14 Simple Ways To Add A Protein Boost To Your Favorite Meals
There are many different reasons why someone may want to try to get more protein in their diet. Protein helps the body to perform necessary functions and aids in regulating digestion, hormones, immune function, and energy levels. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that people who follow a 2,000 calorie diet get at least 50 grams of protein per day. If you're really looking to gain muscle and lose fat, some fitness experts even recommend consuming 0.7 grams of protein per pound that you weigh — in combination with strength training, of course.
As a certified nutrition coach, I see firsthand how difficult it can be for people to eat more than 50 grams of protein throughout the day. It's something I've also experienced firsthand as a professional dancer. I've had to get quite creative in order to reach my goals, and many of these meals I've upgraded with more protein turned out absolutely delicious. Check out these easy ways to add protein to your favorite meals. Bon appétit!
Blend cottage cheese with tomato sauce
One of the easiest and most satisfying dinners that you can make at home is a warm bowl of pasta with tomato sauce. Unfortunately, that meal by itself doesn't offer a ton of protein. While adding chicken or shrimp is an easy way to amp up the protein, a better way is to blend cottage cheese with tomato sauce. Cottage cheese has a very mild flavor to it, and it actually complements the tomato sauce incredibly well. If you add about a ½ cup of cottage cheese to the sauce, it will add 12 extra grams of protein to the meal. The cheese creates a creamy, decadent sauce that could even act as a stand-in for vodka sauce.
You can use any type of cottage cheese for this recipe, depending on your dietary needs or taste preferences. The higher the fat, the creamier it will be. Personally, I find that using 2% cottage cheese still offers deliciously creamy sauce without adding too much fat.
Switch out regular pasta for lentil pasta
There's a secret swap that could amp up the protein content of your next pasta dish. Regular Barilla pasta has about 7 grams of protein per serving. Red lentil pasta, on the other hand, has double the amount of protein — about 14 grams total per serving. If you make the simple switch from regular pasta to red lentil pasta, could easily double your protein intake for that meal.
Out of all of the gluten-free pasta brands and other pasta alternatives out there, I personally enjoy red lentil pasta the most. Other protein-heavy options, like black bean pasta or chickpea pasta, have a distinct flavor to them. I barely notice a difference between classic pasta and red lentil pasta. That makes the idea of a simple "swap" not as much of a swap. You can still enjoy your favorite pasta dishes without sacrificing the flavor of your meal.
Use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream
This tip right here is one of my favorite hacks. If you had a blindfold on and tasted a spoonful of sour cream and a spoonful of full-fat Greek yogurt, I promise you that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference! They are both incredibly rich, creamy, and tart. The main difference, as you're probably wondering, is the nutritional value. A ¾ cup of sour cream has barely 6 grams of protein. That same amount of full-fat Greek yogurt has 15 grams of protein.
What's so great about this swap is that you can add protein to any of the meals you would normally use sour cream for. If you need a topping for a quesadilla or taco, throw on a hefty spoonful of Greek yogurt. One of my favorite things to do is to make a hearty bowl of chili that's a bit spicy and then top it with a large helping of Greek yogurt. It helps to cool down the heat from the chili while also adding a creamy texture and amping up the protein content. I haven't bought a single container of sour cream after finding out this hack.
Amp up your oatmeal
Oatmeal is an incredibly nutritious and comforting breakfast to have, especially during the colder months of the year. The whole grains and fiber from the oats is great to start your day with; however, the oats themselves lack a ton of protein. Luckily, adding protein doesn't mean you have to alter the taste of your breakfast or make it less enjoyable.
With a few simple changes, you can triple the protein content of your breakfast. First things first — ditch the water. Make your oatmeal with a cup of whole milk instead, and you will have easily added close to 8 grams of protein right there. Then, sprinkle in some chia seeds, which will add an extra 5 grams per 2½ teaspoon. The seeds also add more fiber to the meal, which will leave you feeling more satiated. Lastly, you can either mix in vanilla or plain protein powder, or — my personal favorite — top it with a ½ cup of Greek yogurt. If you choose to add protein powder, make sure that the milk is nice and hot as you mix the powder in. This will help it dissolve into the oatmeal. The Greek yogurt on top may seem odd at first, but don't knock it until you try it. With these suggestions, you could get your oatmeal breakfast to reach up to between 30 and 40 grams of protein.
