High protein low carb meals for busy weeknights

This is the meal the rest of the list is built from. A 5 oz cooked chicken breast (142 g) brings 44g of protein. A cup and a half of roasted broccoli (234 g) adds 6 more, plus 8g of fiber, for about 82 calories. Two teaspoons of olive oil finish it at 396.

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder and grill or pan-sear it 5 to 6 minutes a side while the broccoli roasts at 425°F for 18 to 20 minutes. Low carb high protein meals don't get simpler. More plates like it are in our High-protein meals under 500 calories guide.

Salmon is the fattiest protein here, and that's the point. A 6 oz cooked fillet (170 g) has 38g of protein and 21g of fat, so it fills you up on 7g of carbs, most of them from a cup of cooked asparagus (180 g).

Lay the fillet and trimmed spears on one sheet pan, brush with a teaspoon of olive oil, salt and lemon zest, and roast at 425°F for 12 to 14 minutes. Searches for high protein low carb recipes for weight loss usually land on salmon first, and it holds up. Fat and protein together keep hunger quiet for hours.

Brown 93% lean ground turkey with taco seasoning, then spoon it into romaine leaves instead of tortillas. Five ounces of cooked turkey (142 g) is 39g of protein on its own. An ounce of cheddar and a quarter cup of salsa bring the serving to 47g with 9g of carbs.

Romaine holds up better than iceberg and doesn't tear when you fold it. Four leaves (112 g) count for 19 calories. Packaged taco seasoning adds a few carbs we haven't counted, so check the packet if you're tracking closely.

Top sirloin is the lean cut that still tastes like steak. Five ounces cooked (142 g) runs 43g of protein and 9g of fat. Sear it 4 minutes a side in a hot cast iron pan and rest it 5 minutes. For the mash, boil a cup and a half of cauliflower (186 g cooked) until very soft, drain well, and blend with a tablespoon of butter, 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, salt and pepper.

That's 9g of carbs for the whole plate. Among high protein low carb dinner recipes, this is the one for a night that should feel like a reward. Our Filling low-carb dinner ideas post has more.

Shrimp is almost pure protein. Six ounces cooked (170 g) gives you 41g for 168 calories, with under a gram of fat. That leaves room for 2 teaspoons of sesame oil and a tablespoon of soy sauce without the meal getting heavy.

Stir-fry the shrimp with garlic, ginger and half a cup of sliced red pepper for 3 to 4 minutes, pull them out, then toss 2 cups of spiralized zucchini (250 g) in the same pan for 2 minutes. No longer, or the noodles weep water and the sauce thins out. Put the shrimp back, add the soy sauce and serve.

The restaurant version minus the tortillas and rice. Five ounces of sliced chicken breast (142 g), half a cup of red pepper and a quarter cup of onion cooked in 2 teaspoons of olive oil with chili powder and cumin, over a cup of cauliflower rice (124 g).

A quarter of an avocado on top adds 80 calories and 3g of fiber, for 8g of fiber in the bowl. Frozen cauliflower rice cooks in 4 minutes in a dry pan, and the dry pan is the trick. Steaming it in water makes it mushy.

Mix 93% lean ground turkey with an egg per pound, 2 tablespoons of Parmesan per serving, garlic and Italian seasoning, roll into meatballs and bake at 400°F for 18 to 20 minutes. Five ounces of cooked turkey (142 g) per serving is 39g of protein, and the cheese and egg push it to 46g.

Spaghetti squash needs about 40 minutes cut side down at 400°F, so this is a Sunday job. A cup of cooked strands (155 g) is 10g of carbs and the half cup of marinara 9 more, the highest carb plate before the pizza and still well under a bowl of pasta.

It's our favorite entry for high protein low carb meal prep, because meatballs reheat better than almost anything. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, eat them within 3 to 4 days or freeze them up to 3 to 4 months, and reheat to 165°F, per University of Illinois Extension. Our High protein low carb meal prep post has 12 more recipes under 20g of carbs.

