Vegetarian high-protein week for a family of four: seven dinners built on lentils, beans and tofu

Bottom line

This plan feeds two adults and two children for seven days (21 meals) with no meat or fish. Protein comes from lentils, white and black beans, tofu, eggs, Greek yogurt and cheese. Dinners that are cooked from tested recipes list 17 to 20 g protein per serving on their own pages (see the recipe notes for each figure). My own estimate for the weekly grocery bill is $150 to $245, about $5 to $9 per person per day. That range straddles the USDA Thrifty Food Plan figure of $236.30 a week for a reference family of four in August 2026, so the low end is a bargain-shopping week and the high end runs slightly above the benchmark. Active cooking is about 2 hours on Sunday plus roughly 15 minutes on Tuesday evening, then 20 to about 60 minutes on weeknights (the Friday buffalo bowls may run past 45). I could not retrieve live supermarket prices, so every price below is an estimate. Several breakfasts are simple assemblies with no recipe page, and I label them as such.

Assumptions and constraints

The request gave only "vegetarian, family of four, high protein", so I filled the gaps with defaults. Change any of them and the plan changes.

Item	What I assumed	Basis
Household	Two adults and two school-age children	Default (the USDA reference family also has two adults and two children, aged 6 to 8 and 9 to 11)
Diet	Lacto-ovo vegetarian (eggs and dairy allowed)	Interpretation of "vegetarian"
Allergies	None stated. The plan contains peanuts, eggs, milk, soy, wheat and sesame (tahini)	Default; swaps are noted below
Time	Weeknight dinners of 45 minutes or less (Friday's buffalo bowls may exceed this)	Default
Budget and location	Moderate budget, US pricing	Default
Protein goal	"High protein" read as a protein food at every meal, not a calorie or weight target	My interpretation

Hidden animal ingredient to watch: EatingWell warns that Parmesan is often made with animal rennet, so buy cheese labelled vegetarian. I also suggest checking mozzarella and the Mexican cheese blend for rennet (my inference, not stated on those recipe pages). Check all labels, as formulations change.

Weekly plan

Each dinner feeds four unless noted. "Leftover" lunches reuse the dinner. Recipes that make 6 servings leave 2 portions, so I add a simple side for the children. Times are the recipe page's stated times. Recipe servings assume adult portions, so children may eat less.

Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Mon	High-Protein Blueberry & Peanut Butter Chia Pudding (EatingWell), 4 servings, 15 min active, chilled overnight	No-Chicken Salad Sandwich (EatingWell), 4 servings, 20 min	Marry Me Lentils (EatingWell), double batch (8 servings), 45 min
Tue	Greek yogurt parfait with oats and fruit (assembled, no recipe)	Marry Me Lentils leftovers (4 servings)	High-Protein Enchilada Skillet (EatingWell), 6 servings, 25 min active, 30 min total
Wed	Yogurt parfait (assembled)	Enchilada skillet leftovers (2 portions for the adults) plus hummus, pita and raw vegetables for the children	Pizza Bean Skillet (EatingWell), 6 servings, 30 min
Thu	Chia pudding, second batch (made Tue evening)	Pizza bean skillet leftovers (2 portions) plus fruit and cheese for the children	White bean vegetarian meatballs (BBC Good Food), 4 servings, 20 min prep and 20 min cook
Fri	Yogurt parfait (assembled)	No-Chicken Salad Sandwich, second batch	Buffalo tofu hummus bowls (BBC Food), doubled from 2 servings
Sat	Scrambled eggs on whole-grain toast (assembled)	Mediterranean Lentil Soup (Budget Bytes), from the freezer, plus cheese toast	Super-green tofu curry (BBC Good Food), 4 servings, 15 min prep and 30 min cook
Sun	Scrambled eggs on toast (assembled)	Lentil soup leftovers (3 portions) plus hummus and vegetables	Pizza Bean Skillet, repeat (6 servings, 30 min)

