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Want to stock up on calories? Ditch the unhealthy snacks and sweets! You can meet your fitness goals with these healthy choices for high-calorie meals.
Nutritious, tasty, and comforting! These high-calorie dinner (or lunch!) choices will keep you full.
Plus, they’re so good that you won’t be able to get enough of them.
Table of Contents
- 1. Honey Garlic Chicken Meal Prep
- 2. Savory Breakfast Bowl
- 3. Chicken with Broccoli, Beets and Farro Salad
- 4. Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast with Pesto
- 5. Keto Breakfast Sandwich
- 6. Instant Pot Spicy Chicken with Quinoa
- 7. One-Pan Chicken Legs with Chickpeas and Quinoa
- 8. Vegan Cobb Salad Recipe
- 9. Cauliflower Mac & Cheese With Chicken Thighs
- 10. Salmon Meal Prep With Veggies
- 11. Steak Fajita Salad
- 12. German Hunter Cabbage Stew
- 13. Pecan Chicken Recipe
- 14. 30-Minute Pork Fajita Bowls
- 15. Korean Seitan Sandwich
- 16. Thai Red Curry Chicken
- 17. Chicken Meatballs With Quinoa & Curried Cauliflower
- 18. Sheet Pan Salmon Burgers
- 19. Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops
- 20. Sheet Pan Chimichurri Chicken & Veggies
- 21. Spring Chicken Paella
- 22. High Protein Cauliflower Gratin
- 23. Mushroom Carnitas Burrito Bowls
- 24. Spicy Shrimp White Bean Soup
- 25. Chicken Shawarma Bowls
- 26. Chicken Stew With Kale & Broccoli
- 27. Pesto-Crusted Cod With Puy Lentils
1. Honey Garlic Chicken Meal Prep
If you love garlicky meat with hints of sweetness, this recipe is for you. These glazed chicken thighs are sticky, finger-licking, and easy to make.
They’re paired with white rice for a full meal. But if you want to, have some salad with it, too.
Ready in just 25 minutes.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 803
- Fats: 23g
- Protein: 47g
- Carbs: 105g
- Fiber: 4.1g
- Sugar: 26g
2. Savory Breakfast Bowl
Want to start your day with heaps of good calories? Then, this savory bowl is just what you need!
Loaded with spinach, sweet potatoes, and peppers. Topped with creamy avocado and boiled eggs. And finished off with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
This dish can even satisfy you for dinner, too.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 895
- Fats: 66g
- Protein: 26g
- Carbs: 56g
- Fiber: 16g
- Sugar: 14g
3. Chicken with Broccoli, Beets and Farro Salad
Looking for a nutritional bomb that is loaded with calories? Then this is surely it. A chicken and farro salad enriched with oranges, beets, broccoli, and crunchy red onions.
It is a true explosion of flavor and texture. But it’s the parley and garlicky dressing that combines everything well.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 715
- Fats: 27g
- Protein: 55g
- Carbs: 67g
- Fiber: 12g
- Sugar: 17g
4. Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast with Pesto
This dish is so healthy and nutritious, yet it instantly fills you with calories. It is a Mediterranean-inspired dinner choice with mozzarella, tomatoes, and pesto sauce.
The stuffed chicken has around 620 calories, but you can have it with a side dish if you need to make it even more filling.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 619
- Fats: 29g
- Protein: 70g
- Carbs: 14g
- Fiber: 1.2g
- Sugar: 9.7g
5. Keto Breakfast Sandwich
Not eating bread? Or carbs? You can still have a burger-like dish loaded with calories. With this lovely sandwich, you can have all the fast-food comfort you’re craving.
Made with two burger buns, a fried egg, and half of mashed avocado. The fixings of choice are mustard, pickles, and lettuce.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 664
- Fats: 51g
- Protein: 43g
- Carbs: 7.8g
- Fiber: 4.7g
- Sugar: 1.4g
6. Instant Pot Spicy Chicken with Quinoa
A spicy Instant Pot meal with chicken. Perfect for all the busy workers. The dish combines quinoa, chicken, salsa, and tons of Mexican seasonings.
