10 Protein-packed Recipes With Only 5 Ingredients Each
Busy people don’t always have time to prepare time-consuming recipes with lots of ingredients. Searching high and low for obscure ingredients is rarely fun when you have a million other things to do. What you need are some simple, quick, high-protein recipes you can make with only a handful of ingredients.
That’s what we’ve created here. These 10 high-protein recipes can each be made with only five ingredients, as well as a few kitchen staples you probably already have on hand. You can whip up these recipes on a weeknight or after a workout. You can toss them together in the morning for a quick lunch later, or meal-prep them in advance.
That’s also why I wrote The Easy 5-Ingredient Healthy Cookbook. In my book, I provide over 150 simple recipes—many of which can be made in 30 minutes or less, can be frozen for later, or can be cooked in a slow cooker.
A note: For the recipes here, and all the recipes in my cookbook, you should always have seven pantry ingredients on hand—kitchen staples so essential I don’t count them toward the five “main” ingredients in each recipe. Those seven ingredients include:
salt
black pepper
olive oil
cooking spray (a cooking-friendly oil also works)
honey
fresh garlic
fresh lemon (for the juice and zest)
Toby Amidor is the owner of Toby Amidor Nutrition and best-selling author of The Easy 5-Ingredient Healthy Cookbook, The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook, and The Greek Yogurt Kitchen.
25 Genius Meal-prep Recipes That Will Last You All Week
1. Miso-garlic Pork Chops
This simple, Japanese-inspired pork chop recipe has a great macronutrient profile, only five ingredients (besides your typical kitchen staples), and a quick prep time.
2. Ginger Egg Salad
This salad is loaded with proteins, extremely light, and very nutritious. It’s perfect in a sandwich with fresh arugula and veggies or as party food served with veggies or chips—no mayo necessary.
Read the full recipe for ginger egg salad here.
3. Pesto Baked Chicken
This four-ingredient chicken dish is perfect for any busy work night. Serve it with a side of brown rice or whole wheat pasta and cooked seasonal vegetables for a balanced, post-workout meal.
Read the full recipe for pesto baked chicken here.
4. Asparagus Quinoa Salad
The red quinoa in this salad provides plant-based proteins, all jam-packed with all the essential amino acids and antioxidants. And by combining it with cilantro, you’ll get a delicious Latin twist.
5. Grass-fed Beef and Mushroom Marinara Over Spaghetti Squash
Blending mushrooms and ground beef is a perfect way to add vegetables and an array of nutrients to a dish. It also helps bulk up the portion without adding on too many excess calories or artery-clogging saturated fat.
Read the full recipe for beef and mushroom marinara over spaghetti squash here.
6. Halibut With Balsamic Roasted Grapes
The glaze is created using 100% grape juice made with the dark purple Concord grape, so it brings heart-healthy polyphenols (plant nutrients) to your plate, while the balsamic roasted grapes add a sweet and tangy taste, all for just 350 calories.
Read the full recipe for hailbut with balsamic roasted grapes here.
7. Lentil Quinoa Pilaf
“With 14 grams of protein per serving, this five-ingredient, plant-based recipe is a perfect lunch and dinner staple,” says Dana Angelo White, M.S., R.D.
Read the full recipe for lentil quinoa pilaf here.
8. Salsa Chicken
Punch up the flavor of beef, chicken, and fish by topping it with low-cal salsa. Half a cup of salsa provides 35 calories, 2 grams of protein, and 8 grams of carbs. It’s also brimming with potassium and vitamin B6, and numerous antioxidants.
9. Montmorency Tart Cherry Tuna Salad Avocado Bowls
Montmorency tart cherries are packed with anthocyanins, a natural compound that contributes to its bright red color and sour-sweet taste. Studies have linked tart cherries beauties to numerous health advantages, including helping ease muscle pain after a workout.
10. Baked Pesto Salmon
This spin on pesto salmon uses breadcrumbs to add a crunch to every bite. Packing protein and healthy fats in equal measure, it’s the perfect way to get Omega-3 fatty acids into your diet.
Read the full recipe for baked pesto salmon here.