• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Oh My Veggies logo

  • Recipes
    • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Vegan Recipes
    • Vegetarian Main Dishes
    • Vegetarian Appetizers
    • Vegetarian Breakfast Recipes
    • Vegetarian Side Dishes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Snack Recipes
    • Drinks
    • Sauces, Spreads and Condiments
    • Holiday Recipes
    • From our Readers
  • Cooking Tips & Hints
    • Cooking Tips
    • Plant-Based Nutrition
    • Product Reviews
  • Shop Cookbooks
  • About Us
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Find Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • About Us
  • Free Meal Plan
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Find Recipes
    • Cookbooks
    • About Us
    • Free Meal Plan
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • Γ—

    Oh My Veggies Β» Vegetarian Recipes

    20 Protein-Packed Meatless Dinners

    Published: Apr 29, 2014 Β· by Nicole Β· Updated: Aug 2, 2021 Β· This post may contain affiliate links.

    20 Protein-Packed Meatless Dinners
    Contrary to popular belief, vegetarians can get enough protein in their diets without eating meat. Shocker! We wrote about sources of vegetarian protein earlier this year--lentils, beans, tempeh, tofu, and quinoa are all great ways to get your protein in. And if you need some ideas for how to use them, we've got those for you too. These 20 vegetarian dinner recipes all have at least 20 grams of protein per serving. Which is a lot!

    Braised Lentils & Vegetables

    Braised Lentils & Vegetables

    Serve this one-pot dinner from Cafe Johnsonia with a side of crusty bread!

    Get Recipe Now!

    Brussels Sprout, Tempeh & Soba Noodle Skillet

    Brussels Sprout, Tempeh & Soba Noodle Skillet

    Not all soba is created equal! Look for 100% buckwheat soba, which has 6 grams of protein per serving.

    Get Recipe Now!

    Margherita Quinoa Frittatas

    Margherita Quinoa Frittatas

    These bite-sized frittatas from Kitchen Treaty are freezer-friendly. Make a double batch and keep some on hand for later!

    Get Recipe Now!

    Baked Sesame Tofu Sticks

    Baked Sesame Tofu Sticks

    These Baked Sesame Tofu Sticks from Kalyn's Kitchen will convert any tofu-hater! And then there's the Peanut Butter, Tahini, and Ginger Sauce that goes with them...

    Get Recipe Now!

    Peanutty Quinoa Bowls with Baked Tofu

    Peanutty Quinoa Bowls with Baked Tofu

    Tofu, quinoa, and peanut butter make this dinner-for-two a great source of protein.

    Get Recipe Now!

    Lentil & Vegetable Stew with Cauliflower White Bean Puree

    Lentil & Vegetable Stew with Cauliflower White Bean Puree

    Instead of serving this stew over noodles or rice, Natalie from Once Upon a Cutting Board serves it over a creamy white bean puree.

    Get Recipe Now!

    Smashed White Bean and Kale Quesadillas

    Smashed White Bean and Kale Quesadillas

    These easy quesadillas from Running to the Kitchen are done in 20 minutes. Hello dinner!

    Get Recipe Now!

    Tempeh Tacos

    Tempeh Tacos

    Crumbled tempeh makes the best substitute for ground beef! Add a dollop of Greek yogurt instead of sour cream to your tacos for even more protein.

    Get Recipe Now!

    Creamy Indian Lentils

    Creamy Indian Lentils

    These Indian-spiced lentils from Savvy Eats are perfect with a side of roasted cauliflower.

    Get Recipe Now!

    Chopped Power Salad with Baked Tofu and Almond-Miso Dressing

    Chopped Power Salad with Baked Tofu and Almond-Miso Dressing

    Don't skip the hemp seeds in this salad! They have 5 grams of protein per tablespoon.

    Get Recipe Now!

    Maple Tempeh with Herbed Quinoa

    Maple Tempeh with Herbed Quinoa

    Caramelized baked tempeh is the star of this recipe from Nutrition Stripped.

    Get Recipe Now!

    Slow Cooker Lentil Chili

    Slow Cooker Lentil Chili

    Start this lentil chili from Two Peas and Their Pod in the morning and have dinner ready when you get home from work!

    Get Recipe Now!

    Crispy Quinoa Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Cashew Cream

    Crispy Quinoa Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Cashew Cream

    We love serving these quinoa cakes on a big bed of greens!

    Get Recipe Now!