The meal-prep containers are also packed with red beans and peppers for a full-blown meal. This high-protein and calorie-rich dish doesn’t require more than 25 minutes.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 767
- Fats: 11g
- Protein: 65g
- Carbs: 104g
- Fiber: 30g
- Sugar: 12g
7. One-Pan Chicken Legs with Chickpeas and Quinoa
This budget-friendly meal is rich in calories. But incredibly healthy, too. Perfect for a family meal-prep option.
It features spicy chicken legs, quinoa, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, and lots of parsley.
The dish also includes a touch of cinnamon and dried cranberries. And it gives a hint of warmth and sweetness.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 932
- Fats: 46g
- Protein: 54g
- Carbs: 79g
- Fiber: 14g
- Sugar: 19g
8. Vegan Cobb Salad Recipe
Credit: yumveganlunchideas.com
This vegan salad is packed with seitan “chicken”, chickpeas, avocado, and a variety of veggies.
Each serving contains a whopping 104 grams of protein – primarily from the seitan, a vegan substitute made from vital wheat gluten.
If you need to stock up on some, you can get some here.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 1003
- Fats: 38g
- Protein: 104g
- Carbs: 72g
- Fiber: 21g
- Sugar: 16g
9. Cauliflower Mac & Cheese With Chicken Thighs
Credit: easyanddelish.com
This cauliflower mac & cheese dish is a great low-carb alternative with only 7 grams of net carbs per serving.
It’s creamy with nicely seared crispy skin-on chicken thighs and cauliflower for added freshness and nutrition.
Besides being tasty, this dish only takes 30 minutes to make.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 983
- Fats: 88g
- Protein: 41g
- Carbs: 8g
- Fiber: 1g
- Sugar: 2g
10. Salmon Meal Prep With Veggies
The sweetness of the beets and sweet potatoes in this dish is a great match with the meatiness of the salmon.
All you need is 10 minutes of prep, and then you let your oven do the baking.
To keep your food fresh longer, store it in airtight food storage containers. I recommend these ones because they are sustainable.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 806
- Fats: 45g
- Protein: 54g
- Carbs: 53g
- Fiber: 13g
- Sugar: 16g
11. Steak Fajita Salad
Credit: oursaltykitchen.com
This steak fajita salad features an eight-spice rub for the steak, eliminating the need for barbecue sauce.
The veggies are tasty too… That’s because you saute them in steak grease.
Besides being delicious, this salad provides a whopping 40% of your daily fiber needs, per serving and takes only 30 minutes to make!
Per Serving:
- Calories: 726
- Fats: 62g
- Protein: 34g
- Carbs: 20g
- Fiber: 10g
- Sugar: 23g
12. German Hunter Cabbage Stew
Credit: all-thats-jas.com
This hearty cabbage stew is packed with bacon, kielbasa sausage, and ground beef.
It’s also packed with cabbage which is an excellent source of vitamins C and K and contains several antioxidants that may help reduce inflammation.
What I love most about this dish is that it’s a one-pot dish, minimizing clean up at the end.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 742
- Fats: 52g
- Protein: 38g
- Carbs: 32g
- Fiber: 9g
- Sugar: 9g
13. Pecan Chicken Recipe
Credit: oursaltykitchen.com
Juicy, tender chicken breasts coated in crushed pecans, with warm spices are served alongside creamy, buttery cauliflower mash and lightly seasoned, roasted sweet potato wedges.
This dish contains immune-boosting Vitamins A and C, and a good dose of calcium too, making it a well-rounded dish, for a great Sunday night dinner.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 721
- Fats: 52g
- Protein: 44g
- Carbs: 28g
- Fiber: 10g
- Sugar: 8g
14. 30-Minute Pork Fajita Bowls
Credit: easyanddelish.com
These Tex-Mex Pork Fajita Bowls, ready in under 30 minutes feature sauteed pork chop strips along with sauteed green, yellow, and red bell peppers. Served with creamy avocado slices and jalapeno peppers for an added kick.
What I love most about this dish is that it’s a one-skillet dish, making cleanup a breeze.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 700
- Fats: 45g
- Protein: 52g
- Carbs: 27g
- Fiber: 12g
- Sugar: 7g
15. Korean Seitan Sandwich
Credit: yumveganlunchideas.com
Spice lovers, try this Korean Seitan sandwich featuring Seitan “steak” strips with balanced sweet, savory and umami flavors, paired with spicy vegan kimchi.
When buying kimchi, beware: it often contains fish sauce.
