The old worry about vegetarian eating, "where do you get your protein?", has a practical answer: build dinner around one or two protein-rich ingredients instead of treating them as a garnish. This guide covers the ingredients that pull their weight, how to stack them on one plate, and what Grocerplan's own vegetarian dinners deliver per serving. Those numbers are lower than many high-protein lists suggest, so they are stated plainly below.
The ingredients doing the work
A few plant and dairy staples carry most of the protein in a vegetarian dinner:
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Lentils and beans: protein plus fiber, which is a big part of why a lentil curry or a bean chili keeps you full.
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Tofu, tempeh and edamame: soy in three textures. Firm tofu takes on any sauce, tempeh is denser and nuttier, and edamame works as a side or a bowl topping.
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Greek yogurt, paneer and cheese: dairy protein that anchors sauces, bakes and bowls.
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Eggs: the fastest weeknight protein there is, from a frittata to an egg on top of fried rice.
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Whole grains: quinoa and farro add some protein of their own and make a bowl feel complete.
Stack two of these in one dish, such as lentils over quinoa, tofu with edamame, or eggs with cheese, and a meatless dinner gets much closer to a meat one.
What Grocerplan's vegetarian dinners deliver
Grocerplan's catalog has 12 vegetarian and 10 vegan dinners. None of them reaches 30 g of protein a serving by our estimates, so if that is your bar, plan on a protein side. These are the vegetarian and vegan dinners with the most protein per serving:
1.
Family Baked Ziti: 24 g of protein and 480 calories per serving, 55 minutes total, an estimated $1.35 a serving.
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Quick Cacio e Pepe: 24 g of protein and 540 calories per serving, 15 minutes total, an estimated $1.90 a serving.
3.
Eggplant Parmesan: 22 g of protein and 380 calories per serving, 55 minutes total, an estimated $3.64 a serving.
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Batch Red Lentil Curry (vegan): 18 g of protein and 380 calories per serving, 40 minutes total, an estimated $0.95 a serving.
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Kung Pao Tofu (vegan): 18 g of protein and 390 calories per serving, 26 minutes total, an estimated $1.90 a serving.
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Classic Margherita Pizza: 18 g of protein and 380 calories per serving, 32 minutes total, an estimated $1.68 a serving.
The cheese-heavy dishes lead, which is worth knowing if you are vegan or watching saturated fat. The lentil curry and the tofu stir-fry are the plant-based picks: the curry is one of the cheapest dinners in the catalog, and the stir-fry costs less than most.
Build the plate, don't chase a number
Aim for a protein base, a whole grain and a pile of vegetables. The base sets the protein floor; the grain and vegetables handle fullness and fiber. To lift any of the dinners above, add a second protein from the list at the top: edamame on the side, a yogurt sauce, an egg, or a scoop of beans stirred in.
Every recipe in the high-protein recipes collection shows its estimated protein per serving, and the vegetarian recipes collection leaves out meat and fish. The recipes that sit in both are mostly breakfasts and lunches, such as Greek Yogurt Berry Parfait, Spinach Mushroom Frittata and Falafel Bowl with Tahini. They make good lunches on the days you want dinner lighter. Make it a week, not a one-off
The reason most people fall back on the same two vegetarian meals is planning, not cooking. Set your diet to Vegetarian or Vegan in your Grocerplan profile, and Plan my week picks seven dinners from those recipes, sized to your household. Swap any night for one of the dinners above, and the week's ingredients go on one grocery list. It opens on Instacart, where you choose the store and check out, or you can print it for any store.
Sources
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Recipe counts, times, protein and cost figures come from Grocerplan's recipe index on 2026-10-07 (137 recipes); costs are estimates per serving.