High-protein lunch recipes
60 lunches worth packing: bowls, wraps, salads and meal prep that keep protein high and effort low. Macros per serving on every recipe.
Or see a whole week built from these60 recipes
NewMarry Me Chicken Meal Prep Bowls with Greek Yogurt Sauce
The sun-dried tomato cream sauce from the viral dish, made with Greek yogurt and a little Parmesan instead of a cup of cream. Stir the yogurt in off the heat and it stays smooth, even when reheated.
LunchDinner
51g protein · 520 kcal
NewEgg-Dipped Rice Paper Flatbreads with Chicken and Whipped Cottage Cheese
Dipped in seasoned egg and pan-fried, rice paper comes out soft and foldable instead of crisp, the opposite of what it does in every other recipe here. Ten flatbreads from two eggs, filled with grilled chicken and whipped cottage cheese.
LunchDinner
41g protein · 340 kcal
Baked Light Chicken Parmesan
Chicken parmesan baked instead of fried, so the crust stays crisp without a pan of oil. Just as satisfying with a fraction of the fat.
LunchDinner62g protein · 480 kcal
Greek Chicken Souvlaki Bowls
Marinated chicken built into a bowl instead of a pita, with a Greek yogurt tzatziki doing double duty as sauce and dressing. Easy to make four servings at once and eat two days running.
LunchDinner58g protein · 560 kcal
Greek Chicken and Orzo Meal Prep Bowls
A Mediterranean-style bowl built to hold up in the fridge. Orzo and vegetables stay fine for days, and the lemon-yogurt dressing keeps it from tasting dry once reheated or eaten cold.
LunchDinner56g protein · 540 kcal
Chicken Fajita Bowls
Fajita chicken and peppers served over rice instead of tortillas, so you get the same flavors with more room for beans and less bread.
LunchDinner55g protein · 500 kcal
Chicken, Rice and Broccoli Meal Prep Bowls
The standard meal-prep bowl: chicken, rice and broccoli, seasoned enough that you won't dread eating it by Thursday. Scales up or down just by changing the pan size.
LunchDinner54g protein · 520 kcal
Chicken Tikka Meal Prep Bowls with Basmati Rice
Chicken marinated in spiced Greek yogurt and roasted hot until the edges char, packed over basmati rice with roasted cauliflower and peppers and a quick cucumber raita on the side. Four lunches that taste like takeout and clock in at 52 grams of protein each.
DinnerLunch52g protein · 525 kcal
Greek Yogurt Marinated Chicken Thigh Fillets
Boneless chicken thigh fillets marinated in Greek yogurt, garlic and mustard before roasting, the same tenderizing marinade as our other yogurt chicken but built around trimmed fillets for a leaner, quicker-cooking cut. Short ingredient list, most of the time is hands-off.
LunchDinner51g protein · 395 kcal
Greek Yogurt Marinated Chicken Thighs
Chicken thighs marinated in Greek yogurt before they go in the oven, which tenderizes the meat and leaves a mild tang without needing cream or much oil. Short ingredient list, and most of the time is hands-off.
LunchDinner51g protein · 395 kcal
Honey Sesame Chicken Rice Bowls
The million-view takeout bowl without the deep fryer: cornstarch-dusted chicken baked until the edges crisp, tossed in a sticky honey, soy and sesame glaze and packed over jasmine rice with broccoli. Four boxes at 50 grams of protein and only 7 grams of fat each.
LunchDinner50g protein · 560 kcal
One-Pan Chicken and Vegetable Bake
Everything roasts on one tray, so cleanup is one pan instead of three. Chicken thighs stay juicier than breast here and hold up well to the longer roasting time the potatoes need.
LunchDinner50g protein · 540 kcal
Steak Tagliata with Arugula and Parmesan
Sliced seared steak laid over a pile of peppery arugula and cherry tomatoes, dressed with lemon and olive oil and topped with shaved Parmesan. The Italian trattoria plate that gives you 50 grams of protein without a single side dish.
DinnerLunch
50g protein · 415 kcal
Thai Steak Salad with Herbs and Lime
Seared steak sliced thin and tossed warm with cucumber, tomatoes, red onion and a heap of mint and cilantro in a lime and fish sauce dressing. Sharp, hot, fresh and done in twenty minutes.