    Curried Red Lentil & Quinoa Bowls

    Curried Red Lentil & Quinoa Bowls

    Spicy curried lentils served over a big bowl of quinoa. Because everything is better with quinoa!

    Get Recipe Now!

    Chickpea-Stuffed Eggplant with Couscous & Tahini Sauce

    Chickpea-Stuffed Eggplant with Couscous & Tahini Sauce

    We love this recipe from Dishing Up the Dirt because it's so versatile! Try using lentils or white beans instead of chickpeas or quinoa instead of couscous.

    Get Recipe Now!

    Sloppy Lentil Sandwiches

    Sloppy Lentil Sandwiches

    Lentils in sloppy joes? Yes! You can even skip the sandwiches and serve these lentils over brown rice.

    Get Recipe Now!

    Kale Caesar Salad with Tofu Croutons

    Kale Caesar Salad with Tofu Croutons

    Croutons are switched out for tofu in this vegetarian Caesar salad from Kitchen Treaty.

    Get Recipe Now!

    JalapeΓ±o White Bean Burgers

    JalapeΓ±o White Bean BurgersThese spicy veggie burgers from Eats Well With Others will be a welcome addition to any summer barbecue.

    Get Recipe Now!

    Sweet-and-Sour Tempeh

    Sweet-and-Sour Tempeh

    Thinly slicing the tempeh in this recipe helps it soak up the homemade sweet-and-sour sauce.

    Get Recipe Now!

    « Huevos Rancheros Enchiladas
    30-Minute Vegetarian Pho »

    Recipe Round-Ups beans, lentils, quinoa, tempeh, tofu

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kare Troughton says

      April 29, 2014 at 9:44 am

      As a veggie who has been trying to amp up the protein in her diet, I really appreciate this one! So many delicious-looking dinners. (And thanks so much for including my mini frittatas!)

      Reply
      • Kiersten Frase says

        April 30, 2014 at 9:33 pm

        You're welcome! πŸ™‚

        Reply
    2. dishing up the dirt says

      April 29, 2014 at 10:09 am

      love all of these protein packed recipes. Thanks for including my stuffed eggplants!

      Reply
      • Kiersten Frase says

        April 30, 2014 at 9:32 pm

        Of course! It looks incredible! πŸ™‚

        Reply
    3. Deb says

      April 29, 2014 at 2:25 pm

      What a fantastic batch of recipes! I'm on a lentil kick right now so I am ecstatic! Also am going to pull my tofu press back out again too. Thank you, Kiersten!
      Ps
      Just tried biofeedback starting the beginning of the year for my chronic migraines and it has worked wonders. Have been able to thwart one fully kicking in since 1/29/14 - hooray!

      Reply
      • Kiersten Frase says

        April 30, 2014 at 9:31 pm

        Interesting! I have to admit, I don't really know much about biofeedback, so I've never heard about using it for migraines. I've had good luck with magnesium supplementation, but I still get them every once in a while, usually when I'm stressed out or when it's really humid. I'm glad to hear you've found something that works so well for yours!

        Reply
    4. Grace @ Earthy Feast says

      April 29, 2014 at 4:18 pm

      So many beautiful dishes, so much protein! I'm inspired by all of them! The stuffed eggplant is almost too pretty to eat!

      Reply
      • Kiersten Frase says

        April 30, 2014 at 9:33 pm

        Isn't it?! I can't wait until eggplant is in season so I can make that one. πŸ™‚

        Reply
    5. michelle says

      April 29, 2014 at 7:29 pm

      I just wanted to say that I love your site! I could happily be vegetarian, although my family could not. But these are wonderful recipes to add to our rotation and also great things that I can bring to pot-lucks! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Kiersten Frase says

        April 30, 2014 at 9:28 pm

        Thank you! I think the trick is finding recipes that are so good, no one even realizes there's no meat involved! πŸ™‚

        Reply
    6. KalynsKitchen says

      April 29, 2014 at 9:24 pm

      Amazing collection of dinners! And thanks for including my tofu.

