20+ High-Protein Dinner Recipes for Winter

Make a hearty and filling Sunday dinner with these delicious recipes. These dinners are high in protein, with at least 15 grams per serving to leave you feeling satisfied for longer, support healthy digestion and promote muscle repair. Whether you make Spinach & Artichoke–Stuffed Butternut Squash or our Marry Me Chicken & Spaghetti Squash Casserole, these recipes will help keep you warm during the cold winter months.

Anti-Inflammatory Sweet Potato-Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

Heami Lee, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keeley


These delicious sweet potato–stuffed peppers are an easy anti-inflammatory meal, thanks to the combination of sweet potatoes, black beans and bell peppers, which are all packed with fiber and antioxidants.

Spinach & Artichoke–Stuffed Butternut Squash

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel


Tender roasted butternut squash halves are filled with a cheesy spinach-and-artichoke mixture. A sprinkle of crushed red pepper adds a hint of heat, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze provides a tangy-sweet flavor contrast that ties it all together.

Marry Me Chicken & Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Lindsey Lower


This Marry Me chicken and spaghetti squash casserole is a satisfying protein-packed dinner. The tender chicken and nutrient-dense spaghetti squash deliver a hearty meal that will keep you full and energized. Sun-dried tomatoes add a burst of tangy sweetness, complementing the creamy sauce.

High-Protein Anti-Inflammatory Soup

Heami Lee, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keeley


This anti-inflammatory soup is a hearty dish designed to nourish you and help fight inflammation in your body. This plant-based soup features lentils, which offer plenty of protein and fiber to make this soup satisfying. Together, with anti-inflammatory ingredients like turmeric and sweet potato, you’ll get a balanced soup that’s warming and comforting, all in one delicious bowl.

Cheesy One-Pot Chicken-Broccoli Orzo

Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell


This cheesy chicken-broccoli orzo is the ultimate weeknight game-changer. This dish brings crowd-pleasing flavors together in one pan for easy cleanup. It’s perfect for busy nights when you want something satisfying, comforting and delicious. Sharp Cheddar cheese adds savory flavor, but another easy-melting cheese like Gruyère or Swiss would work well too.

Cheesy Chicken & White Bean Skillet

Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell


This chicken and white bean skillet is so easy, creamy and cheesy you’ll want to eat it on repeat! With minimal prep and easy-to-find ingredients, it’s the perfect weeknight meal that’s sure to satisfy. Pepper Jack cheese and a jalapeño pepper add kick to the sauce.

Loaded Broccoli Soup

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless


Crispy bacon bits, shredded cheese, sour cream and sliced scallions add texture and extra flavor to each spoonful. It’s a satisfying bowl of goodness, perfect for cold days or when you crave something comforting. This hearty soup blends tender broccoli stems and florets in a creamy, flavorful base, thickened with potato.

Vegetable Enchiladas

Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Sylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop Stylist: Breanna Ghazali


These vegetable enchiladas are packed with beans, corn, peppers and kale. Using store-bought enchilada sauce is a great way to save time—red or green both work well here. Serve these enchiladas topped with your favorite ingredients like sour cream, avocado and cilantro.

Roasted Broccoli & Kimchi Rice Bowl

Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Styling: Christina Brockman


This well-rounded kimchi rice bowl is packed with fiber and probiotic foods like kimchi and yogurt to support a healthy gut. Prebiotic foods like edamame and garlic add flavor and additional gut-healthy benefits. Gochugaru is a Korean chile powder with a smoky-sweet flavor and mild heat.

Creamy Spinach & Artichoke Chicken Skillet

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless


This creamy spinach-and-artichoke chicken skillet serves up the classic combo often reserved for dips and elevates it to main-dish status with the addition of quick-cooking chicken cutlets. It’s a one-pan wonder that comes together quickly, perfect for those busy nights when you crave something comforting yet sophisticated.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood


This hearty soup combines tender rotisserie chicken, pillowy tortellini and plenty of veggies for a comforting meal that’s quick, healthy and satisfying. We love the convenience of baby spinach and frozen peas, but any chopped green or another legume like no-salt-added white beans or shelled edamame would work well.

Marry Me Chicken–Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Abby Armstrong


This chicken and sun-dried tomato–stuffed spaghetti squash is like Marry Me Chicken with a twist, offering the same rich, creamy flavors that make the original dish so delicious, but with a veggie-packed spin. We combine a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce and shredded rotisserie chicken with sweet and tender strands of spaghetti squash, plus goat cheese for extra tanginess.

Buffalo Cauliflower Grain Bowl

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lindsey Lower


This Buffalo cauliflower grain bowl is a delicious and healthy alternative to traditional Buffalo wings, packing plenty of gut-healthy fiber and plant-based protein. It features a variety of fresh and colorful vegetables on a bed of precooked brown rice to keep prep speedy. Feel free to swap out the rice for another whole grain.

Chicken Fajita Soup

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel


This soup combines the vibrant, smoky flavors of traditional fajitas with the comforting warmth of a soup. This versatile dish is perfect for a cozy dinner, and can be easily adjusted to suit your preferences. To kick up the heat, add a chopped jalapeño to the veggie mixture.

Roasted Cabbage Caesar Salad with Chicken

Photographer: Stacy k. Allen, Props: Christina Brockman, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf


This warm and inviting salad swaps crunchy romaine lettuce for sweet roasted cabbage in a fun twist on Caesar salad. To make this main-dish cabbage salad vegetarian, opt for vegetarian or vegan Worcestershire, leave out the anchovy paste from the dressing, and use cubed tofu in place of the chicken.

Ham & Spinach Quiche

Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hauser


This ham and spinach quiche is ideal for any meal, from brunch to dinner and all the moments in between. This quiche skips the crust, making it incredibly easy to pull together even on short notice. Swap out the Cheddar cheese for Gruyère or use Swiss chard in place of the spinach for a slightly different spin.

Crispy Chicken Rice Bowl

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Priscilla Montiel


This crispy chicken rice bowl is a delightful dinner that combines crispy breaded chicken cutlets with brown rice and tender-crisp veggies. The refreshing mint sauce is the star of the dish, bringing a burst of cool, zesty freshness.

Marry Me Chickpeas

Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle, Food Stylist: Renu Dhar


From the creamy chickpeas to the umami-laden sun-dried tomatoes, you’ll want to sop up every last bit of sauce. To riff on this recipe, you could swap the chickpeas for white beans, like cannellini or navy.

Creamy Caramelized Cabbage Pasta

Photographer: Grant Webster, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Lexi Juhl


In this comforting vegetarian dinner, cabbage is sautéed in butter until it caramelizes, imparting a subtle sweetness to the dish. A light, creamy sauce coats both the cabbage and the pasta. If you want to stretch the sauce a little further, you can thin it out by adding in a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water.

Kale, Sausage & Pepper Pasta

This entire healthy pasta recipe cooks in one skillet, so there’s only one pot to clean! Try it with any greens you have in the fridge, such as chard or spinach.

Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew

This satisfying stew comes together in a snap. Mashed chickpeas add body to the broth, and tomato paste adds a savory note without piling on the sodium. To simplify the prep, look for chopped fresh onion and shredded carrot or a soup starter mix in the produce section.

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