DinnerLunch50g protein · 405 kcal
Cottage Cheese Pizza Bowl
No crust, no rolling pin: warm blended cottage cheese stands in for the base, topped and broiled like a pizza until the cheese is bubbling. Eat it with a spoon, or scoop with cottage cheese everything bagel chips if you want something crunchy alongside.
DinnerLunch
48g protein · 455 kcal
Cottage Cheese Alfredo Pasta
Blended cottage cheese and a little parmesan make a sauce that clings to pasta just like a cream alfredo, minus most of the cream. Toss with grilled chicken and cracked pepper for something that tastes like a restaurant plate.
LunchDinner46g protein · 505 kcal
Chicken Crust Margherita Pizza
A pizza crust made almost entirely from ground chicken instead of dough, so the whole pie carries more protein than a regular slice of pizza has in total. Bake the crust firm before adding toppings or it turns soggy.
LunchDinner45g protein · 330 kcal
Brazilian Beef and Black Bean Rice Bowls
The Brazilian lunch plate packed for the week: lean ground beef simmered with garlicky black beans, white rice, and collard greens flashed in a hot pan with more garlic. Beef and beans together make this one of the most filling meal preps on the site for its calories.
DinnerLunch
44g protein · 575 kcal
Smash Burger Meal Prep Bowls with Special Sauce
Everything you want from a drive-through burger, minus the bun: crumbled seasoned beef with crispy edges, roasted sesame potatoes, melted cheddar, pickles and a Greek yogurt special sauce that tastes like the real thing. Four lunches at 44 grams of protein each, with the lettuce and sauce packed separately so nothing goes soggy.
LunchDinner44g protein · 495 kcal
Teriyaki Salmon and Edamame Rice Bowls
Salmon fillets glazed in a quick homemade teriyaki, baked while the rice cooks, and packed with edamame and broccoli for four dinners. Salmon and edamame split the protein, so each box lands at 44 grams with the fats coming from the fish rather than the sauce.
DinnerLunch
44g protein · 675 kcal
Cajun Shrimp and Turkey Sausage Rice Meal Prep
One pan, two proteins, four boxes: turkey sausage browned hard, shrimp cooked in the last three minutes so they never turn rubbery, and rice steamed in the same pan with peppers, celery and cajun spice. 43 grams of protein a serving and it reheats without the shrimp going tough.
LunchDinner
43g protein · 515 kcal
Baked Salmon and Sweet Potato Meal Prep
Salmon and roasted sweet potato portioned into containers for the week. Salmon reheats better than most fish if you keep the heat low and don't overdo the microwave.
LunchDinner42g protein · 535 kcal
Beef and Vegetable Meal Prep Stir Fry
A stir fry portioned out for the week instead of eaten all at once. Cook the beef and vegetables just short of done since they'll finish cooking a little more when reheated.
LunchDinner42g protein · 450 kcal
Chicken Banh Mi Meal Prep Bowls
A banh mi without the baguette: caramelized lemongrass ground chicken over jasmine rice with quick-pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, cilantro and a sriracha Greek yogurt sauce. The pickles get better all week, and each box lands at 42 grams of protein.
LunchDinner42g protein · 505 kcal
Korean Gochujang Beef Bowls with Cucumber Salad
Twenty-minute bulgogi-style ground beef in a garlicky gochujang, soy and sesame sauce over short-grain rice, with a crunchy sesame cucumber salad and kimchi on the side. Four containers at 42 grams of protein each, and the beef reheats like it was just made.
LunchDinner42g protein · 580 kcal
Open-Faced Tuna Melt with Cottage Cheese
A tuna melt on one slice instead of two, with cottage cheese doing the job mayo usually does. You lose the second slice of bread and the jar of mayonnaise and keep everything that makes a melt worth eating: the flake, the bubbling cheddar, the heat off a pickled jalapeno. 42 grams of protein for 390 calories.
LunchSnack & bread
42g protein · 390 kcal
Protein-Packed Pad Thai
A high-protein spin on pad thai with more chicken and egg than the takeout version usually carries. The sauce still keeps the sweet-sour-salty balance the dish is known for.
LunchDinner42g protein · 550 kcal
Turkey Taco Meal Prep Bowls
Taco filling over cauliflower rice instead of tortillas, so the whole thing packs down into containers without going soggy. Add the cheese and salsa fresh each time you reheat, not before.
LunchDinner42g protein · 450 kcal
Lean Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
A stir fry built around lean beef and a lot of broccoli, using less oil and sauce than the takeout version but keeping the same fast, high-heat method.
