Eating healthy is one of the most important things you can do for your body, health, and fitness. A salad is loaded and one of the most nutritious and easy meals you can prepare. If prepared right, it can be super easy to meal prep and use to help with weight loss.
You can add lots of different ingredients to your salads and you can customize them to your own nutritional needs.
However, adding protein to your salad is very important, as eating enough protein in a day is crucial for your health and muscles. But don’t worry, making a protein-packed salad isn’t difficult at all.
That’s why in this post, I’m sharing my own protein salad recipes you can try out for your health and weight loss journey.
High Protein Salad Recipe
I’m going to include a chicken salad recipe, a steak salad recipe, and a vegan salad recipe (that can easily be turned into a vegetarian salad if you like adding some cheese to your salads), so you can choose which proteins you like the most, and so you see how easy it is to add protein to your salads and make them filling and nutritious.
Also, as food for thought, it’s recommended to get 10-35% of your calories per day from protein. This number is obviously dependent upon your level of physical activity, age, size, and lifestyle. However, according to the Mayo Clinic, the average adult needs about:
- 38 grams of protein per day up to 131 grams of protein (if on a 1500 calorie diet)
- 50 grams of protein per day up to 175 grams of protein (if on a 2000 calorie diet)
- 63 grams of protein per day up to 219 grams of protein (if on a 2500 calorie diet)
Cobb Salad With Feta
This salad uses grilled chicken breast and boiled eggs as the main sources of protein, and it’s definitely protein-packed. The whole portion has about 511 calories.
It’s super delicious (the bacon definitely helps with that), and also nutritious, as it includes lots of fresh veggies such as spinach, cucumber, and bell pepper, which are important for the fiber and nutrients your body needs.
This salad is loaded and also easy to alter based on your own needs. You can add any ingredients you want (such as red onion, tomatoes, etc.) or you can remove or swap any you don’t like (just make sure you don’t remove the protein, or at least replace it with a different kind).
This salad is also low in carbs. Here are some more low carb salads you can try out.
High Protein Salad Ingredients
- 2 cups Leafy greens, spinach, raw – 14 calories
- 1 Egg, large – 72 calories
- 2 Uncured bacon, slice – 88 calories
- ½ Cucumber, small – 16 calories
- ¼ cup Cheese, crumbled, feta – 99.75 calories
- ½ Bell pepper, green – 13.5 calories
- 6 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw – 190 calories
- 1 Tbsp Vinaigrette, light (less than 50 calories per 2 Tbsp) – 17.5 calories
- 1 Garlic salt, dash – 0 calories
How To Make A High Protein Salad
Step 1: Hard boil egg.
Step 2: Dice chicken. Chop cucumber and bell pepper.
Step 3: Fry bacon on stove top by cooking on low heat & turning every few minutes. Alternatively, you can cook bacon in the microwave or in the oven (~20 minutes at 400 degrees) if you prefer.
Step 4: Once bacon is mostly cooked through, add chicken to the pan and cook for ~6 minutes, until cooked through.
Step 5: Break bacon into small pieces.
Step 6: Combine the boiled eggs, grilled chicken, bacon, fresh veggies, and other ingredients.
Step 7: Top with salad dressing and garlic salt.
No bacon? Use turkey or soy bacon. No dairy? Use dairy-free cheese or avocado. No chicken? Use tofu or fish.
Note: I like Trader Joe’s fat free vinaigrette – but Paul Newman, Whole Foods, etc. all have good light dressings
Southwestern Chopped Salad
This salad is loaded and uses sirloin steak as the main protein source, and black beans which are an amazing source of protein as well. Again, the salad is fully customizable – you can replace or add any ingredients to your liking.
If you don’t make any changes, the salad should be about 583 calories.
High Protein Salad Ingredients
- ¼ cup Beans & legumes, black beans, cooked – 57 calories
- 2 cups Cabbage, shredded – 44 calories
- 2 cups Leafy greens, romaine – 14 calories
- ⅛ cup Pumpkin seeds – 80 calories
- 1 Tbsp Feta (Tbsp) – 25 calories
- 3 oz Sirloin Steak – 95 calories
- ½ Avocado, small – 116.5 calories
- 1 tsp Olive oil (tsp) – 40 calories
- 1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar – 14 calories
- 1 Lime (half) – 0 calories
- ½ oz Tortilla chips – 61.5 calories
- 1 tsp Butter (tsp) – 36 calories
- 1 Salt, dash – 0 calories
- 1 Pepper, dash – 0 calories
How To Make A High Protein Salad
Step 1: Slice steak into small pieces
Step 2: Melt butter in a small pan, then cook steak on medium-low heat until cooked through. Season with salt & pepper.
Step 3: Dice avocado and crush tortilla chips
Step 4: In a large bowl combine lettuce, cabbage, steak, avocado, feta, pumpkin seeds, and tortilla chips
Step 5: Top with olive oil, vinegar, and more salt & pepper
Step 6: Mix well, and enjoy!
Note: if your store carries cotija cheese, you can use that instead of feta
No meat? Use more beans. No cheese? Use more steak, beans, or avocado, and use oil when cooking your steak instead of butter.
Hot Lentil & Chickpea Salad
Here is a plant based protein salad idea to try.
This hot salad is a prime example of how a vegan salad can also be packed with protein. For the main source of protein, this salad uses chickpeas and lentils, which are both full of plant based protein. Lentils are also full of fiber and other nutrients your body needs. However, this salad also uses quinoa, which compared to rice or other carb options has enough protein as well.
Plus, you also get veggies in it, for extra nutrients. If you don’t make any changes, this salad will have about 429 calories.
However, feel free to tailor it to your liking. If you’re a vegetarian and like cheese, you can add some cheese to it, for example.
For more high-protein and veggie meals, click on this link.
High Protein Salad Ingredients
- ½ cup Quinoa, cooked – 111 calories
- ¼ cup Lentils, cooked – 57.5 calories
- ¼ cup Beans & legumes, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), cooked – 67 calories
- 6 cups Leafy greens, spinach, raw – 42 calories
- 1 cup Tomatoes, grape – 32 calories
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil (Tbsp) – 119 calories
- 1 Salt, dash – 0 calories
- 1 Pepper, dash – 0 calories
- 1 Basil, dash – 0 calories
- 1 Oregano, dash – 0 calories
How To Make A High Protein Salad
Step 1: Cook quinoa and lentils as instructed on the package.
Step 2: Drain & rinse chickpeas.
Step 3: Slice tomatoes in halves.
Step 4: Add oil to a pan.
Step 5: Saute tomatoes, 3 cups spinach, beans, and quinoa ~4 minutes on medium heat.
Step 6: Top with seasonings.
Step 7: Add remaining 2 cups (raw) greens to a bowl, top with the stir fry.