Swap out regular milk for Fairlife milk in your latte
Regardless of whether you make your morning latte with a Nespresso pod or your choice of espresso beans, the more important aspect of your at-home latte is the type of milk that you use. Swapping out your usual milk is a perfect opportunity to sneak in some extra protein, and you simply can't waste it. There are lots of types of milks you can use in a latte, like oat milk, almond milk, soy milk, and regular milk. In an 8-ounce serving, oat milk only has about 3 grams of protein, almond milk has less than 1 gram, soy milk has 6.5 grams, and regular milk has 7.5 grams. Obviously, regular milk wins the protein award here, but did you know that there's another option that can nearly double that number?
Enter Fairlife milk: an ultra-filtered, lactose-free cow's milk. The filtration process concentrates the protein; if offers 13 grams per 8-ounce serving. If you use Fairlife milk in your lattes, you can get a huge protein bump — especially if it's a beverage you drink every single day. This swap is easy and tastes exactly the same as regular milk, with double the protein.
Fluff up scrambled eggs with cottage cheese
If you've seen people all over TikTok throwing cottage cheese into their scrambled eggs and thought that sounded a bit odd, you're not alone. It wasn't until I tried it myself that I realized that it's actually a genius idea. If you're scrambling up two eggs every morning for breakfast, you'll get about 13 grams of protein. That number is pretty good, however you can easily double it by adding cottage cheese.
The best way to do this is to mix about a ½ cup of cottage cheese into your egg scramble before setting it on the stove. Make sure that you prep your pan properly, because it does get a bit stickier with the cheese. It also takes a little bit longer to fully cook, however you don't need to change your egg-cooking technique. Once the eggs look like they're fully cooked, and the cheese has become one with the egg mixture, it's ready to serve. This low-fat cheesy addition will get you an extra 14 grams of protein, bringing your total to 27 grams of protein. Plus, it makes your eggs fluffy and filling.
Replace mayonnaise with Greek yogurt in salads
Mayonnaise is a popular ingredient in a variety of dishes, like salad dressings, chicken salad, egg salad, and tuna salad. Unfortunately, mayonnaise doesn't offer anything special in terms of nutrition. Instead, I recommend that you swap out the mayonnaise in your favorite recipes with some full-fat Greek yogurt. This way, you are adding extra nutritional benefits to your meals, like protein, probiotics, and calcium.
You will notice a slight taste difference when you make the switch from mayonnaise to Greek yogurt, however, it isn't incredibly jarring. It's worth it to get that extra punch of protein, and I personally think that each recipe I've tried still tastes absolutely delicious. For things like chicken salad, egg salad, and tuna salad, you can eyeball the amount of Greek yogurt you add to it. You'll know the consistency that you like, and you can keep spooning it in until it looks like it normally does. If you use about a ½ cup of whole milk Greek yogurt, you will add 10 grams of protein to your recipe.
If you have any creamy dressings that you like to make, like Italian or Thousand Island, try swapping out the mayo for Greek yogurt as well. You may need to add a bit more vinegar or citrus juice to get the right consistency, but I promise that it's an easy and worthwhile switch.
Add protein powder to pancake mix
I have a huge weakness for pancakes, but I always feel hungry shortly after eating them. That's because they don't have a ton of protein in them, and protein helps you to stay full. The good news is that there's an incredibly easy way to fix this problem. Every time I make my pancakes, whether I'm using a box of pancake mix or making it from scratch, I stir some protein powder into the dry ingredients.
You can use any type of protein powder that you like for this. I've tried it with whey protein, pea protein, flavored options like vanilla and chocolate, and more. They all can seamlessly blend into the dry ingredients. Once you add in the wet ingredients, everything melds together easily. You won't even notice that you added an extra ingredient. The pancakes will also cook exactly how you're used to making them. They will taste virtually the same, depending on what type of protein that you use. This is such a simple way to add around 20 grams of protein (depending on the type of powder you use) to your serving of pancakes. It's a easy way to turn a delicious breakfast into something that's a bit more protein-dense.