LunchDinner40g protein · 430 kcal
Salmon Sushi Bake Meal Prep
The viral sushi bake, rebuilt as a week of lunches: seasoned sushi rice under a layer of flaked baked salmon folded into a spicy Greek yogurt sauce, topped with furikake and baked until the edges crisp. Cut into four portions and pack with cucumber and nori squares for scooping. 40 grams of protein a box.
LunchDinner40g protein · 600 kcal
Turkey Bolognese with Whole Wheat Pasta
A bolognese made with ground turkey instead of beef and pork, simmered with the usual onion, carrot and celery base so it doesn't taste like a diet version.
LunchDinner40g protein · 595 kcal
Southwest Beef and Black Bean Tortilla Pie
A tex-mex spin on the tortilla pie, built with taco-seasoned beef, black beans and corn under the egg custard. Cuts like a frittata but eats like a casserole.
LunchDinner
39g protein · 415 kcal
Turkey and Broccoli Cheddar Tortilla Pie
Turkey and broccoli baked under a savory egg custard, with a single tortilla pressed into the dish instead of a pastry crust. Slices clean into wedges once it has cooled for a few minutes, more like a quiche than a casserole.
LunchDinner39g protein · 330 kcal
Cottage Cheese Pasta Bake Meal Prep
A baked pasta casserole where cottage cheese fills in for a chunk of the ricotta and cream you'd normally use, so the protein climbs without the dish getting heavier. Bakes as one big tray and portions out cleanly once cooled.
LunchDinner38g protein · 520 kcal
Honey Garlic Shrimp and Edamame Rice Bowl
Shrimp and edamame both bring real protein to a rice bowl that usually leans on the rice alone, glazed in a quick honey-garlic sauce instead of a heavier bottled one.
LunchDinner38g protein · 355 kcal
Spicy Tuna Nori Wraps
Two cans of tuna whipped with Greek yogurt, sriracha and chili crisp, then scooped onto crisp roasted nori. Ready in 5 minutes with 38 g of protein a serving.
Snack & breadLunch38g protein · 313 kcal
Turkey Pepperoni Cheese Wrap with Avocado and Sprouts
The wrap itself is the protein. Grated mozzarella and turkey pepperoni bake into one flexible sheet on parchment, then fold cold around lettuce, tomato, avocado and a smear of Greek yogurt. No flour, no tortilla, and most of the 38 g sits in the shell rather than the filling.
LunchDinner38g protein · 400 kcal
Shrimp and Egg Fried Rice
Fried rice with shrimp and egg for protein instead of just soy sauce and rice. Works best with rice that's a day old and slightly dried out, straight from the fridge.
LunchDinner35g protein · 415 kcal
Turmeric Tofu Scramble
A savory breakfast with no eggs in it: a block of extra-firm tofu crumbled into a hot pan, turned gold with turmeric and smoked paprika, and held together with tahini and nutritional yeast. Spinach wilts in at the end. 35 grams of protein for 355 calories.
BreakfastLunch
35g protein · 355 kcal
Baked Tuna and Oat Patties
Nine patties from three cans of tuna, bound with egg and oat flour instead of breadcrumbs and baked rather than fried. Three to a serving, eaten hot with a squeeze of lemon or cold from the fridge the next day. 34 grams of protein for 275 calories.
LunchDinner34g protein · 275 kcal
Top 5Chicken and Spinach Tortilla Pie
A crustless egg pie using a single tortilla in place of pastry for the base, so it holds a clean wedge shape once sliced. Grilled chicken, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes sit under a savory egg custard that firms up fully in the oven.
LunchDinner34g protein · 290 kcal
High-Protein Turkey Chili
A big pot of chili built on ground turkey and two kinds of beans, made for freezing half of it. Tastes better the next day, like most chili does.
LunchDinner34g protein · 390 kcal
White Fish Tacos with Greek Yogurt Slaw
Fish tacos with a quick Greek yogurt slaw instead of the usual mayo-based crema, so the tang stays but the fat drops.
LunchDinner34g protein · 240 kcal
Tuna and White Bean Spoon Salad Jars
The scoopable salad trend done properly: canned tuna and cannellini beans with everything chopped small enough to eat by the spoonful, plus feta, capers and a lemon dijon dressing. Nothing to cook, four jars in fifteen minutes, and it tastes better on day three. 33 grams of protein for 420 calories.