Restaurant beef and broccoli usually leans on sugar and cornstarch in the sauce. This one doesn't need either. Slice 5 oz of top sirloin thin (142 g cooked), sear it hard in a teaspoon of sesame oil, add a cup and a half of broccoli florets, a tablespoon of soy sauce, garlic and ginger, and cover 3 minutes so the broccoli steams.

That's 50g of protein and 18g of carbs, with 8g of fiber. As a low carb high protein dinner it beats the takeout container by a wide margin. Add cauliflower rice for volume at about 5g of carbs a cup.

Eggs alone don't get a dinner past 30g of protein, so this frittata leans on whites too. Per serving: 3 whole eggs, 2 egg whites, an ounce of cheddar, half a cup of cooked spinach and half a cup of cherry tomatoes. Whisk, pour into an oiled oven-safe skillet, cook 3 minutes, then broil 3 to 4 minutes until puffed.

The whole eggs carry 19g of protein and the whites add 7g for 34 calories, which is why the trade works. Wring the spinach dry before it goes in. Wet spinach is how a frittata turns into a soggy omelet.

Nothing to cook if you have leftover chicken or a rotisserie bird. Shred 4 oz of chicken breast (113 g), stir in a third of a cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt, a quarter cup of diced celery, lemon juice, salt and dill, and scoop it into romaine leaves.

The yogurt swap is what makes this a protein meal instead of a mayo meal. A third of a cup of nonfat Greek yogurt has 8g of protein for 45 calories. At 254 calories it's the lightest plate here, so it leaves room for roasted vegetables or a bigger scoop of chicken.

Pork tenderloin is as lean as chicken breast and cooks nearly as fast. Five ounces cooked (142 g) has 37g of protein and 5g of fat. Rub a whole tenderloin with salt, pepper, smoked paprika and garlic, sear it on all sides, then roast at 425°F for 15 to 18 minutes and rest it 5 minutes.

Toss a cup and a half of green beans (188 g cooked) with 2 teaspoons of olive oil on the same pan for the last 12 minutes. The beans bring 6g of fiber and most of the plate's 15g of carbs. One tenderloin feeds three, so this doubles as tomorrow's lunch.

A 5 oz can of light tuna in water, drained, gives you about 4 oz of fish (113 g) with 29g of protein for 131 calories. Mix it with 2 tablespoons of plain nonfat Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons of diced celery, lemon and black pepper, and pile it into half an avocado.

The avocado half (100 g) adds 15g of fat and 7g of fiber, so this small plate holds you longer than 310 calories suggests. It's the fastest meal on the list, the one to remember on the nights the kitchen isn't happening at all.

The highest protein plate on the list, and it takes 20 minutes. Sear 5 oz of chicken breast (142 g), slice it, and toss it with 2 cups of zucchini noodles (250 g) warmed for 2 minutes in the pan, 2 tablespoons of refrigerated pesto, half a cup of halved cherry tomatoes and a tablespoon of Parmesan.

The chicken carries 44g of protein. The pesto adds 12g of fat and 134 calories, and it's the ingredient most likely to move your numbers, since brands vary a lot in oil. If you're collecting high protein low carb recipes for a weekly rotation, this one and the shrimp stir-fry share one rule: cook the noodles briefly and eat them right away.

Pizza makes the list because of the crust: riced cauliflower, wrung dry, bound with eggs, mozzarella and Parmesan, baked thin and hot, then topped with sauce, 2 oz of diced chicken and more cheese. One 8-inch personal pizza runs about 470 calories, 46g of protein, 21g of carbs and 6g of fiber by our USDA estimate. The crust alone is 14g of carbs, since there's no flour in it.

Make two crusts and freeze one, since the first hour is mostly squeezing water out of cauliflower. Three steps keep the middle from going soggy: cook the riced cauliflower first, wring it until it feels like damp sand, and prebake the crust at 425°F before any topping touches it.

Two honest notes about our own Cauliflower Crust Protein Pizza. It's 20 to 25g of protein, $7.99 with no subscription and ready in about 10 minutes, but at 54 to 56g of carbs per pizza it is not low carb, so it doesn't make this list on its macros. And it's sold out as we write this, with pizzas expected back by the end of October.