Healthy High-Protein Meal-Prep Salad Recipe

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This delicious Healthy High-Protein Meal-Prep Salad Recipe is your weekly insurance for getting enough iron, protein, heart-healthy fats, antioxidants, and essential nutrients! Plus, it's made with optional evidence-based anti-aging ingredients shown to help reverse visible signs of cellular aging. (Nut-free, with a gluten-free option.)

Healthy high-protein meal-prep salad recipe in a white bowl with balsamic dressing.

Made with all healthful and flavorful ingredients, and a creamy balsamic dressing, this quick and easy high-protein kale and lentil salad is crunchy, tangy, and delicious. Plus, this recipe is very versatile. Use what you have on hand, and omit what you don't! It is very forgiving.

Healthy high-protein meal-prep salad recipe in three glass containers.

Health Benefits

Of all the food groups analyzed by Harvard University researchers, greens offered the strongest protection against major chronic diseases, with about a 20 percent reduction in risk for heart attack and strokes for every additional daily serving.

This recipe partially cooks the greens, making them more digestible, palatable, and edible. Does this affect the heat-sensitive and water-soluble nutrients? Not really! Conversely, blanching and steaming kale boosts the antioxidants! The only downside is vitamin C loss but we are adding that back with lemon juice!

Red cabbage, like kale, is a cruciferous vegetable containing sulforaphane which may also help protect our brain and our eyesight, reduce nasal allergy inflammation, and manage type 2 diabetes. It is best consumed fresh so feel free to add it after cooking the greens. However, this light cooking method will not significantly impact the benefits.

The creamy Balsamic Tahini Dressing is made with sesame seeds, containing lignans, and anti-cancer compounds, which may reduce the incidence of breast cancer. They are also an excellent source of phytosterols, which play a role in lowering cholesterol. The sesamin in sesame seeds was also shown to help lower blood pressure.

And for more protein, there are hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, and lentils. To get the most from your greens, the low-oxlate kale is partially cooked so you get the benefits of raw and cooked kale! This healthy meal-prep salad is also boosted with antioxidants from the red cabbage and marjoram.

Anti-Aging Benefits

This unique healthy meal-prep recipe is loaded with the following optional anti-aging ingredients:

Capers (optional) – A concentrated source of the flavanol, quercetin, which is a natural senolytic compound. A senolytic compound is a substance that selectively targets and eliminates senescent cells, which are aged or damaged cells that can contribute to aging and age-related diseases.
Barberries (optional) - Shown to significantly lower LDL cholesterol levels, triglycerides, and blood sugar levels, improve acne and artery function, and improve insulin resistance.
Black cumin seeds (optional) - Daily consumption shows significant improvements in memory and other cognition tests within nine weeks compared to placebo.
Long pepper (optional) - A natural senolytic compound, also known as piperlongumine. It is found concentrated in a spice sold in Indian grocery stores, known as 'pippali.' It has anti-inflammatory properties that are as strong or stronger than anti-inflammatory prescription drugs in preclinical studies.

This recipe was inspired by my longevity Strawberry Kale Salad, my Best-tasting Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing, and this High-Protein Roasted Broccoli Salad.

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👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients
🥬 Substitutions
📖 How to Make Vegan High-Protein Meal-Prep Salad
✔️ Expert Tips
🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs
🍽️ Related Recipes
🥣 Pair with a high-protein dip!
👩🏽‍🍳 Made This Recipe?
High-Protein Meal-Prep Salad
💬 Comments

👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients

Lentils, kamut, hemp hearts, kale, green onion, capers, and longevity spices.

Lentils
Kale
Red cabbage
Spring onion
Capers (optional)
Pumpkin seeds (optional)
Hemp hearts (optional)
Kamut or grain of your choice
Optional garlic and extra-virgin olive oil
Optional longevity ingredients- barberries, long pepper, marjoram, and black cumin seeds

See the recipe card for quantities.

For the Balsamic Tahini Dressing:

Lemon, balsamic vinegar, Dijon, tahini, maple syrup, and garlic powder on a grey backdrop.

Balsamic vinegar
Tahini
Garlic powder
Maple syrup
Dijon mustard
Lemon juice

See the recipe card for quantities.

🥬 Substitutions

Lentils - French lentils work best as they are firm, but you can use regular green, brown, or black lentils instead
Kale - substitute with spinach, chard, arugula, or your preferred greens
Red cabbage - use green, savoy, or white cabbage instead
Dressing - instead of creamy balsamic, use one of my healthy vegan dressings of your choice
Dried herbs - use marjoram, oregano, thyme, basil, or herbs you have on hand
Gluten-free - skip the kamut and use quick-cooking quinoa, or wild rice instead

For more healthy salads, visit my Vegan Salad Recipes page.

📖 How to Make Vegan High-Protein Meal-Prep Salad

For the full recipe with quantities, scroll down to the bottom of the post. This is an overview.

Cook the lentils and grain separately according to the directions on the packet until al dente. Strain in a large fine mesh strainer and run under cold water. Set aside.

Chopped kale in a glass bowl with de-stemming tool, and food processor.

Step 1. Remove the tough stems, and chop the kale finely in a food processor, or with a chef's knife.

Chopped purple cabbage on a wooden cutting board with a chef's knife.

Step 2. Slice the cabbage in half, core it, and then cut into quarters. Then chop it into small pieces.

Chopped kale, cabbage, and green onion in a large steel saucepan.

Step 3. Optional: Transfer the chopped kale, cabbage, and green onion to a large saucepan. Add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and press the garlic into the saucepan.

Sautéed kale, cabbage, and green onion in a large steel saucepan.

Step 4. Optional: Cook over low heat for about 3 minutes, or until some of the kale is lightly wilted, stirring constantly.

Chopped kale, purple cabbage, kamut, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, and creamy balsamic dressing in a glass bowl.

Step 5. Transfer the kale, cabbage, green onion, kamut, lentils, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, capers, barberries, and long pepper powder to a large bowl. Make the dressing.

Healthy high-protein meal-prep salad recipe ingredients and creamy balsamic dressing in a glass bowl.

Step 6. Add the dressing to the salad, and freshly ground black sesame seeds for serving.

✔️ Expert Tips

My vetted list of anti-aging ingredients is here.
For a longevity salad: Add 2 tablespoons of barberries, 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons of long pepper powder, and ground black cumin seeds to taste.
Finely chop the kale and cabbage for an easy-to-eat salad. This works well for lunch on the go.
Cook the lentils until al dente. Do not overcook them or they will be mushy.
Slightly cooking the kale, cabbage, and green onion is optional but adds numerous health benefits of both cooked and raw kale, and garlic. It also tastes more palatable. Heat briefly without overcooking.
Storage: Refrigerate High-Protein Vegan Meal-Prep Salad in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Store the Balsamic Vinaigrette separately, and mix for serving.

🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

How do I make this salad ahead of time?

Prep all the ingredients, including the dressing. Transfer the salad ingredients to a large airtight container. Store the dressing in a separate airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 5 days.

How can I add even more protein to this recipe?

This Crispy Tofu recipe is perfect for adding more protein. It's quick, easy, and works well with the flavors in this salad. You can also add a dash of my Homemade Protein Powder for serving, or some Crispy Roasted Chickpeas.

Is red cabbage healthier than green cabbage?

Red cabbage may contain eight times more antioxidants than green. Purple, or red, cabbage is one of the best nutritional bangs for your buck, which is why I use it in this Healthy Meal-Prep Salad recipe.