High-Calorie Vegetarian Meals: 15 Healthy Dishes For You
- Updated on Sep 13, 2022
When the whole of the internet is full of low-calorie this and low-fat that, I am thrilled to come out with this compilation of high-calorie vegetarian meals.
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Full on nutrition, zero junk, flavor max – this is the primer for every single recipe in this collection and you will never need to resort to tasteless meals that leave you hangry.
So what if I can show you how you can tuck into high-calorie vegetarian meals that are also high in taste, high in flavor, high in nutrition – and super duper low on crap?
What? Is that a snort of disbelief I hear?
Stick around for a wee bit. And let me show you how you can eat nourishing, high-calorie vegetarian meals made of whole foods that have enough protein and healthy fats to meet your nutritional needs.
I guarantee you will not be rooting around for the biscuit tin, an hour or two after!
Jump to
If you are having a hard time coming up with high-calorie recipes that have plenty of protein to support your lifestyle, why not subscribe to our vegetarian high-protein meal plan?
There are plenty of healthy vegetarian recipes of high nutritional value to get you started.
Subscribe to get our FREE Vegetarian High Protein Meal Plan
All of these recipes are made “high protein friendly”, meaning that they clock in at around 25g of protein per 600kcal.
The average person needs at least a gram of protein per kilo of body weight. Pick any three of these and you have at least 75 grams of protein per day!
Easy peasy!
High-calorie vegetarian recipes
1. Vegan Mushroom Stew with Coconut
Bonus: vegan and tasty as heck!
Looking for something light and tasty for dinner? Try our high-protein coconut mushroom stew – perfect for those following a plant-based diet.
2. Socca Pizza / Chickpea Pizza
Bonus: gluten-free, full of fiber
The healthy vegetarian recipe for gluten-free socca pizza made with chickpea (besan) flour (more veggie gluten free meals this way). It’s loaded with plant-based protein, easy to make, and makes a delicious low-calorie treat!
Subscribe to get our FREE 7-Day Vegetarian High Protein Meal Plan for Weight Loss
3. Perfect Pizza Potatoes
Bonus: celiacs can now have their pizza and eat it too!
A great alternative to regular vegetarian pizza recipes. If you are gluten intolerant, this is especially for you! Never feel like you’re missing out again!
4. Vegetable Stir Fry
Bonus: the perfect meal for busy weeknights
Tender veggies, fragrant ginger and garlic, soft noodles, and a creamy peanut stir fry sauce come together to make this delicious vegan dish. Impress your favorite vegan by putting this together in under 30 minutes!
5. Mediterranean Couscous Bowl
Bonus: the healthy way to reach your daily calorie intake
Need a new couscous recipe that’s high calorie and high protein? Try this Mediterranean couscous bowl with yogurt dressing. The perfect lunch, side, or dinner!
6. The Europa
Bonus: so filling you will not even think of snacking
Baked potato, creamy garlic mushrooms, halloumi – Wowza! If you like mushrooms, then this one is a must.
7. Squidgy Fried Halloumi
Bonus: gluten-free, full of fiber
Fried halloumi absolutely rocks! We can’t get enough of the stuff and this quick recipe is another sure-fire, high-protein winner!
8. Vegan Lentil Bolognese
Bonus: plant-based meals never looked so easy!
Love a good bolognese but trying to eat less meat? Try our healthy, plant-based lentil bolognese – you’ll never look back!
9. Vegan Stuffed Peppers
Bonus: so tasty you will not miss the meat or the cheese!
Vegan stuffed peppers packed with quinoa. Full of protein, bags of flavor, and clear, easy-to-follow instructions.
10. Lentil Tacos – Level Up Dinner
Bonus: when every day can be Taco Tuesday
These veggie lentil tacos are our new go-to meal. SO TASTY and stacked with lentil protein and fiber, it’s time to take dinner up to the next level.
11. Chickpea Spinach Salad
Bonus: never ever let time crunch stand in the way of a healthy meal
You won’t believe this tasty bad boy is actually good for you! Ready in 7 minutes, high in protein, fiber, and absolutely delicious! Perfect for a quick lunch.
12. Purple Beetroot Pasta
Bonus: eat the rainbow? Don’t mind if I do!
The beets are bangin’ in this eye-catching dish. Highly nutritious, beetroots are an awesome addition to any pasta meal – including this beauty! Why not give it a go tonight?