LunchSnack & bread33g protein · 420 kcal
Turkey Meatballs with Zucchini Noodles
Turkey meatballs baked instead of fried, served over spiralized zucchini instead of pasta to keep the carbs down without losing the comfort-food feel of a big bowl of meatballs and sauce.
LunchDinner33g protein · 380 kcal
Spicy Peanut Chickpea and Edamame Meal Prep Bowls
The peanut bowl that took over everyone's feed, built to hold up for four days: roasted sweet potato and chickpeas with edamame, wilted spinach and a ginger peanut sauce that loosens back up with a splash of hot water. No meat, 32 grams of protein a box.
LunchDinner32g protein · 615 kcal
Egg Roll in a Bowl
All the flavor of an egg roll without the wrapper, built as a quick stir-fry instead. Scales up easily for a week of lunches.
LunchDinner31g protein · 325 kcal
Five-Spice Shrimp Rice Paper Pancakes
A crispy, savory shrimp filling pressed straight onto rice paper and pan-fried until golden, more flatbread than spring roll. Five-spice and a little bouillon powder do the seasoning work, no wrapping technique required.
LunchDinner30g protein · 250 kcal
Salmon, Asparagus and Dill Tortilla Pie
A tortilla pie for using up leftover baked salmon. Dollops of light cream cheese swirled through the egg custard keep it from tasting dry the way reheated salmon sometimes does.
LunchDinner30g protein · 325 kcal
Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Bell peppers stuffed with a turkey and quinoa filling instead of the usual rice and beef, which keeps it lighter without losing the stuffed-pepper appeal.
LunchDinner30g protein · 365 kcal
Turkey Meatloaf Muffins
Meatloaf baked in a muffin tin instead of a loaf pan, which cuts the cooking time down and gives everyone their own portion with more surface area for the glaze.
LunchDinner27g protein · 285 kcal
Cottage Cheese Mac and Cheese
Blended cottage cheese and sharp cheddar make a cheese sauce that bakes up just as gooey as the boxed version, with far more protein per bowl. A buttered breadcrumb top keeps the texture contrast that makes mac and cheese worth eating.
LunchDinner26g protein · 475 kcal
Crispy Tofu and Broccoli Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce
Cornstarch-crisped tofu holds its own against the peanut sauce here instead of turning mushy, and broccoli adds enough of its own protein that this isn't just a sauce delivery vehicle.
LunchDinner25g protein · 346 kcal
Baked Feta and White Bean Skillet
The viral baked feta trend gets a protein rework: white beans and a cottage cheese stir-in at the end turn a pasta-topper into a dish that can carry the meal on its own.
LunchDinner21g protein · 385 kcal
Cottage Cheese Egg Bake
A sheet-pan style breakfast bake for when you're feeding more than one person. Cottage cheese keeps it moist through reheating, which regular egg bakes usually don't manage.
BreakfastLunch20g protein · 215 kcal
Greek Yogurt Egg Salad
Classic egg salad without the mayo drag. Greek yogurt keeps it creamy and adds protein instead of just fat, and a spoon of mustard gives it the tang mayo usually provides.
Snack & breadLunch15g protein · 160 kcal
Quinoa Egg Breakfast Muffins
Egg muffins bulked up with cooked quinoa, which adds a bit of bite and helps them hold their shape better than eggs and vegetables alone. Bakes into a firm, sliceable muffin that works for breakfast or a make-ahead lunch.
BreakfastLunch12g protein · 170 kcal
Cottage Cheese Egg White Wraps
Blended into a thin batter and cooked like a crepe, this is the whole flour tortilla replaced with two ingredients you probably already have. Use it for breakfast burritos, lunch wraps, or torn up as dippers.
BreakfastLunchSnack & bread11g protein · 70 kcal
Spinach and Feta Egg Muffins
Egg muffins built for grab and go mornings. The feta adds a salty punch so you don't need much extra seasoning, and the spinach keeps them from feeling heavy. Bake a batch on Sunday and reheat through the week.
BreakfastLunch11g protein · 145 kcal
Veggie Egg White Frittata Muffins
About as lean as an egg muffin gets while still tasting like something. The vegetables do most of the work on flavor since there's no yolk fat to lean on, so don't skimp on the seasoning.
BreakfastSnack & breadLunch9g protein · 60 kcal