So, if you want vegan kimchi, make sure you read the label properly. Or, you can stock up on vegan kimchi here.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 981
- Fats: 40g
- Protein: 41g
- Carbs: 142g
- Fiber: 7g
- Sugar: 22g
16. Thai Red Curry Chicken
Credit: mealpreponfleek.com
This high-protein dish features tender chicken in a creamy sauce with veggies.
Cauliflower rice is a healthy alternative to white rice. You can buy prepackaged cauliflower rice here.
To make your own, simply cut your cauliflower into pieces, and pulse in a food processor. This food processor should do the trick.
Check out more healthy recipes that incorporate pantry foods here.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 646
- Fats: 26g
- Protein: 37g
- Carbs: 42g
- Fiber: 21g
- Sugar: 0g
17. Chicken Meatballs With Quinoa & Curried Cauliflower
Credit: bbcgoodfood.com
This healthy take on meatballs and pasta features spicy meatballs with an Indian twist from the spices.
Made from minced chicken, these meatballs are served with quinoa for added protein.
In fact, one cup of cooked quinoa contains 8.1 grams of protein.
If you’d like to give it a try, you can get some here.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 697
- Fats: 23g
- Protein: 72g
- Carbs: 44g
- Fiber: 9g
- Sugar: 14g
18. Sheet Pan Salmon Burgers
Credit: mealpreponfleek.com
These flavorful salmon burgers are paired with lightly seasoned sweet potato fries, and creamy roasted red pepper aioli, perfect for dipping.
Salmon, high in protein omega-3s for brain and heart health, is also an excellent source of selenium, a powerful antioxidant.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 649
- Fats: 48.4g
- Protein: 30.5g
- Carbs: 22.2g
- Fiber: 4.5g
- Sugar: 0g
19. Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops
Credit: cushyspa.com
This dish has 55 grams of fat and 4.8 grams of net carbs to keep you in ketosis.
These juicy parmesan-crusted pork chops are coated in a delicious blend of Parmesan cheese and crushed pork rinds.
Serve with some low-carb steamed veggies such as cauliflower or broccoli.
This steamer basket is great for steaming the veggies.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 766
- Fats: 55g
- Protein: 63g
- Carbs: 5.1g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Sugar: 0.2g
20. Sheet Pan Chimichurri Chicken & Veggies
Credit: mealpreponfleek.com
Tender, juicy chicken thighs are accompanied with lightly seasoned potatoes, and green beans – you have your starch, veggies, and protein all prepared in one pan.
The chimichurri sauce elevates the meal bringing savory, tangy, and fragrant flavor with a hint of heat. Simply add more red chili pepper flakes to increase the heat.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 649
- Fats: 44.7g
- Protein: 37.6g
- Carbs: 28.8g
- Fiber: 4.4g
- Sugar: 0g
21. Spring Chicken Paella
Credit: bbcgoodfood.com
This dish features aromatic rice, crispy chicken thighs and fresh peas adding tons of nutrition and freshness.
Infused with herbs such as dill, mint, and parsley, you may have some leftover herbs after making it.
To prevent them from getting rotten, freeze in these reusable freezer bags.
Check out more healthy freezer meals here.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 660
- Fats: 20g
- Protein: 41g
- Carbs: 79g
- Fiber: 10g
- Sugar: 5g
22. High Protein Cauliflower Gratin
Credit: cookforyourlife.org
This high-protein cauliflower gratin is a healthier alternative to mac and cheese.
To make, layer some steamed cauliflower and sauteed shallots in a greased baking dish.
Next, blend some cheese, milk, salt, and nutmeg. Then pour your cheese mixture over your cauliflower, and top with cheese and breadcrumbs.
Finally, bake for about 25 minutes.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 686
- Fats: 51g
- Protein: 25g
- Carbs: 36g
- Fiber: 5g
- Sugar: 9g
23. Mushroom Carnitas Burrito Bowls
Credit: mealpreponfleek.com
Mushrooms are marinated for a flavorful taste using 5 different spices. So, get out your measuring spoons! I like these spoons here because they don’t rust or get stained.
These hearty Burrito bowls feature a variety of veggies, black beans, creamy avocados, olives, and of course, jalapenos for some heat.
Check out more high protein vegetarian recipes like this!
