10 Protein-Packed Plant-Based Recipes for Lunch & Dinner
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Plant-based meals can be super satisfying AND filling when done right.
The key is to have a variety of plant-based protein sources in each meal to ensure you’re getting adequate amounts of each amino acid (building blocks of proteins), something you don’t have to worry about when eating animal products.
Our bodies need sufficient quantities of every single amino acid at the time of protein synthesis, which is the biological process where our bodies assemble amino acids back into proteins. If even one amino acid is missing, we cannot create new proteins, and we can only create enough new proteins based on the limiting amino acid (the amino acid we have the least of at time of protein synthesis).
So you could be eating a ton of chickpeas and getting 60g of protein per day, but if you aren’t also consuming other plant-based protein sources with it that have different amino acid profiles, you’re essentially not consuming any usable protein.
Long story short: diversify your plant-based protein sources at each meal!
10 Delicious & Filling Vegan Recipes for Dinner
There’s just something about a plant-based meal that makes you feel good inside. It’s probably all the micronutrients 😂.
After trying so many meatless meals over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that these are my favorite plant-based recipes that I keep coming back to. Enjoy!
1. Creamy Tuscan Bean and Sun-Dried Tomato Skillet
Wow wow wow wow wow. This has easily become one of, if not the best, things I’ve ever put in my mouth. The balance of flavors is just *chef’s kiss* 😘
It’s the perfect meal for those nights you just don’t feel like slaving away hours in the kitchen or when you’re not really hungry but know you should eat.
So yummy.
Creamy Tuscan Bean and Sun-Dried Tomato Skillet Recipe
2. Roasted Cauliflower Date Salad
The star of this show here are the dates, hands down.
If you’ve never had dates in a savory dish before (or even at all), you don’t know what you’re missing. If you have, then you know this is gonna be absolutely delicious.
Other than the yummy flavors, I love the different textures in this. Many vegan recipes all tend to be one texture, so the variety in this one is very welcomed.
If you’re anything like me and don’t like tahini (aka sesame), I recommend using something else as your dressing base. Cashew sauce, hummus…. Something like that.
And be careful when handling the Fresno peppers — I recommend wearing a rubber glove to avoid any irritation from the capsaicin. Ask me how I know 😅
Roasted Cauliflower Date Salad Recipe
3. Spicy Peanut Stew
I’m just going to start off by saying I am *not* a huge fan of peanut butter unless chocolate is involved, but I REALLY like this dish. Like, a lot.
It’s the perfect blend of salt, spice, and acid, and it has a nice thick, creamy texture. So good.
This recipe is from the Fiber Fueled Cookbook.
4. Mediterranean Baked Sweet Potatoes
Mediterranean cuisine is so flavorful and light, yet comfortably filling. These baked sweet potatoes are no exception.
In addition to the chickpeas, I like to top my sweet potatoes with quinoa or sometimes black beans to make sure I’m getting protein from a variety of sources. This makes it super filling yet still light!
I also like to add pistachios for some crunch factor.
Mediterranean Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe
5. Chickpea Coconut Curry
Curry is the ultimate comfort food, especially during the cold months. The aroma from the garlic, ginger, and curry powder is just out of this world and so so yummy.
I like to add sweet potato, yellow potato, carrots, and kale when I make my curry and serve over a bed of rice or rice noodles. Fresh naan for dipping is just the cherry on top!
6. Roasted Veggie Orzo Salad
Who doesn’t love a good pasta salad?
The great thing about this recipe is you can add in any vegetable you fancy. I love adding in carrot, bell pepper, red onion, sweet potato, and zucchini.
In my personal opinion, I think making more of the dressing is key to this recipe turning out 10/10. Especially the fresh garlic. Otherwise, it tends to be a little bland.
Roasted Veggie Orzo Salad Recipe
7. Spiced Sweet Potato Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
For some reason, making a good salad is one of the hardest things to do. Or maybe that’s just me.
This is one of my go-to salad recipes. It’s fresh and bright, with a great variety of flavors and textures that all work well together.
I like to add some quinoa or lentils for adequate protein, but other than that, no notes.
Spiced Sweet Potato Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe
8. Sweet & Spicy Roasted Veggies and White Bean Spread
Sheet pan meals are the best. Just throw everything on a tray and roast in the oven. And there’s minimal clean up 👏🏼
I also really love the cannellini beans being blended up and used as a creamy bed for the veggies. And the pistachios add a nice crunch!
Sweet & Spicy Roasted Veggies and White Bean Spread Recipe
9. Mediterranean Falafel Bowl
We used to make falafel every time we ate salad, but like most things, I ate it too often and got sick of it. Story of my life.
Fast forward a couple years and I found these frozen falafel balls at Trader Joe’s and was inspired to try something different with them.
This mediterranean falafel bowl has salad vibes, but the flavors work so much better together than my salads used to. I like to add a little quinoa for some more protein and cucumber for some extra crunch.
Mediterranean Falafel Bowl Recipe
10. Black Bean Quinoa Tacos
These black bean quinoa tacos are very similar in texture to traditional meat tacos (aka they’re not just mush) and are packed with the same yummy flavors.
I like to sauté some onion and bell pepper strings separately for extra toppings!