as a planned lunch or dinner. Boneless skin-on chicken thighs are marinated in soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, black pepper, and cornstarch. Cornstarch helps the other marinade ingredients adhere to the chicken. Sliced onions are cooked in the same pan. Dashi or chicken or vegetable broth and soy sauce and mirin are added. Soy sauce and vegetarian oyster sauce add sweetness and umami, while the stock forms the sauce base. Boneless skin-on chicken thighs are added and simmered before lightly beaten eggs are added to the pan. The onions need to be sautéed and fragrant by the time the chicken is nearly cooked and browned, flavored by drippings from the pan. Raw eggs added to the sauce when it simmers and covered without stirring will cook. Typical mistakes include overcooking the eggs. Add the eggs as one of the final steps in the recipe, just before serving. Serve the chicken, onion, egg, and sauce over hot rice garnished with chopped green onion. To serve separate portions with equal amounts of sauce, which will soak into the rice, you may need to set aside the garnish. You can use a ladle to portion out the food in the pan, adding onion and sauce to each portion.
7. Easy Chicken Gyros with Lemon, Garlic, and Crisp Edges
Easy Chicken Gyros make a quick pita-based meal for gyros lovers who don't have access to a rotisserie chicken. Boneless chicken thighs are arranged in a loaf pan and baked with toppings and spices, including lemon, garlic, yogurt, oregano, and other Greek flavors. The inside remains juicy, and the outside browns and crisps. Eleven boneless, skinless chicken thighs are coated with olive oil, lemon zest and juice, chopped garlic, salt, dried oregano, Greek seasoning mix, and plain yogurt. The key cooking method is to arrange the chicken thighs on their sides in a loaf pan to mimic spit-roasting and keep the thighs from falling off the baking sheet. When roasting an uncovered chicken, look for signs of browning and thighs tucked into the pan. Problems with uncovered roasting include excess juices in the pan to prevent browning. You might have to drain some juices and reserve them to continue roasting until the chicken browns or broil at the end of roasting time. Watch the chicken carefully when broiling because it browns quickly. Serve chicken with warm pita and cucumbers, tomatoes, arugula, and tzatziki or other dishes, including rice and vegetables, Greek lemon potatoes, and salad. Include olives and feta cheese and pickled red onions as more options. Store leftover chicken for a later meal by refrigerating it, covered, and gently reheating it to avoid making browned edges of the chicken tough.
8. Creamy Gochujang Broth Bowls with Crispy Sesame Beef
To prepare four servings of food, serve steamed rice, caramelized ground beef, and hot gochujang broth with a creamy texture. Low-fat cottage cheese puree is used to thicken the broth. Ground beef provides a spicy, sweet, sesame flavor and caramelized texture. Combine cottage cheese, low-sodium chicken broth, and gochujang to make a puree and warm gently in a pan. Ingredients for the beef topping include green onions, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, optional white miso, and maple syrup. Add the beef topping ingredients to cooked beef; topping ingredients will caramelize on the bottom of the pan instead of forming a gravy over the beef. Simmer the broth, stirring frequently. There is no need to boil the broth. To cook the beef, brown one side for two to three minutes, then break it up. Let the beef in the sauce sit for a while undisturbed. You want to achieve a browned, crunchy layer at the bottom of the pan. The main downside of stirring the beef too soon is loss of the crunchy layer. Serving size: one cup of rice and one cup of soup broth with one-quarter of the beef. Top servings with sliced cucumber and green onions and sesame seeds. Store leftover beef and broth together and prepare fresh rice at a later time to keep rice from becoming soggy with soup broth.
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