Per Serving:
- Calories: 647
- Fats: 46.3g
- Protein: 19.6g
- Carbs: 44.7g
- Fiber: 13.2g
- Sugar: 0g
24. Spicy Shrimp White Bean Soup
Credit: cookforyourlife.org
This shrimp white bean soup is not only comforting and delicious but also rich in selenium, a powerful antioxidant, and iodine, which you need for thyroid health.
To achieve a smooth texture, blend some of the soup ideally with an immersion blender. If you don’t have one, there’s a pretty good deal on this high-quality one here.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 638
- Fats: 34g
- Protein: 33g
- Carbs: 53g
- Fiber: 7g
- Sugar: 13g
25. Chicken Shawarma Bowls
Credit: oursaltykitchen.com
Craving Mediterranean food? You’re in for a treat with these chicken shawarma bowls!
Tender, juicy, flavorful chicken is drizzled with a creamy, tangy tahini dressing, accompanied with lemon-flavored cauliflower tabouleh, pickled red onions, and kalamata olives.
This meal takes one hour to make- not including the marinating time.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 787
- Fats: 57g
- Protein: 46g
- Carbs: 18g
- Fiber: 6g
- Sugar: 4g
26. Chicken Stew With Kale & Broccoli
Credit: cookforyourlife.org
Try this comforting stew with chicken breast, carrots, and kale, along with cannellini beans.
Packed with protein, vitamins, and minerals, it features Kale and carrots for immune-boosting vitamins A and C.
All it takes is 30 minutes, and you’ll have a stew that is nice and soothing.
You could also make this recipe in a slow cooker!
Per Serving:
- Calories: 649
- Fats: 29g
- Protein: 47g
- Carbs: 56g
- Fiber: 12g
- Sugar: 11g
27. Pesto-Crusted Cod With Puy Lentils
Credit: bbcgoodfood.com
Flaky cod pairs with nutty pesto, red chilies for heat, tomatoes for acidity, and lentils for extra protein.
To create homemade pesto, simply blend basil leaves, garlic cloves, pine nuts, lemon juice, and seasoning in a food processor.
However, for extra convenience, you can just use premade pesto like this one here.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 672
- Fats: 37g
- Protein: 45g
- Carbs: 34g
- Fiber: 11g
- Sugar: 7g
This site has been amazing got some good high calorie meals to make each day.
this has been amazing, trying to gain more weight and all of these recipes sounds absolutely incredible. cant wait to try them out. thank you so much :)))
Thank you so much! This have been helpful when prepping food for the week! Slowly making me fall in love when cooking. Keep it up!
I’m glad, Gavin!
if you click on the link that says ‘recipe’, you’ll get to the website where the full recipe is. There you’ll see how large a portion is exactly.
From what I see, it’s a size of what would fit into a regular-sized meal prep box or a regular-sized bowl. So, the portions are pretty normal for one serving. These recipes are designated to be high calorie, so just regular portions you would usually have will do. 🙂
As for my own recipes:
3. Salmon Meal Prep With Veggies – one regular-sized meal prep box
12. Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops – one chop with some salad
Also, for gaining weight – I recommend incorporating some of these foods into your meals: sweet potatoes, legumes, carrots, beets, plenty of fruit, buckwheat, brown rice, corn, wheat, barley, oats, quinoa. Just looks for foods that are high in complex carbs, and obviously don’t forget to add protein and fats. But, carbs are really what’s going to help you gain some weight.
Hi, All of your recipes sound fantastic. I need more guidance about portion size. Trying to help my daughter gain weight…and I need to know how much food a serving is. many thanks!
Hi Laura,
if you click on the link that says ‘recipe’, you’ll get to the website where the full recipe is. There you’ll see how large a portion is exactly.
From what I see, it’s a size of what would fit into a regular-sized meal prep box or a regular-sized bowl. So, the portions are pretty normal for one serving. These recipes are designated to be high calorie, so just regular portions you would usually have will do. 🙂
As for my own recipes:
3. Salmon Meal Prep With Veggies – one regular-sized meal prep box
12. Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops – one chop with some salad
Also, for gaining weight – I recommend incorporating some of these foods into your meals: sweet potatoes, legumes, carrots, beets, plenty of fruit, buckwheat, brown rice, corn, wheat, barley, oats, quinoa. Just looks for foods that are high in complex carbs, and obviously don’t forget to add protein and fats. But, carbs are really what’s going to help you gain some weight.