My Favorite Protein Lunch Bowls for Meal Prep
Inside: A registered dietitian shares her go-to formula for protein meal prep lunch bowls. Easy, nourishing, and endlessly customizable.
I’m doing something I haven’t done in a long time. After years of working full-time at home, I’m going to an office job a couple days a week.
This has come with a few adjustments. Forgetting my laptop, office keys, lip balm, or any number of items I take having at home for granted. Dressing too warmly or not warmly enough. And the most tragic of all, forgetting my packed lunch on the counter.
Lunch has long been haphazard for me. At home, I tend to nibble a handful of this and a handful of that and call it a meal. But I found that if I eat an actual, nourishing lunch, I’m less likely to devour the contents of the refrigerator when I get home at the end of the day.
So I started prepping lunches on Sundays for the week ahead. These protein bowls have become one of my favorite lunches to make. This isn’t so much a recipe as a formula: starch base + protein + veggies + sauce. So feel free to make it your own.
(And if you love the idea of tofu as a plant-based protein but aren’t keen on the squishy texture, shredding it like I do here is a game-changer, I promise!)
Ingredients I use for my meal prep lunch bowls
- Brown rice: The pre-cooked rice pouches are a lifesaver for me. You can sub white or wild rice, quinoa, farro, couscous, or simply use extra veggies.
- Tofu: I like the extra-firm variety (less squish!).
- Veggies: My favorite combo right now is broccoli, shredded carrots, and kale. Use whatever veggies you like best.
- Eggs: Optional, but I like the extra protein they add.
- Sauce: I’ve been on a kick of using the bottled teriyaki sauce from ALDI. If you want a homemade sauce, consider my Simple Peanut Sauce.
How I make these meal prep lunch bowls
I keep it simple by using one big pan to cook everything:
- Prep the containers
- Line up four containers.
- Prep the rice
- I use the pre-cooked microwavable rice pouches, but do what you like best. Portion cooked rice evenly among your containers.
- Prep the tofu
- Pressing tofu removes extra moisture. Take the block out of the package and wrap it in paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Place it on a plate and put something heavy (such as a cast-iron skillet) on top for 15 minutes. If you use the extra firm kind, wrapping it and pressing it gently with your hands until the towel is damp will do the trick.
- Shred the block of tofu using a box grater.
- Heat 3 tablespoons olive or avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the tofu in a single-ish layer, and allow to cook undisturbed for 5-10 minutes. Use a spatula to flip it. Using a fish spatula works well here to scrape any crispy brown tofu bits from the bottom of the skillet. Cook the tofu for 5-10 minutes more. Add a few tablespoons of your sauce to the tofu and toss well to coat, then add the tofu to your containers.
- Want a different way to prep the tofu? Here’s how to bake cubed tofu or pan-fry crumbled tofu.
- Prep the veggies
- While the tofu is cooking, grate the carrots on the box grater and chop the kale and broccoli. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet, then cook the chopped kale and carrots together until brightly-colored and softened. Add to your containers. Add the broccoli florets and 2 tablespoons of water to the skillet, cover with a lid, and steam for a minute or two until brightly colored and softened. Add broccoli to your containers.
- Prep the eggs
- Spray the skillet with cooking spray and add the four beaten eggs to the skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. When done on one side, flip eggs to the other side until cooked through. I chop these into big pieces. Add to the containers.
- Portion the sauce
- Fill small, leak-proof containers with sauce.
Questions you may have
How do I store them? Keep in airtight containers in the refrigerator up to five days.
How do I reheat them? Remove the lid, cover with a paper towel, and heat in the microwave until steaming (about 1-2 minutes, stirring partway through). Give everything another stir, drizzle on the sauce, and dig in.
How much protein do these have? With the egg, each lunch bowl has 17 grams of protein (and 11 grams of fiber!). Here are a few variations to add more protein:
- Instead of brown rice, use 1 cup quinoa in each bowl: extra 5 grams protein
- Add 1/2 cup shelled edamame: extra 9 grams protein
- Instead of eggs, use 1/2 cup chickpeas in each bowl: extra 14 grams protein
Look, I realize these bowls aren’t rocket science, but I hope this gives you some lunch inspiration. Just don’t forget it on the counter. And grab a cardigan while you’re at it.
Protein Lunch Bowls for Meal Prep
A simple, flexible formula for meal prep lunch bowls that are protein-rich, nourishing, and endlessly customizable..
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 block extra-firm tofu (14-ounce block)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 2 large carrots
- 2 handfuls curly kale
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- Favorite bottled or homemade sauce (such as teriyaki, peanut sauce, yum-yum sauce, etc.)
Instructions
- Divide rice among four containers.
- Press tofu by wrapping it in a clean kitchen towel and pressing it with your hands or setting something heavy on top such as a cast iron skillet to remove some of the extra moisture. Shred tofu on a box grater.
- Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. When hot, add shredded tofu and press into a single layer. Leave undisturbed for 5 minutes.
- While tofu is cooking, shred carrots on same box grater and chop and rinse kale and broccoli.
- After five minutes, flip tofu and stir around, scraping crispy bits from skillet. Cook for another five minutes. Add a few tablespoons of your favorite sauce, and stir to combine. Divide among containers.
- Add remaining one tablespoon oil to skillet and add carrots and kale, cooking together and stirring until kale is wilted. Add kale and carrots to containers with tofu.
- Add broccoli to skillet along with 2 tablespoons water, cover, and steam for 1-2 minutes until bright green and soft. Add cooked broccoli to containers.
- Spray skillet with cooking spray. Add beaten eggs to skillet, cook, flip, and remove when cooked through. Cut eggs into small pieces with spatula and add to containers.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 444Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 4gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 188mgSodium: 178mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 11gSugar: 5gProtein: 17g
