High-Protein Vegetarian Recipes: Give Your Beans a Partner

Beans and lentils have real protein. They just come with a lot of carbs, so the calories climb before the protein does. Getting 30 g of protein from cooked lentils alone takes about 1⅔ cups and 386 calories. That's doable, but it's a big bowl of lentils with nothing else in it yet.

Add a food that's mostly protein and the math changes fast.

You pair for grams, not for amino acids. A 2019 review in Nutrients found that vegetarians usually get more than enough of every amino acid, as long as they eat a reasonable variety of foods and enough food overall.

Tofu and tempeh are the easiest way to a big meatless lunch or dinner, and they don't need beans to get there. Each recipe here is a single serving, made by a Solin member with Solin's AI.

Recipe	Protein from	Protein	Calories
Ginger Soy Baked Tofu with Steamed Broccoli and Brown RiceDinner	Extra-firm tofu	38 g	255
Spicy Tofu and Broccoli Stir-FryDinner	Firm tofu	50 g	491
Crispy Tempeh Power Bowl with Quinoa and Roasted BroccoliLunch	Tempeh	36 g	350
Crispy Tofu and Edamame Power Salad with Lemon Tahini DressingLunch	Extra-firm tofu and edamame	31 g	300

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  Ginger Soy Baked Tofu with Steamed Broccoli and Brown Rice

  Dinner · Extra-firm tofu

  38 g protein · 255 calories

• 
  Spicy Tofu and Broccoli Stir-Fry

  Dinner · Firm tofu

  50 g protein · 491 calories

• 
  Crispy Tempeh Power Bowl with Quinoa and Roasted Broccoli

  Lunch · Tempeh

  36 g protein · 350 calories

• 
  Crispy Tofu and Edamame Power Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

  Lunch · Extra-firm tofu and edamame

  31 g protein · 300 calories

These start with beans, lentils or chickpeas and add tofu, eggs or dairy to get past 30 g. The burgers bind black beans with egg whites. The macaroni bake uses pasta made from chickpeas and a cup of cottage cheese for the sauce.

Recipe	Protein from	Protein	Calories
Hearty Vegetarian Power BowlDinner	Lentils and chickpeas with tofu and Greek yogurt	47 g	494
Sweet Potato & Black Bean BurgersDinner	Black beans with egg whites and Greek yogurt	50 g	482
Cottage Cheese Macaroni BakeDinner	Chickpea macaroni with cottage cheese	48 g	479
Mediterranean Chickpea Salad Lettuce WrapsLunch	Chickpeas with Greek yogurt and feta	50 g	515
Black Bean Quinoa Bowl with AvocadoLunch	Black beans with Greek yogurt	39 g	413

• 
  Hearty Vegetarian Power Bowl

  Dinner · Lentils and chickpeas with tofu and Greek yogurt

  47 g protein · 494 calories

• 
  Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burgers

  Dinner · Black beans with egg whites and Greek yogurt

  50 g protein · 482 calories

• 
  Cottage Cheese Macaroni Bake

  Dinner · Chickpea macaroni with cottage cheese

  48 g protein · 479 calories

• 
  Mediterranean Chickpea Salad Lettuce Wraps

  Lunch · Chickpeas with Greek yogurt and feta

  50 g protein · 515 calories

• 
  Black Bean Quinoa Bowl with Avocado

  Lunch · Black beans with Greek yogurt

  39 g protein · 413 calories

Solin's whole recipe library follows the same pattern. Of its newest 5,000 or so recipes, about 1,300 are meatless single servings. Most are breakfasts and desserts, but look at the 143 lunches and dinners: 77 use tofu or tempeh, and 86 use beans, lentils or chickpeas. And of the 114 recipes with beans in them, all but 5 also use tofu, tempeh, seitan, eggs, dairy or protein powder.

Morning is the easy part. Egg whites, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese can get you to 30 g on their own, like the first two below. The other four add protein powder.

Recipe	Protein from	Protein	Calories
Egg White Veggie Scramble with Cottage CheeseBreakfast	Egg whites and cottage cheese	34 g	256
Cinnamon Raspberry Protein Power BowlBreakfast	Cottage cheese and Greek yogurt	49 g	300
Chia Seed Berry Yogurt BowlBreakfast	Greek yogurt and whey protein	53 g	305
Pumpkin Greek Yogurt Swirl BowlBreakfast	Greek yogurt and whey protein	55 g	422
Chocolate Yogurt Mousse CupsSnack	Greek yogurt and protein powder	34 g	263
Silky Greek Yogurt Protein Pudding with BerriesDessert	Greek yogurt and whey protein	53 g	306

• 
  Egg White Veggie Scramble with Cottage Cheese

  Breakfast · Egg whites and cottage cheese

  34 g protein · 256 calories

• 
  Cinnamon Raspberry Protein Power Bowl

  Breakfast · Cottage cheese and Greek yogurt

  49 g protein · 300 calories

• 
  Chia Seed Berry Yogurt Bowl

  Breakfast · Greek yogurt and whey protein

  53 g protein · 305 calories

• 
  Pumpkin Greek Yogurt Swirl Bowl

  Breakfast · Greek yogurt and whey protein

  55 g protein · 422 calories

• 
  Chocolate Yogurt Mousse Cups

  Snack · Greek yogurt and protein powder

  34 g protein · 263 calories

• 
  Silky Greek Yogurt Protein Pudding with Berries

  Dessert · Greek yogurt and whey protein

  53 g protein · 306 calories

If cottage cheese is your thing, there are 15 more in our cottage cheese recipes.

"It's SO hard to consume 100g of protein a day as a vegetarian," someone on r/vegetarianrecipes wrote. It gets easier when each meal does its share. Here's one way to do it with three recipes from above:

• Breakfast: Egg White Veggie Scramble with Cottage Cheese, 34 g protein, 256 calories
• Lunch: Black Bean Quinoa Bowl with Avocado, 39 g protein, 413 calories
• Dinner: Ginger Soy Baked Tofu with Steamed Broccoli and Brown Rice, 38 g protein, 255 calories

That's 111 g of protein for 924 calories, which leaves plenty of room for fruit, snacks and the rest of your day. It's an example, not a number you have to hit.

Why three meals and not one huge one? For people who lift (we hope that's you), the International Society of Sports Nutrition suggests 20 to 40 g of protein at a time, every 3 to 4 hours through the day.

Want a whole week planned like this? The free 7-day meal planner builds one from Solin's recipes around the calorie and protein goals you set.