This vegetarian meal prep is loaded with protein and can come together fast. We love black beans and eggs, and this recipe has both!
It’s always the most simple meal preps that turn out to be the best, right? If you've been hanging around our site or our MPOF YouTube channel for a while and using our recipes, you may have seen Minute white rice cups. We love this shortcut and there's no shame in using smart shortcuts that make life easier. And this is definitely one of them.
High Protein Vegetarian Meal Prep Ingredients
- 4 poached eggs
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 small red onion
- 2 cups black beans
- 4 Minute White Rice Cups
- 2 avocados
- 1 lemon
Whether you follow a plant-based or vegetarian diet or just want to add some meatless meals to your week, this balanced meal prep recipe will help you meet your daily protein goal. Plus, it will keep you feeling full and satisfied. This is one of those dishes that comes together so well if you've got half the stuff on hand already in your pantry: canned beans, fast-cooking rice, and eggs in the fridge.
How to Make High-Protein Vegetarian Meal Prep
The Minute Rice cups make this go really fast. We love 'em. Sometimes you gotta take good shortcuts, you know? In this case, you cook the rice cups and then poach the eggs in water and a little bit of vinegar. The black beans are tossed with some olive oil and chopped red onion. Slice up some avocado. Baby spinach rounds out the veggie options. Portion them into containers, with the eggs on top of the rice and beans, and you're good to go.
How to Store and Serve Vegetarian Meal Prep
Once it's prepped, it's good for up to 4 days. You might find that the avocado gets a little brown but if you squirt it with some lemon juice that should help stave it off. This entire meal prep recipe can be eaten at room temperature, if desired.
The only aspect of this vegetarian meal prep that will freeze well? The rice and beans. Everything else won't hold up very well.
Substitutions and Alterations
- If you have regular rice, you can use that instead of the rice cups. Brown rice is also fine here. Aim for at least a cup of cooked rice per person.
- Or, alternatively, you can use cauliflower rice if you are watching your carbs.
- Make hard-boiled eggs instead of poached eggs.
- Use baby kale or arugula instead of spinach.
- Red beans can be used instead of black.
- Limes can be used instead of lemons.
- Mix in some chopped cilantro with the rice and beans.
Tips
To reduce the carbohydrates in this recipe, simply serve each meal prep with half the amount of rice that's in each cup.
Poaching the eggs in boiling water with a little bit of vinegar helps the eggs hold their shape during the cooking process.
If you make the rice from scratch, be sure to freeze anything leftover. Transfer to zip-close plastic bags and squeeze out the air before sealing it. Label it with the contents, the amount (I like to do 1 or 2-cup increments), and the date. It will keep for up to six months. Use it directly from frozen if you're going to toss it into a hot pan or a soup, or defrost in the microwave or in the refrigerator overnight.
READ MORE: More Protein! Vegetarian Italian Sausage Egg Cups
Ingredients
- 8 eggs poached
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 small red onion diced
- 2 cups black beans drained and rinsed
- 4 Minute White rice cups
- 2 avocados
- 1 lemon
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the Minute Rice cups according to package directions.
- Add 1 tablespoon vinegar to a 2 ½ quart pot with 3 or 4 inches of water in it and bring to a boil.
- Crack an egg in a small bowl and gently slide it into the boiling water. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Once the eggs have cooked, transfer them onto a paper towel-lined plate.
- Cut the avocado and lemon into quarters.
- In a meal prep container, add the Minute Rice, black beans, diced onion with olive oil drizzled on top and salt and pepper. Put the lid on and shake to mix.
- Next, add in the avocado slices, lemon, spinach, and poached eggs to the meal prep containers. Seal them up and store in the refrigerator until it's time to eat.
