# 12 high-protein dinners under 500 calories

By the GO AI Team · August 21, 2026

> **TL;DR:** Every dinner below is the same four-part template: **a lean protein** (the point), **vegetables for volume** (the fullness), **a measured fat** (the flavour, and the thing that blows the budget), and **something acidic at the end** (why it doesn't taste like diet food). Learn the template and twelve recipes become a hundred.

**About the numbers.** Figures here are estimates for a typical portion from standard reference values — yours depend on portions, cuts, and how much oil goes in the pan. Photograph the finished plate for your own numbers. General information for adults, not medical or dietary advice.

## The template

| Part | Portion | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lean protein | 150–200g raw | ~35–45g protein — satiety and muscle protection |
| Volume vegetables | 200–300g | Fills the plate and you for very little |
| Measured fat | 1–1½ tsp oil, or a portion of avocado/nuts/cheese | Flavour. *Measured* — this is where meals go over. |
| Acid or freshness | Lemon, vinegar, herbs, pickles, yoghurt | The difference between "healthy dinner" and dinner |
| Optional starch | Small portion if the day allows | First thing to cut if you're over |

## The twelve

1. **Chicken shawarma bowl** — thigh with cumin, coriander, paprika, garlic; cabbage and cucumber; garlic-yoghurt instead of tahini.
2. **Garlic-butter cod with green beans** — white fish is the highest protein-per-calorie thing in most kitchens. A measured teaspoon still tastes like butter.
3. **Turkey and black bean chilli** — makes four, freezes. Matters more than any recipe detail on a Wednesday.
4. **Sheet-pan harissa chicken** — cauliflower, red onion, chickpeas, one tablespoon of oil across the tray.
5. **Prawn and courgette stir-fry** — prawns cook in three minutes, near-pure protein. Courgette ribbons carry the sauce.
6. **Greek chicken traybake** — courgette, cherry tomatoes, oregano, lemon; 30g feta as the measured fat.
7. **Beef and broccoli** — lean steak sliced thin across the grain makes a modest portion feel generous.
8. **Baked cod puttanesca** — tomatoes, olives, capers, anchovy. Huge flavour; the olives are the fat, so count them.
9. **Chicken fajita bowl** — properly charred peppers, lime, coriander, a spoon of soured cream. Skip the wrap.
10. **Tofu and edamame noodles** — pressed roasted tofu, edamame, konjac or a little soba. The vegetarian one that reaches the target.
11. **Pork loin with braised cabbage** — leaner than its reputation; cabbage with apple and caraway costs almost nothing.
12. **Salmon with lemon and asparagus** — the one with real fat in it, so no added oil at all.

## The two things that blow the budget

**Oil.** A generous pour beats an extra serving of chicken, and it's invisible in the dish. Measure with a spoon, not the bottle.

**The starch portion.** "Some rice" varies wildly. Weigh it once, look at what that is in your bowl, never weigh it again.

Everything else — more chicken, more vegetables, more herbs — moves the number far less than people fear.

## Habit, not recipe

Pick three, cook them until you don't need the recipe, rotate. Decision fatigue breaks dinner plans, not lack of variety.

Ceiling: how many calories per day. Why protein: macros for beginners.

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