10 Protein-Packed Dinner Recipes

Dinner recipes that focus on protein are great if you’re looking to feel full longer, build muscle, or both. Protein is a very important component of your body working to repair, make enzymes/hormones, build muscle/bone, and more! Your body can’t store protein so it’s important to have a good amount of it in your daily diet. Here are 10 protein-packed dinner recipes that are delicious and full of protein and other great nutrients!

1. Salmon Burger with Quick-Pickled Cucumber Salad

This recipe gives you a tasty salmon burger and cucumber salad on the side that’s relatively easy to make and not too expensive. The cucumber salad uses cucumber, shallots, dill, vinegar, sugar, and salt & pepper to make a great side for your burger with leftovers to spare. Salmon is a great source of protein and combined with lemon juice, mustard, salt & pepper, and the other ingredients make a delicious and healthy meal. You’ll have plenty of leftovers to enjoy this recipe for the next week as well!

2. Shrimp Fried Quinoa

Dinner recipes that utilize quinoa are a great way to get plenty of protein, fiber, and other nutrients. This shrimp fried quinoa recipe takes just 30 minutes and is a great choice for a protein-packed meal. The recipe utilizes soy sauce for a great splash of flavor to both the shrimp and the quinoa. You can even swap out the shrimp for chicken if you prefer! This is a quick and easy recipe you can make for a filling, tasty, and healthy dinner.

3. Grilled Halibut & Tomato Avocado Salsa

Fish is a great source of protein and with so many different kinds you can make a variety of healthy dinner recipes. This recipe for a grilled halibut also has a delicious tomato avocado salsa that nicely compliments the fish. It should only take you about 30 minutes of prep and cook time to make this tasty dish that’s packed full of protein. 

Tofu makes a great source of protein for dinner recipes that want to be vegetarian. This recipe combines tofu with zoodles (zucchini noodles) into a tasty dish packed with protein. An interesting part of this recipe is how the zucchini noodles, or zoodles, aren’t cooked. They’re added to the dish cold to give it a creamy and crunchy taste similar to a salad. You can choose to cook them but the recipe makes the argument how they could become soggy, especially when combined with the sauce you make for this dish. Add more tofu to the recipe to make it even more protein-packed and then keep the leftovers for lunch the next day!

5. Chicken Tikka Masala

This recipe for chicken tikka masala is quick and easy and makes for a great protein-packed dinner. It should only take 30 minutes to prep and cook this tasty meal that you and your friends/family will love. The recipe highly recommends making the homemade spice blend (garam masala) to give it the perfect ratio of spices and flavor to make a great tikka masala. The combination of chicken and Greek yogurt give this recipe a good amount of protein with tasty flavors. You can even use quinoa instead of rice to make this dish even more packed with protein.

6. Garlic Brown Sugar Flank Steak with Chimichurri

Steak and red meat, in general, make a high-protein choice for your dinner recipes. Although, you don’t want to eat too much red meat too frequently to avoid the intake of too many saturated fats that are found in red meats. As long as you keep it in mind, it’s great to have some meals with red meats to give you lots of protein. This flank steak recipe uses a brown sugar and garlic marinade to give it some great, juicy flavors. The main component of this recipe, however, is the chimichurri. Chimichurri is an uncooked sauce made of parsley, cilantro, oregano, garlic, and vinegar. Blend those ingredients in a food processor and combine with some olive oil and salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to make a delicious addition to your flank steak. It can also be used for other dinner recipes so save the leftovers in your fridge! Add a salad or some veggies to this meal to make it healthier! A steak is a great option for a high-protein meal just be careful of the saturated fats in red meats so switch it up with some white meats like chicken and fish that are also high in protein but not as high in saturated fats.

This recipe is an easy protein-packed option you can grill up in no time. You marinate some chicken, cut into cubes, in a tasty, easy to make marinade for about 45 minutes or longer if more flavor is desired. Be careful not to marinate for too long as it can change the texture of the chicken. The tzatziki sauce is a main component of this recipe that gives it some tasty flavors. The sauce is made with shredded/diced cucumber, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, dill, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. After grilling your marinated chicken pieces to perfection, use your delicious tzatziki as a dipping sauce for a great meal full of protein and tasty flavors!

See Also

10 Easy Dessert Recipes For Beginners

8. Slow-Cooked Salmon with Chickpeas and Greens

Dinner recipes with salmon and other fish make awesome choices for tons of protein. This recipe uses a slow-cooked salmon put over a combination of chickpeas, mustard greens, and other veggies. It should take about an hour to prep and cook for a healthy and easy protein-packed dinner. You can keep the leftovers and easily throw it back in the oven to enjoy it again! Salmon makes a white meat choice for protein as it’s also full of other nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids which have great health benefits on their own. Chickpeas are also a great source of protein and fiber for a healthy diet. 

9. BBQ Chicken Quinoa Bowl

Quinoa dinner recipes are a great source of protein and fiber and get even better when you add barbeque chicken! This recipe makes a quinoa bowl full of corn, black beans, scallions, cilantro and avocado topped with tasty BBQ chicken. Basically, it’s a burrito bowl that’s healthier because of the quinoa substituted for white rice. The red quinoa is full of protein, fiber, and other great nutrients making a great base for the bowl. Bake the chicken and shred it and add it to the bowl then top with the bbq sauce, avocado, cheese, cilantro, and scallions. Pretty minimal cooking required and you get a well-balanced and tasty dinner full of protein.

10. Veggie-Loaded Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast for dinner is never a bad idea, especially when you’re looking to get a protein-packed meal. Eggs are a great source of protein and are very versatile in what dinner recipes they can make. This veggie-loaded breakfast casserole recipe uses shredded potatoes as the bottom of the dish then covered with your veggies of choice such as bell peppers, spinach, mushrooms, red onion or whatever you prefer! Whisk together your eggs and pour it over your veggies and cook for about 45 to 50 minutes for a delicious and well-balanced casserole full of protein.

What are your favorite protein-packed dinner recipes? Let us know in the comments below!