Ingredients
- 5 oz wholegrain pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 handful walnuts
- 1 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tsp sage, fresh (dried is fine too; or rosemary)
- 1 large beetroot, pre-cooked (or two small)
- 3 oz low fat feta cheese
- 1 handful arugula/rocket (1 handful = 50g)
- 1 lemon (sliced)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Optional
- ¼ cup beetroot juice
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package description.
- Roast the walnuts in a large dry pan on medium heat for a couple of minutes.
- Dice the onion and garlic.
- Put the walnuts into a small side bowl and add the onion and garlic to the pan with olive oil on low to medium heat. After 2 minutes season with sage, salt and pepper.
- Open the packaged beetroot and pour the excess liquid into the pan. It should just be a few drops. Cut beetroot into small cubes and add it too.
- Add the white wine vinegar to the mix.
- Once ready, drain the pasta with a colander and collect about half a cup (100 ml) of the excess pasta water.
- Add both the pasta and water to the pan.
- Now it’s time for the coloring, if you bought the beet juice. Add it to the mix. Give everything a good stir and let it simmer for about 6 minutes and make the taste test.
- While it’s simmering, wash and roughly cut the arugula.
- Garnish with the arugula, feta, walnuts and lemon slices.
- Enjoy!
NOTES
Nutrition
13. Easy Tomato Spinach Pasta
Bonus: switch spinach with kale for awesome results
A simple but delicious vegetarian dish that requires bugger all washing up (more quick veggie meals here!)! It’s also an easy way to get all that healthy greens into your system.
14. Roasted Fennel, Carrots, Chickpeas
Bonus: a tray bake like no other
Looking for new oven-based recipes? Try this delicious roasted fennel and carrots with chickpeas! 22 g protein per serving! The perfect side dish to this would be some nutty brown rice!
15. Flawless Feta and Spinach Pancakes
Bonus: serve with a green side salad for a healthy meal
These feta and spinach pancakes are quick and easy – and cover a whole range of important nutrition and health topics!
Questioning calories
What’s the deal with high-calorie meals anyway?
High-calorie meals generally get a bad rep. People clock the calorie numbers and zero in on those that contain fewer calories, giving the higher calorie ones a wide berth.
Not that there’s anything wrong with low-cal meals (we have some excellent recipes for those, right here at HTFP!) but, too often, low calorie gets mistaken for low nutrition. When you aim for nutrient-dense foods, you will feel full for longer, taking away the need to sneak in a snack later.
High-calorie vegetarian meals that are high in protein but contain relatively low saturated fats are good for your health and your heart.
And if you are following a healthy lifestyle and are looking to increase your muscle mass, you need nutrient-dense foods that are high in calories and quality. Which is just what we have right here!
And if anyone tries to tell you that you cannot build muscle on a vegetarian diet, do feel free to call BS on that. We will hold your coat while you do. Vegetarians most definitely can build muscle and we have tips on how you can do so safely.
Which vegetarian food is high in calories?
Nuts like cashew nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, etc contain a lot of good fats and are high in calories as a result.
It is easy for those looking to add more high-calorie vegetarian meals to their diet to go nuts on nuts (ha!) and nut butters, but do remember the magic words: portion control!
What do vegetarians eat for protein?
High protein foods available for vegetarians include eggs, cottage cheese, tofu, tempeh, quinoa, seeds, nuts, and lentils. By choosing good quality products that are unprocessed (or with as little factory assistance, as possible), vegetarians can get their essential amino acids easily.
Can you gain weight as a vegetarian?
Eating too many processed items or not keeping track of portion sizes will cause weight gain, in vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.
But vegetarians can achieve healthy weight gain by eating foods that are high in calories and protein, and low in saturated fats (10% or less).
So, give these high-calorie vegetarian recipes a go and tell us how you got on.
Were they a bit hit? Did you make any tweaks? Do you have recommendations to make our recipes better? Do share with us in the comments section below. You know we love to hear from you 🙂
Dave Bell
I’m not a foodie, although I do love eating. I believe food should serve us and our goals, not hinder. Taking control and responsibility for what I eat is important to me. Lots of veggie protein is my way forward.
Comments
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2 comments
I really like the idea for high calorie vegitarian meals as I struggle a lot to gain weight. And a wheight GAIN course/ebook is something I’d gladly spend money on.
When it comes to this gathering of recipies however… I tried some and they taste good but the listed calories on several looks competely made up, Couscous sallad with youghurt dressing at 553kcal per serving? Higly doubt it.
Hi Niklas, really cool to hear you liked what you tried! Reg. the couscous bowl: you think the calories are too high or too low? We actually checked it a couple of times and the numbers look fine (of course any nutri card here is an approximate)