6 High-Protein Vegetarian Dinners

Here are six high-protein vegetarian dinners that will surely give you the energy you need for your active lifetyle. Most of the ingredients included in each recipe are healthy – and it’s all vegetarian. From protein-packed chili to tofu and broccoli mix – you will have a fully-loaded meatless dinner!

1. Protein-Packed Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 8 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 1 red bell pepper (chopped)
• 1 jalapeno (chopped)
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 4 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 4-6 tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 x 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa
• 1 cup red kidney beans
• 1 cup pinto beans
• 1 cup black beans
• 1 cup corn
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp cilantro

Instructions:

Set a pot over medium heat.
Add oil and warm it up.
Add chopped garlic, onion, red bell pepper, and jalapeno.
Season with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and cumin.
Saute until the onion is soft.
Add chopped tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, water, quinoa, red kidney beans, pinto beans, and black beans.
Stir and bring to a boil.
Cover the lid and let it simmer for 25 minutes.
Add corn, lime juice, oregano, and cilantro.
Stir and cover the lid.
Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl.
Serve and enjoy!

2. Tofu Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

• extra-firm tofu
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1 cup onion (chopped)
• 1 cup carrots (cut into rounds)
• 1 cup red bell peppers (julienned)
• 1/2 cup edamame (frozen and thawed)
• 3 cups cooked soba noodles
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Sauce:

• 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 2 tsp ginger (grated)
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp sriracha
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce

Instructions:

Sauce:

In a bowl, add chopped garlic, grated ginger, honey, sriracha, lime juice, and soy sauce.
Mix well.
Set aside.

Wrap an extra-firm tofu in a dishcloth.
Press it for 10-15 minutes.
Unwrap the dishcloth and cut it into cubes.
Set aside.

Set a deep pan over medium heat.
Heat sesame oil.
Add tofu cubes and stir for 5 minutes until golden brown.
Add chopped garlic and onion.
Stir-fry until the onion is soft.
Add sliced carrots, julienned red bell peppers, and edamame.
Stir-fry until carrots are tender.
Add cooked soba noodles, sauce, and sesame seeds.
Stir and mix well.
Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl.
Garnish with chopped green onions.
Serve and enjoy!

3. Black Bean Burger

Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers
• 1 clove garlic (chopped)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt to taste
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• buns or vegan buns

Burger Toppings:

• sliced tomatoes
• lettuce
• avocado slices
• red onion slices

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Put black beans in a microwave-proof bowl.
Microwave for a minute.
Remove from the microwave after a minute.
Add roasted red peppers and chopped garlic.
Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt to taste.
Mash and mix until well combined.
Add cornmeal and mix well.
Form mixture into patties.
It should form 5 big patties.
Place the patties on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Put inside the preheated oven and let it bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven.
Assemble the black bean burger with the patty and desired toppings such as sliced tomatoes, lettuce, avocado slices, and onion slices.
Serve and enjoy!

4. Protein-Packed Buddha Bowl

Ingredients:

• 8 oz tofu (drained)
• 1 sweet potato (peeled and cubed)
• 1 white onion (sliced)
• 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 cup chickpeas
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 cup leafy greens (spinach, mesclun, or baby kale)
• 1/4 cup carrots (shredded)
• 1 avocado (diced)
• juice of a lemon

Marinade:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 2 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:

Marinade:

In a bowl, add the ingredients for the marinade.
Mix well and pour into a ziplock bag.
Add tofu in the ziplock.
Seal and carefully massage the marinade into the tofu.
Set aside and marinate for at least 30 minutes

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Set a baking sheet.
Add cubed sweet potato and sliced onion.
Add chopped garlic and drizzle some oil.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Mix well.
Place inside the oven and let it bake for 20-25 minutes.
After 20-25 minutes, remove from the oven and set aside.

Put chickpeas in a bowl.
Season with salt, pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder.
Mix until well combined.
Set a frying pan over medium heat.
Stir-fry chickpeas for 10 minutes.
Once done, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
In the same pan, add the marinated tofu.
Fry the tofu for 10 minutes on each side.
Remove from the pan and slice into cubes.
Put in a bowl.

Assembly:

In a bowl, add cooked quinoa and leafy greens as the first layer.
Add baked sweet potato and sliced onion, followed by stir-fried chickpeas, shredded carrots, cubed tofu, and slices of avocado.
Squeeze in juice of a lemon.
Serve and enjoy!

5. Spaghetti And Lentil “Meatballs”

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1 shallot (diced)

• 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 1/3 cup shredded vegetarian parmesan
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 tbsp Italian seasonings
• salt and pepper to taste

• cooked spaghetti

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Set a frying pan over medium heat.
Heat olive oil.
Saute chopped garlic and diced shallot until golden brown.
Remove from the heat and transfer to a food processor.
Add cooked lentils, egg, olive oil, tomato paste, parsley, shredded vegetarian parmesan, and breadcrumbs.
Season with Italian seasonings, salt, and pepper to taste.
Process until well combined.
Transfer to a bowl.
Get a scoop from the mixture and form into a meatball.
Do the same with the remaining mixture.
Place the meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Put inside the preheated oven and let it bake for 10-15 minutes.
Once done, remove from the oven.
Serve with cooked spaghetti over spaghetti sauce.
Enjoy!

6. Takeout-Style Tofu And Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 14 oz firm tofu

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 3 tbsp vegetable broth
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tsp ginger (grated)
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp agave syrup (or honey)
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch slurry
• 1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

• cooked rice

Instructions:

Wrap firm tofu in a paper towel.
Press it in between two microwave-proof plates.
Microwave for 2-3 minutes.
Once done, remove from the microwave and unwrap the paper towel.
Slice tofu into cubes.
Set aside.

Set a frying pan over medium-high heat.
Add vegetable oil and sesame oil and heat it.
Add tofu cubes.
Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Remove from the pan and transfer to a bowl.
Set aside.

Add broccoli florets in the same pan over medium-low heat.
Add vegetable broth.
Cover the lid and steam for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, remove the lid.
Switch to medium-high heat.
Add minced garlic, grated ginger, and sesame oil.
Saute until soft.
Add soy sauce, agave syrup, rice vinegar, and cornstarch slurry.
Stir to combine.
Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds.
Stir until sauce thickens.
Add the fried tofu cubes.
Mix until tofus has coated by the sauce.
Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl.
Serve with cooked rice.
Enjoy!

Images – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf0miHIujeI