Healthy Recipes Healthy Lifestyle Diets Healthy Vegetarian Recipes Low-Calorie Vegetarian Recipes 20 500-Calorie Vegetarian Dinners That Are High in Protein By Leah Goggins Leah Goggins Instagram Website Leah Goggins is a digital fellow for EatingWell. Based in Birmingham, Alabama, she is a devotee of old movies, farmers' markets and Ina Garten's tomato sandwich with basil mayo recipe. Leah has a degree in news media and English from The University of Alabama. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on May 3, 2022 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Instagram Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, has been with EatingWell for three years and works as the associate nutrition editor for the brand. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Greg DuPree Just because you're going meatless doesn't mean you can't load up on protein—a key nutrient that supports digestion, muscle strength and even weight loss. These dinners include at least 15 grams of protein per serving for a hearty dish that's still low in calories. Whether you're in the mood for a salad, soup, sandwich or pasta, there's a delicious meal for you in this mix. Lean on recipes like our Cheesy Spinach-Zucchini Lasagna and Black Bean Fajita Skillet for a tasty, healthy way to end the day. 01 of 20 Spinach & Mushroom Quiche View Recipe This healthy vegetarian quiche recipe is as simple as it gets. It's a quiche without the fussy crust! It's filled with sweet wild mushrooms and savory Gruyère cheese. Enjoy it for breakfast or brunch, or serve it with a light salad for lunch. 02 of 20 Red Lentil Soup with Saffron View Recipe Jacob Fox This hearty red lentil soup uses spices common in Persian cuisine: turmeric, cumin and saffron. Enjoy it with a warm baguette or steamed rice. 03 of 20 Cheesy Spinach-Zucchini Lasagna View Recipe Greg DuPree Thanks to jarred marinara sauce and oven-ready lasagna noodles, this labor-of-love kind of meal can be ready in about an hour. 04 of 20 Black Bean Fajita Skillet View Recipe You can often find presliced and ready-to-cook fresh vegetables in your grocer's produce section. Use these to your advantage to cut down on dinnertime prep. Here, presliced fajita vegetables are sautéed with canned black beans and Southwest seasoning for a quick and easy Tex Mex-inspired meal. Plus, this recipe requires just three ingredients, not including basics like salt, pepper and oil. You can easily take your bowl up a notch by adding some cheese, sour cream or another tasty topping. 05 of 20 Cheesy Zucchini Quiche View Recipe This cheesy crustless zucchini quiche has plenty of leeks and zucchini enveloped in a light custard. Feta and fontina cheeses add a rich depth of flavor. Serve it for brunch or anytime you have extra zucchini on hand. 06 of 20 Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps View Recipe We love the retro vibe of these egg salad lettuce wraps. Iceberg lettuce makes a perfect low-carb swap for bread to serve the egg salad. 07 of 20 Crispy Pea Fritter Salad View Recipe Jason Donnelly We mashed together peas, fresh mint and lemon zest with breadcrumbs to make small pan-fried cakes perfect for topping a salad. 08 of 20 Frittata with Asparagus, Leek & Ricotta View Recipe Photographer / Jacob Fox, Food styling / Sue Mitchell, Food Styling / Kelsey Bulat Serve this spring-vegetable-loaded frittata with an arugula salad and a hunk of crusty bread. Tip: This recipe cooks quickly, so be sure to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go. 09 of 20 Caprese Sandwich View Recipe Photographer / Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist / Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist / Christine Keely This caprese sandwich is fresh from the basil and hearty from thick, crusty ciabatta. The sun-dried tomatoes deepen the flavor. Topping the bread with a layer of basil leaves and using toasted bread helps to keep the sandwich from getting soggy if you need to make it a few hours ahead. 10 of 20 Cheesy Marinara Beans View Recipe Photography / Nico Schinco, Food Styling / Frances Boswell, Prop Stylist / Paige Hicks This ooey-gooey dish has baked-pasta vibes but features protein-packed beans instead of noodles. Look for dried corona beans, a larger, creamy white bean, at natural-foods stores or online. Cannellini are a good substitute. Serve with a green salad and toasted baguette. 11 of 20 Spinach & Artichoke Dip Pasta View Recipe If you've ever wanted to make a meal out of warm spinach and artichoke dip, this creamy pasta is for you. And here's what's almost as good as the flavor of this comforting dish: the fact that this healthy dinner takes just 20 minutes to prepare. 12 of 20 Salad Primavera with Creamy Mustard Vinaigrette View Recipe Eva Kolenko This is a salad where the vegetables really shine and the lettuce plays a supporting role. It requires a bit of work up front to blanch all the veg, but the results are impressive. 13 of 20 Baked Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Kale View Recipe You can make these three-ingredient tomato-simmered eggs with things you probably already have on hand in your freezer and pantry. To make these baked eggs more like eggs in purgatory, look for a spicy tomato sauce and don't forget some whole-wheat bread for dipping. 14 of 20 Cilantro Bean Burgers with Creamy Avocado-Lime Slaw View Recipe Lighten up your burger! Bean patties have less saturated fat and more fiber than beef patties. They're also cheaper and easier to cook indoors--and we promise they're just as satisfying, especially with the mouthwatering creamy slaw on top. 15 of 20 Cajun-Spiced Tofu Tostadas with Beet Crema View Recipe Photographer / Jacob Fox, Food styling / Sue Mitchell, Food Styling / Kelsey Bulat Crumbled tofu spiced up with Cajun seasoning is layered onto these tostadas with a juicy mango slaw. A dollop of sour cream zhuzhed up with beet and lime adds even more flavor. Look for precooked beets in the produce department of your grocery store. 16 of 20 Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Dressing View Recipe This hearty vegan salad is loaded with plant-based power ingredients: chickpeas, quinoa and hummus. We love the crunch of the sunflower seeds and the unexpected flavor of roasted peppers. 17 of 20 Falafel Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing View Recipe Deep-fried falafel can be a total grease bomb. But these pan-seared falafel still get crispy in just a few tablespoons of oil with equally satisfying results. Be sure to use dried, instead of canned, chickpeas in this healthy recipe--canned chickpeas add too much moisture. 18 of 20 One-Pot Lentils & Rice with Spinach View Recipe This hearty vegan dish gets its earthy flavor from cumin and brown rice. If you can handle extra heat, try doubling the crushed red pepper for a bigger punch of flavor. 19 of 20 Veggie Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup View Recipe Leslie Grow | Veggie Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup Maya Feller, M.S., RD, CDN, of Brooklyn-based Maya Feller Nutrition, upgrades this popular budget-friendly combo. "Adding veggies to a classic sandwich—in this case, broccoli, zucchini and red bell pepper—boosts the nutrient-density of the meal," she says. This recipe was part of a feature story, "The Real Cost of Healthy Food." 20 of 20 Chickpea Pasta with Mushrooms & Kale View Recipe Greg DuPree Loading up your pasta with vegetables like the kale and mushrooms here is not only delicious, it also makes the meal more satisfying. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit