Meals · Recipes
High-Protein Dinner Ideas: 5 Easy Recipes
Five high-protein dinner recipes: sheet-pan chicken with sweet potato, baked salmon with rice and peas, a beef and kidney bean chilli, garlic prawn pasta and cod with lentils. Each has the full method and protein per serving.
| Meal | Protein | Energy | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheet-pan chicken, sweet potato & broccoli | 52 g | ≈480 kcal | 40 min |
| Baked salmon with brown rice & peas | 38 g | ≈530 kcal | 25 min |
| Lean beef & kidney bean chilli | 45 g | ≈670 kcal | 45 min |
| Garlic prawn & spinach wholewheat pasta | 54 g | ≈580 kcal | 20 min |
| Cod with tomato & lentil stew | 50 g | ≈430 kcal | 25 min |
One tray · Family
Sheet-pan chicken, sweet potato & broccoli
One tray in the oven; little washing up.
Serves 4 About 40 min
- Protein
- 52 g
- Energy
- ≈480 kcal
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 8.3 g
Estimated per serving from USDA FoodData Central. Brands and portions change the numbers.
Ingredients
- About 800 g raw chicken breast (≈600 g once cooked)
- 600 g sweet potato, cubed (cooked weight)
- 400 g broccoli florets
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Paprika, garlic, salt and pepper (not counted)
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
- Toss the sweet potato in half the oil; roast 15 minutes.
- Add chicken pieces and broccoli with the rest of the oil and spices; roast 20–25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, steaming hot, with no pink meat and clear juices.
Storing & reheating: Cool, then refrigerate within 1–2 hours. Keep in the fridge (0–5°C) and eat within 2 days. Or freeze portions straight away; defrost in the fridge and reheat once until steaming hot throughout.
USDA entries used for this recipe
- Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted (FDC 171477) · 600 g
- Sweet potato, cooked, baked in skin, flesh, without salt (FDC 168483) · 600 g
- Broccoli, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt (FDC 169967) · 400 g
- Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC 171413) · 30 g
Quick · Oily fish
Baked salmon with brown rice & peas
Oily fish, wholegrain rice and frozen peas in under half an hour.
Serves 2 About 25 min
- Protein
- 38 g
- Energy
- ≈530 kcal
- Carbs
- 53 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 6.9 g
Estimated per serving from USDA FoodData Central. Brands and portions change the numbers.
Ingredients
- 2 salmon fillets (about 260 g cooked)
- 300 g cooked brown rice
- 200 g frozen peas, cooked
Lemon, dill, black pepper (not counted)
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Bake the salmon 12–15 minutes until it flakes easily and is opaque throughout.
- Cook the rice and peas.
- Serve with lemon.
Storing & reheating: Cool, then refrigerate within 1–2 hours. Keep in the fridge (0–5°C) and eat within 2 days.
USDA entries used for this recipe
- Fish, salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked, dry heat (FDC 175168) · 260 g
- Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) (FDC 169704) · 300 g
- Peas, green, frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt (FDC 170017) · 200 g
Batch cook · Freezer-friendly · Family
Lean beef & kidney bean chilli
A batch-cook classic where beans stretch the meat.
Serves 4 About 45 min
- Protein
- 45 g
- Energy
- ≈670 kcal
- Carbs
- 82 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 14.7 g
Estimated per serving from USDA FoodData Central. Brands and portions change the numbers.
Ingredients
- About 500 g raw 10%-fat beef mince (≈400 g cooked)
- 480 g cooked kidney beans, drained (about 2 tins)
- 800 g tinned chopped tomatoes (2 tins)
- 1 onion (150 g)
- 1 red pepper (150 g)
- 600 g cooked white rice, to serve
- 1 tbsp oil
Garlic, chilli, cumin, low-salt stock (not counted)
Method
- Brown the mince in the oil until no pink remains; add onion and pepper.
- Add spices, tomatoes and beans; simmer 25 minutes, stirring.
- Serve over rice.
Storing & reheating: Cool, then refrigerate within 1–2 hours. Keep in the fridge (0–5°C) and eat within 2 days. Or freeze portions straight away; defrost in the fridge and reheat once until steaming hot throughout.
USDA entries used for this recipe
- Beef, ground, 90% lean meat / 10% fat, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned (FDC 171794) · 400 g
- Beans, kidney, red, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt (FDC 175194) · 480 g
- Tomatoes, red, ripe, canned, packed in tomato juice (FDC 170051) · 800 g
- Onions, raw (FDC 170000) · 150 g
- Peppers, sweet, red, raw (FDC 170108) · 150 g
- Rice, white, long-grain, regular, enriched, cooked (FDC 168878) · 600 g
- Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC 171413) · 15 g
Quick
Garlic prawn & spinach wholewheat pasta
Cooked prawns make this a 20-minute dinner.