      Reply
      • Kiersten Frase says

        April 30, 2014 at 9:20 pm

        You're welcome! I've been eyeing that recipe for a while. πŸ™‚

        Reply
    7. Lindsey | Cafe Johnsonia says

      April 29, 2014 at 10:28 pm

      This is such a great collection, Kiersten! Thanks for including my braised lentils recipe. Can't wait to check out the other recipes - I need some new ones to throw into our rotation. πŸ™‚

      Reply
      • Kiersten Frase says

        April 30, 2014 at 9:18 pm

        I can't wait to try that recipe! I've never braised lentils before. πŸ™‚

        Reply
    8. Robyn B | Modern Day Missus says

      April 30, 2014 at 1:17 am

      Yeah, someone asked me that the other day and I couldn't help but laugh out loud, not necessarily because of the question, but because I thought everyone knew these days that protein is so easy to come by!

      What a great collection of recipes.

      Robyn xx

      Reply
      • Kiersten Frase says

        April 30, 2014 at 9:18 pm

        Yeah, I'm surprised by how often I still get asked the whole "How do you get protein?" question! I do think vegetarians need to be a little more diligent about getting some with every meal, but it's easy to do.

        Reply
    9. Julie says

      April 30, 2014 at 1:21 pm

      Ooh, I definitely need to try those peanutty quinoa bowls! Thanks for including me!

      Reply
      • Kiersten Frase says

        April 30, 2014 at 9:15 pm

        Of course! πŸ˜€

        Reply
    10. Alexis @ Hummusapien says

      May 01, 2014 at 1:18 pm

      What a fantabulous round up! Plant-based protein for the win πŸ™‚

      Reply
    11. Joanne says

      May 01, 2014 at 8:20 pm

      It's such a common misconception that vegetarians can't possibly get enough protein...these recipes definitely show those naysayers wrong!

      Reply
    12. Lily (A Rhubarb Rhapsody) says

      May 01, 2014 at 9:26 pm

      So many new recipes to add to my meal plans, really looking forward to trying the baked sesame tofu sticks! Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    13. Sam says

      May 02, 2014 at 4:38 pm

      So true. If only I got a nickel every time I heard the "where do you get your protein" question...

      I sometimes find that instead of answering these questions with a list vegetarian high protein foods, I answer these questions with another question. Where don't I get my protein? Did you know that all whole plant based foods have protein? Carrots, rice, broccoli, you name it. As long as you eat a range of whole plant based foods, you will get plenty of protein in your diet.

      When was the last time you heard of anyone go to the hospital for protein deficiency? It doesn't happen, because you have to be deprived of all nutrients, (aka starving), to be deprived of protein. We don't suffer from diseases of deficiency in North America, we suffer from diseases of excess.

      One day I hope the world will find out that eating vegetarian isn't a chore, but rather a delight that will make your life so much healthier and happier. I mean just look at those amazing Sloppy Lentil Sandwiches! I'm drooling!

      Off to the kitchen I go!

      Sam

      Reply
      • Kiersten Frase says

        May 06, 2014 at 9:13 pm

        Yup, it's funny how people get so fixated on the protein thing! I do make an effort to make sure I'm eating some protein-rich foods everyday (because, uh, I might have subsisted on Doritos and bagels when I first stopped eating meat--not good!), but you're right, as long as you're eating a lot of whole, real foods, it's pretty easy to get your protein in.

        Reply
    14. Natalie @ Once Upon a Cutting Board says

      May 05, 2014 at 12:13 am

      Thanks for including my lentil stew in your list, and for this helpful roundup! I'm going to direct anyone here who ever asked about ideas for feeding vegetarians (and keep this handy for myself too!)

      Reply
      • Kiersten Frase says

        May 06, 2014 at 8:57 pm

        I can't wait to try that recipe--it looks amazing! πŸ™‚

        Reply

    Something to say? Leave a comment. Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    image of the author

    Nicole is a life long vegetarian and the author of the popular vegan cookbook, Weeknight One Pot Vegan Cooking. She loves sharing her recipes and showing the world just how easy and delicious meatless meals can be!
    Learn more here.

    signature of author

    get a free 5 day vegetarian meal plan

    shop our vegetarian and vegan cookbooks

    Trending Recipes

    • Strawberry Mojito Popsicles (Don't Forget the Rum!)
    • Thai Veggie Pizza
    • Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats
    • Spinach Mushroom Frittata

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    • Shop Cookbooks
    • About Us
    • Work with Me
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use

    Still hungry? Check out our delicious family of blogs.

    link to VegKitchen.com - vegan recipes website
    link to deliciouseveryday.com - a vegetarian and vegan recipes website
    link to allshecooks.com - a food blog
    link to wandertooth.com - a travel website

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright Β© 2021 Hook & Porter Media

    3.4K shares