Protein Packed Salad Bowls (Over 40 Grams Protein!)

In the present day’s Protein Salad Bowls mix the very best salad and the very best bowl recipe. These bowls have all the things!

These wholesome bowls begin with a base of blended greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and corn—the salad. Then, for a lot of protein and fiber, there’s rooster, bacon, quinoa, and essentially the most scrumptious crunchy roasted chickpeas. Every thing is completed with essentially the most scrumptious creamy cilantro ranch dressing, made with protein-packed cottage cheese. Belief me, they’re so good!

The opposite incredible factor about this salad bowl recipe is how versatile they’re. Observe the bottom recipe to make sure a lot of protein, however swap in numerous proteins, beans or lentils, veggies, and salad dressing. It is a blueprint for the proper protein energy bowl.

Why You’ll Love These Protein-Packed Salad Bowls

• Nice for meal prep: This salad is ideal for meal prep and can preserve you full, happy, and energizing since it’s filled with protein, fiber, and wholesome fat.
• Wholesome and nutritious: This salad bowl has all of it with tons of veggies, complete grains, and protein. One serving of this salad has 42 grams of protein!
• Make the most of leftovers: Use this recipe as a blueprint to make all types of protein salad bowls utilizing no matter mixture of leftover protein and veggies you may have readily available.

Elements and Swaps

Right here is all the things you want for this salad. Be happy to swap in your favourite dressing.

• Hen: You may make this salad with any sort of cooked rooster you want, together with rotisserie rooster, grilled rooster, and even canned rooster. You would additionally swap in another cooked protein you want.
• Chickpeas: With 15 grams of protein per cup, roasted chickpeas are a good way so as to add crunch, protein, and fiber to this salad bowl. You possibly can swap in edamame, lentils, soybeans, inexperienced peas, or different beans.
• Turkey bacon: I really like the salty crunch of bacon in a salad. You possibly can swap in conventional bacon or deli meat, or just skip it.
• Quinoa: Quinoa has extra protein and fiber than rice or pasta. You possibly can swap in one other inexperienced or skip it for a lower-carb choice.
• Greens and veggies: I normally make this salad with blended greens, cherry tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, and inexperienced onions. You should utilize any mixture of greens and contemporary herbs you want.
• Goat cheese: I really like the creaminess goat cheese provides to this salad. You possibly can swap in any cheese you want. Or skip the cheese and add some crunch with almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or walnuts.
• Protein cottage cheese dressing: This salad dressing is a creamy cilantro ranch dressing made with cottage cheese for further protein. Make a fast French dressing utilizing olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper for a lighter dressing.

As a substitute of utilizing…

These energy salad bowls are versatile. You may make them with virtually any mixture of protein and veggies. Listed here are a few of our favourite swaps.

• Hen: Swap in one other cooked protein like salmon, steak, tuna, tofu, rooster thighs, rooster sausage, hard-boiled eggs, or deli meat like turkey or ham.
• Chickpeas: You too can make this salad bowl with lentils, black beans, white beans, edamame, or hummus.
• Quinoa: You possibly can substitute it for brown rice, white rice, farro, cauliflower rice, cooked candy potatoes, or another complete grain.
• Turkey bacon: Use center-cut bacon, salami, ham, or one other salty deli meat.
• Goat cheese: Do that with feta, cheddar, contemporary mozzarella, parmesan, or blue cheese.
• Greens: Use arugula, child kale, spinach, shredded cabbage, broccoli slaw, or butter lettuce.
• Cottage cheese: You may make the dressing with Greek yogurt, plain yogurt, avocado, or a mixture of yogurt with mayonnaise or bitter cream.
• Cilantro: Swap in contemporary herbs like basil, chives, mint, or parsley.
• Ranch seasoning combine: Mix garlic powder, onion powder, dried herbs, salt, and pepper, or substitute your favourite seasoning combine.

Meal Prep: The Excellent Mason Jar Salad

This salad is ideal for meal prep, and we love making a layered salad in a mason jar. Nonetheless, the order is crucial so the salad doesn’t get soggy.

1. Dressing, hummus, spreads: At all times begin together with your dressing, salsas, and sauces.
2. Hearty, crunchy greens: Issues like purple onion, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, beets, cabbage, carrots, and onions that received’t get soggy within the dressing.
3. Protein: This contains rooster, chickpeas, beans, lentils, tuna, tofu, eggs, and so on.
4. Beans, grains, pasta, or corn: Add beans and grains like quinoa, farro, rice, or pasta on high of the protein. This layer may additionally embody corn, roasted potatoes, or edamame.
5. Remaining veggies: These soften extra rapidly, like bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, sprouts, inexperienced onions, or cucumbers. For those who aren’t certain the place so as to add a vegetable, add it to this degree.
6. Nuts, seeds, cheese, avocado: Add your cheese, nuts or seeds, avocado, and different crunchy add-ins like crispy bacon or roasted chickpeas.
7. Leafy greens and herbs: End together with your greens, lettuce, and any contemporary herbs or delicate substances.

Variations and Recipe Concepts

Listed here are some standard variations of this protein-packed salad bowl.

• Vegetarian: Swap tofu, tempeh, or vegetarian sausage for the rooster and bacon, or double the chickpeas.
• Low-carb/keto: Skip the quinoa and corn. Swap in lower-carb edamame for the chickpeas. Or double the rooster.
• No prepare dinner choices: For those who don’t really feel like cooking any substances, swap in rotisserie rooster or deli turkey breast. Skip roasting the chickpeas or swap in bagged roasted chickpeas. Use precooked quinoa or brown rice.
• Dairy-free: Within the salad dressing, swap in dairy-free cottage cheese, yogurt, or avocado. Skip the goat cheese and sprinkle with dietary yeast. Or use your favourite French dressing or salad dressing.
• Italian-inspired: Make the dressing with basil pesto as an alternative of ranch seasoning and cilantro. Use lemon juice as an alternative of lime. Use white beans, pancetta or salami, and orzo as an alternative of quinoa. Add roasted purple peppers, sundried tomatoes, and olives to garnish.
• Mexican-inspired: To make the dressing barely spicy, add a jalapeno. Then, use black beans, queso fresco, diced avocado, and pico de gallo.
• Greek-inspired: Make the dressing with contemporary parsley, basil, and oregano. Use Greek dressing seasoning combine as an alternative of ranch, and add lemon juice. Add feta cheese, pepperoncini, black olives, and bell peppers to the salad, and skip the corn.

Extra Salad Protein Choices

Right here’s a listing of a few of the finest proteins so as to add to a salad, together with their protein content material per cup:

Animal-Primarily based Proteins

1. Grilled Hen Breast: 43 grams per cup
2. Tuna (canned in water): 39 grams per cup
3. Laborious-Boiled Eggs: 12 grams per cup
4. Grilled Shrimp: 24 grams per cup
5. Turkey Breast (cooked, diced): 38 grams per cup
6. Cottage Cheese (low-fat): 28 grams per cup
7. Salmon (cooked, flaked): 39 grams per cup
8. Beef (cooked, diced, or sliced): 31 grams per cup

Vegetarian Proteins

1. Lentils (cooked): 18 grams per cup
2. Chickpeas (cooked): 15 grams per cup
3. Edamame (cooked): 17 grams per cup
4. Tofu (agency): 20 grams per cup
5. Quinoa (cooked): 8 grams per cup