Serves 2 About 20 min
- Protein
- 54 g
- Energy
- ≈580 kcal
- Carbs
- 66 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- ≥10.1 g
Estimated per serving from USDA FoodData Central; fibre is a minimum because one ingredient has no USDA fibre value. Brands and portions change the numbers.
Ingredients
- 300 g cooked prawns
- 400 g cooked wholewheat pasta (about 160 g dry)
- 100 g spinach
- 200 g cherry tomatoes
- 20 g parmesan
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Garlic, chilli flakes, lemon (not counted)
Method
- Cook the pasta.
- Fry garlic and tomatoes in the oil until soft; add prawns and spinach and heat until steaming hot.
- Toss with the pasta and top with parmesan.
Storing & reheating: Cool, then refrigerate within 1–2 hours. Keep in the fridge (0–5°C) and eat within 2 days.
USDA entries used for this recipe
- Crustaceans, shrimp, cooked (FDC 175180) · 300 g
- Pasta, whole-wheat, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) (FDC 168910) · 400 g
- Spinach, raw (FDC 168462) · 100 g
- Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average (FDC 170457) · 200 g
- Cheese, parmesan, hard (FDC 170848) · 20 g
- Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC 171413) · 15 g
Lighter · One pan
Cod with tomato & lentil stew
White fish on a quick lentil and tomato base.
Serves 2 About 25 min
- Protein
- 50 g
- Energy
- ≈430 kcal
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 14.2 g
Estimated per serving from USDA FoodData Central. Brands and portions change the numbers.
Ingredients
- 2 cod fillets (about 300 g cooked)
- 300 g cooked lentils
- 200 g tomatoes, chopped
- 100 g spinach
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Garlic, smoked paprika (not counted)
Method
- Warm the tomatoes, lentils and paprika in the oil for 8 minutes.
- Sit the cod on top, cover and cook 8–10 minutes until opaque and flaking.
- Stir spinach in around the fish until wilted.
Storing & reheating: Cool, then refrigerate within 1–2 hours. Keep in the fridge (0–5°C) and eat within 2 days.
USDA entries used for this recipe
- Fish, cod, Atlantic, cooked, dry heat (FDC 171956) · 300 g
- Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt (FDC 172421) · 300 g
- Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average (FDC 170457) · 200 g
- Spinach, raw (FDC 168462) · 100 g
- Oil, olive, salad or cooking (FDC 171413) · 15 g
Food safety for meal prep
The UK Food Standards Agency advises cooling cooked food and refrigerating it within 1–2 hours, keeping your fridge at 0–5°C, and eating leftovers within 2 days (48 hours) or freezing them. Reheat food until steaming hot throughout, and reheat it only once after freezing.
Easy swaps
- Swap chicken for firm tofu or tempeh in the sheet-pan dinner. Cooking times differ, so heat until hot throughout.
- Use half the mince and double the beans in the chilli for more fibre.
- Any white fish can replace cod.
Cook once, eat twice: the chilli and sheet-pan chicken make good next-day lunches. See the lunch ideas for storage tips.
More ideas: the high-protein meals hub has all breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes in one place.
How we calculated the nutrition
- Each ingredient weight was multiplied by its per-100 g values in USDA FoodData Central (retrieved 2026-10-10), then summed and divided by the number of servings.
- Weights are for the state of the USDA entry: cooked meat, fish, rice and pasta; drained tinned beans. Raw meat loses water when cooked, so cooked weight is lower than raw weight.
- Seasonings, garlic, herbs, lemon and stock are not counted, so totals leave out their energy and any salt they add; stock cubes and many tinned foods can add noticeable salt. Energy is rounded to the nearest 10 kcal, other values to the nearest gram.
- These are estimates. Your brands, portions and cooking method will differ; check labels or use our Food Calorie Calculator for your own ingredients.
Put this into practice
Protein per 100 g, compared fairly.
Highest protein foods- Protein CalculatorEstimate a daily protein range from body weight.
- High-protein mealsThe recipe hub, with protein per serving.
- Breakfast meal prepMake-ahead breakfasts with storage advice.
- Lunch ideasWork-friendly, hot and cold lunches.
- Low-calorie high-protein foodsProtein per 100 kcal.
- Lesson 3: ProteinWhat protein is and what it does.