If you’re on a weight loss journey or just looking for healthy meal ideas these 10 low-calorie high-protein recipes are a must-try! They’re easy to prep and actually delicious to help you build healthy eating habits, which is essential when you’re wanting to lose weight.
There are plenty of benefits to eating low-calorie meals that are full of protein. One main reason when it comes to weight loss: you will feel satiated after a meal, but still not be in a caloric surplus. This in turn helps you prevent mindless snacking and binge eating as well as the guilt trips that come with them and is so important for losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight.
For most people, the hardest part when it comes to losing weight is actually changing their diet, while at the same time keeping a healthy relationship with food, which is extremely important.
To help you out, I created this collection of high-protein low-calorie meals that are perfectly balanced, satisfying and actually mouthwatering. No food groups are excluded and the meals are super easy to prepare.
10 Low-Calorie High-Protein Recipes
High in protein, low in calories and extremely appetizing these recipes for sure will keep you full and satisfied. All the weight loss meals here are under 500 calories per serving and after you’ve tried them you’ll want to make them again and again! I’m sure of it. So let’s get started!
1. High-Protein Mediterranean Tuna Pie
This Mediterranean tuna pie is a very convenient meal as it can be eaten at any time – breakfast, lunch or dinner. You’ll be using two very popular high-protein foods – canned tuna and eggs! Both super satisfying on their own, but even better when they come together. This healthy meal is packed with protein and delicious vegetables like bell peppers, scallions and spinach.
Per serving: Calories – 152; Protein – 15 grams
2. High-Protein Chickpea And Chicken Soup
You can make this healthy chicken soup with some leftover chicken, canned chickpeas and whatever veggies you’ve got lying around. Also, you’ve got two options here – you could blend the chickpeas and the veggies together and then add the chicken (that way you get a thick, creamy soup) or you could leave them as they are. No worries though, both options guarantee an amazing taste and a lot of protein!
Per serving: Calories – 284; Protein – 26 grams
3. Ground Beef and Cabbage Stir-Fry
This is a delicious and very easy low-calorie high-protein meal to prepare using ground beef and cabbage. It’s perfect for when you’ve just returned from the gym, but you’re exhausted and just want to eat something. Grab your beef, seasoning and veggies and you’ll be done in 15 minutes.
Per serving: Calories – 472; Protein – 37 grams
4. One-Pan Chicken And Rice
This rice and chicken recipe kinda reminds me of risotto and I’m sure you’ll love it. It’s all made in one pan and uses chicken, chickpeas, rice and vegetables. A delicious combination, which you can always adjust and add your own twist. For example, you could use brown rice, add other vegetables or add some spice! With 35 grams of protein at just 319 calories per serving, this easy chicken dinner is your best choice if you’re looking for satisfying high-protein low-cal meals!
Per serving: Calories – 319; Protein – 35 grams
5. Healthy Shrimp Quesadilla
This quick low-calorie protein-packed meal is for seafood lovers. Super simple, but super good! It’s very easy to make using shrimp, tortillas and tomatoes and you can always add your own touch to it. If you’re wanting to make it even lower in calories you could use lettuce wraps instead of tortillas or you eat the shrimp filling as it is. It’s completely up to you, the important thing is that you enjoy it!
Per serving: Calories – 429; Protein – 34 grams
6. Spicy Chicken And Roasted Vegetable Bowls
This gorgeous meal is not only filled with protein, it also has a spicy kick to it. What is there not to love about it? You combine your spicy chicken with roasted veggies and a salad and you can top it off with sesame seeds or an amazing garlicky yogurt sauce. So good!
Per serving: Calories – 445; Protein – 43 grams
7. Ground Turkey Meal Prep Bowls
If you’ve got some ground turkey, this protein-packed low-cal meal is a must-do. The turkey part of the bowls is a delicious combo of turkey, vegetables and tamari sauce and you could also make it spicy by adding some crushed red pepper or even chili powder. Serve with some rice, or wrap it in a tortilla with more fresh vegetables and call it a burrito. The possibilities are endless.
Per serving: Calories – 422; Protein – 37 grams
8. Healthy Shredded Chicken Salad
This is an amazing and refreshing salad, which I’m sure you’ll be making quite often after you try it. Chicken, veggies, and a delightful cashew sauce. Or any other sauce you want, really – yogurt, sriracha, you name it. And it’s super easy to make and to meal prep for the week – simply cook the chicken ahead and roast some veggies. Enjoy!
Per serving: Calories – 438; Protein – 32 grams
9. Easy Meatball Soup With Noodles
Soup will always earn my heartfelt praise, especially protein-packed soups like this one. It’s just so hearty, healthy, tasty and filling! You’ll need minced meat, seasoning (can’t forget it), veggies and some noodles. What’s more this recipe won’t take up much of your time, so grab those ingredients and prepare it for dinner tonight. It will make a great lunch for tomorrow too!
Per serving: Calories – 374; Protein – 35 grams
10. Spicy Shrimp And Quinoa
Quinoa has plenty of benefits and one of them is that it goes really well with shrimp. Okay, you’ll believe me when you try this super healthy 10-minute recipe with leftover quinoa.
All you need to do is grab some cooked quinoa, saute some shrimp and combine them with vegetables! It seriously makes such a delightful high-protein and low-calorie meal. You can also top it off with some extra arugula, toasted sesame seeds or fresh herbs!
Per serving: Calories – 468; Protein – 40 grams
More Healthy Recipes To Try
Well, I hope our collection of low-calorie high-protein recipes helped you find some inspiration and some ideas for your weekly menu. I love all of these meals and make them quite often, so I think you’ll enjoy them as well. After you’ve tried them all and are ready for more healthy recipes, check out these collections:
- 17 Best Breakfast Ideas With Eggs
- One-Pan Healthy Dinner Ideas
- 30 Healthy Side Dish Recipes
Yield: 4
Low-Calorie High-Protein Recipes
If you’re on a weight loss journey or just looking for healthy meal ideas these 10 low-calorie high-protein recipes are a must-try! They’re easy to prep and actually delicious!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound / 450 g ground beef, lean
- 1 tsp coriander
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 Tbsp mint
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 potato, chopped
- 1/2 cup mini noodles
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
Instructions
- Mix the ground beef with cumin, coriander, 1 tsp black pepper and a few pinches of salt using your hands to massage the spices in.
- Start forming balls from that mixture.
- Boil 5 cups of water with some salt and add the meatballs one at a time. (You can also use vegetable stock without salt)
- Add chopped onion, black pepper, ginger, mint and turmeric. Let that cook for a few minutes.
- Once boiling add the potatoes and the noodles. After 5 minutes add in the carrot as well. Cook for 10 more minutes or until the potatoes are done.
- Once the potatoes and noodles are done. Take about 1 cup from the soup and transfer it to a blender or a bowl that you can use with your hand blender. Make sure there are no meatballs in that cup. Then blend this part of the soup using your blender or your hand blender. I prefer the hand blender because it's easier to clean and mine works well with hot ingredients.
- Pour the blended creamy soup back into the rest of the soup, stir it in and cook for 3-5 more minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve warm with some freshly chopped parsley or cilantro.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 373Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 114mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 2gSugar: 7gProtein: 35g
