9 Delicious High-Protein Meals That Are Filling & Easy To Make

Eating a high-protein diet has numerous health benefits, yet many people struggle to consume even the bare minimum amount of this macronutrient.

It's often a matter of the nutritional demand getting lost in the shuffle of priorities, but eating enough protein is as vital to your health as exercising or meditating.

A protein is a string of amino acids that structure, function, and regulate different bodily functions, from tissue growth and repair to balancing your hormones and immune antibodies, says Maggie Michalczyk, R.D. "Your hair, skin, and nails are also made up of protein1 (keratin)," while collagen "is the most abundant protein in the body providing structure to our bones, tendons, and skin2."

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for the average sedentary adult is a conservative 0.8 gram per kilogram of body weight per day (g/kg/d)3.

New Jersey–based registered dietitians Maria Guerra and Gabrielle Knors stress that the numbers will vary from person to person. 

"It's difficult to put a number on a 'high-' versus 'low-' protein meal [because everyone has their own dietary needs]; it's individually based and calculated in reference to body weight," Guerra and Knors explain.

There are two categories of protein: animal protein and plant protein. Animal protein is protein sourced from animal meat, including poultry and fish.

Plant-based proteins are found primarily in the seeds of grains, legumes, and nuts. It's also worth noting that in addition to plant-protein powders and soy products, there are many high-protein vegetables too.

Author of the upcoming book Live Nourished Shana Minei Spence, M.S., RDN, CDN, explains that animal proteins and soy are "complete proteins," meaning they have all of the essential amino acids. Plant proteins are considered "incomplete" proteins, as they are usually low in one or two of the essential amino acids.

Leucine is one amino acid, in particular, that can be difficult to obtain on a strictly plant-based diet. One of the three branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), leucine plays an important role in the mTOR signaling pathway that helps regulate muscle growth and triggers the production of new muscle proteins5.

Protein experts recommend 2.5 to 3 grams of leucine per meal as the sweet spot for stimulating mTOR. Animal proteins contain higher amounts of leucine6 than plant proteins. If you are plant-based, try leucine-rich foods like tofu, tempeh, edamame, and pumpkin seeds.

When shopping for animal and plant protein, you want to pay attention to where the protein is sourced from.

Prioritize wild-caught, grass-fed, lean meats and other clean versions of animal protein, and limit red meat and processed meats (think sausages, hot dogs, deli meats, and plant-based meats loaded with additives). As for plant proteins, Guerra and Knors stress the importance of reading food labels. 

Home-cook-turned-chef Sabrina Ghayour recently shared her recipe for Chicken Shawarma Salad with mbg, and one serving packs roughly 30 grams of protein, thanks to its inclusion of chicken and Greek yogurt.

According to the CEO and co-founder of Baked by Melissa Melissa Ben-Ishay, pickles can be an awesome addition to many meals, including chicken salad. "Adding fresh dill and briny pickles to chicken salad takes it from ordinary to addictive," she previously told mbg. "There's just the right amount of crunch from extra veggies (carrots, celery, and the pickles) and a tangy bite from the mustard."

mindbodygreen's editorial operations manager Emily Kelleher has dubbed salmon a "quintessential health food." The fish is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids that are great for brain health, lower blood pressure7, and the risk of heart disease8, plus it's chock-full of protein. B

If you don't associate high protein with salad, recipe developer and the founder of The Defined Dish Alex Snodgrass’ Curried Chicken & Kale Salad will change your mind. The bed of leafy greens is topped with warm chicken and garnished with goat cheese, crisp apple slices, raisins, pumpkin seeds, and a drizzle of creamy harissa dressing.

During the warmer-weather months, this high-protein meal serves a burst of bright, fresh flavors you crave, with a slew of health benefits that make it equally delicious and nutritious. The recipe calls for sockeye salmon, a firm and flaky fish native to the West Coast of North America, enhanced with a spicy-sweet sauce and garnished with a fresh and fruity peach slaw. 

Are you pasta? You can have your carbs and a generous serving of protein too, with this comfort food recipe developed by food writer, author, and co-founder of TastED, Bee Wilson. The lentil ragu acts like a meat sauce but caters to carnivores' and herbivores' tastebuds. It's also kid-approved, as Wilson's youngest son proclaimed, "It's not weird and I like it," upon tasting the dish. 

Rumor has it that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why not kill two birds with one stone and pack a ton of protein into your first meal? An easy high-protein meal you can make ahead and grab on your way out the door is egg bites—specifically, these Masala Egg Bites developed by cookbook author Vasudha Viswanath.