Use bone broth instead of regular broth
There are so many recipes out there that require broth. You can use it for an array of soups, for cooking rice or quinoa, as a base for chili, or even just for sipping. Did you know, however, that there are some major nutritional differences between regular broth and bone broth?
Bone broth essentially comes from boiling of animal bones and connective tissue, usually from a chicken or a cow. This helps to bring in more collagen, gelatin, glycine, and glutamine — all of which have shown to help with digestion and inflammation in the body. Chicken bone broth also has about 10 grams of protein per serving, whereas regular chicken broth has about 2 grams of protein. For any recipe that you come across that calls for regular broth, simply switch it for bone broth. You won't need to adjust anything in the measurements or cooking method, and it will taste exactly the same. You'll simply be left with more protein and other nutrients.
Make dips high protein
There are so many types of dip that you can alter to increase their protein content. One of my all-time favorites is to make sour cream and onion dip, but swap out the creamy base for Greek yogurt instead. I always make sure I have a few packets of the Lipton onion soup and dip mixes in my pantry, and when I'm craving a creamy dip for my veggies or potato chips, I pour the powder into a container of Greek yogurt. It tastes exactly the same as pre-made or homemade sour cream and onion dip. Plus, the whole milk Greek yogurt has about 15 grams of protein per serving.
If you're a fan of buffalo chicken dip, try to make it higher protein by using full-fat Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese. When I first tried this swap, I was honestly surprised at how little the texture and taste changed. You can also layer your dip atop blended ricotta or cottage cheese. For example, this spicy black bean dip tastes absolutely incredible if you pair it with one of these cheeses.
Add ground turkey to stir-fry or fried rice
Vegetable stir-fry and fried rice are some of my favorite dinners to make. Unfortunately, neither really have a ton of protein in them. If I'm not in the mood for adding chicken, I'll add ground turkey instead.
I love ground turkey not only because it's incredibly high in protein (about 22 grams per serving), but it also can be broken up easily into very small pieces. I find that ground turkey can blend seamlessly into stir-fries and fried rice, which is perfect for the times when I'm not in the mood to chew entire pieces of meat. With this hack, you can get a huge punch of protein without sacrificing the texture and tastes that you were originally craving.
Layer smoked salmon on avocado toast
One of my all time favorite breakfasts is avocado toast. Avocados have a ton of nutrients, like fiber, potassium, and heart-healthy fats. Unfortunately though, they don't offer a lot of protein. Regular bread doesn't have much protein either. If you opt to use whole grain toast, you may only get about 5 grams of protein per slice — which still still isn't a substantial amount for a meal.
A great way to amp up your avocado toast and turn it into a high-protein meal is to layer on some smoked salmon. Smoked salmon is such an easy ingredient to add because you don't need to cook it; all you need to do is take it directly out of the package and place it on your toast. It requires virtually no effort. Plus, one serving of smoked salmon can add about 12 grams of protein.
Add edamame to a wrap
Edamame is a plant-based protein that really packs a punch. Many other plant-based protein sources out there, like nuts or beans, don't have a ton of protein. Edamame, however, is the true protein superstar of the plant world. It has about 18 grams of protein per cup.
Although edamame is a great option for a snack, you can also incorporate it into your meals as well. My absolute favorite thing to do is to put edamame into my wraps. It tastes good in a large variety of wraps — like chicken salad wraps, a hummus veggie wraps, a bacon and tomato wraps, and more. The edamame adds a satisfying textural boost, plus the extra protein makes the wrap more filling and tasty.
Add ricotta cheese into your pudding recipe
We can't skip dessert, can we? I love a good pudding. Unfortunately, classic pudding doesn't really help me achieve my protein goals. Desperate to continue my pudding-filled evenings, I experimented with a few ways to make it more protein-rich. The winner was using ricotta cheese instead of milk or cream in the pudding. Ricotta cheese doesn't really have a strong taste on its own, and when you blend it up, it's very smooth and velvety — the perfect consistency for a pudding.
Whole milk ricotta cheese has about 10 grams of protein per ½ cup. To make the pudding, all I do is mix ricotta cheese, sugar to taste, and my flavoring of choice. Cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and strawberries are my go-tos. No matter what flavors you choose, you'll be left with a protein-rich dessert that'll satisfy that sweet tooth.