Recipe notes

Marry Me Lentils: The page lists 4 servings, 45 minutes, and 489 kcal with 19 g protein per serving. It keeps up to 5 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen. Use vegetarian-labelled Parmesan. It contains heavy cream, dairy and wheat (baguette). I double it so Tuesday's lunch is covered.
High-Protein Enchilada Skillet: 6 servings at 395 kcal and 19 g protein, built on extra-firm tofu, black beans, corn tortillas and a Mexican cheese blend. The page says a dairy-free melting cheese can replace the cheese. Check the blend for rennet.
Pizza Bean Skillet: 6 servings, 30 minutes, 279 kcal and 17 g protein per serving, and leftovers keep up to 3 days refrigerated. It is a lighter dish, so serve it over whole grains or with bread, as the page suggests. Cooked twice in this plan because the cans and mozzarella are shared.
White bean vegetarian meatballs: Serves 4 at 495 kcal and 20 g protein, served with wholemeal spaghetti. It needs a vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese and an egg. Its rating is 3.9 from 7 ratings, a small sample.
Super-green tofu curry: Serves 4 at 371 kcal and 19 g protein. Its rating is only 2.3 from 10 ratings, so treat it as the plan's weakest recipe and swap in any dinner above if the family does not like it.
Buffalo tofu hummus bowls: The page says it serves 2 and uses 300 g extra-firm tofu and a 400 g tin of chickpeas. I double it. The page states 588 kcal and 28.8 g protein per serving and the recipe lists prepare under 30 minutes and cook 10 to 30 minutes, so total time may exceed 45 minutes. It contains tahini (sesame).
Mediterranean Lentil Soup: 7 servings of about 1.5 cups, about $7.59 per recipe, 9 g protein per serving, and it is vegan. Protein is the lowest of the plan, which is why I pair it with cheese toast or hummus (a pairing I chose, not a tested one).
Chia pudding: 4 servings at 478 kcal and 24 g protein and it keeps up to 3 days in the fridge. It contains peanut butter. The page's listed swaps are sunflower seed butter or tahini (untested here).
No-Chicken Salad Sandwich: I confirmed only 4 servings and 20 minutes. I did not see its ingredient list, so check it before you shop.
Assembled breakfasts: The yogurt parfait (plain Greek yogurt, rolled oats, fruit) and the scrambled eggs on toast are my own simple suggestions with no source recipe. I give no nutrition numbers for them.
Not used: The BBC Good Food veggie protein chilli lists serving size as "1 after training or 2 otherwise", which does not scale cleanly to four.

Shopping list by aisle

All prices are my estimates for a US supermarket (estimate, not retrieved from a store). Quantities cover the recipes as written on their pages, with the doubled and repeated batches in the plan. Where I did not see a full ingredient list, the row says "check recipe". Pantry items you may already own are marked (pantry).

Produce

Item	Quantity	Used in	Est. price
Blueberries (fresh or frozen)	5 cups for two chia batches, plus extra for parfaits	Chia pudding, parfaits	$8 to $12
Kale	6 cups for a double batch	Marry Me Lentils	$3 to $5
Swiss chard	200 g	White bean meatballs	$2 to $3
Cherry tomatoes	250 g	White bean meatballs	$3 to $4
Spinach	400 g	Super-green tofu curry	$4 to $6
Yellow onions	about 5	Pizza skillet (x2), meatballs, others	$3 to $5
Green bell peppers, cremini mushrooms	2 peppers, about 1.5 cups chopped mushrooms	Pizza skillet (x2)	$5 to $7
Garlic	3 to 4 heads	Most dinners	$2 to $3
Fresh basil and oregano	1 bunch of each	Pizza skillet	$4 to $6
Red cabbage, other slaw and salad vegetables, fruit for children	check recipes	Buffalo bowls, lunches	$10 to $15

Plant protein and eggs

Item	Quantity	Used in	Est. price
Extra-firm tofu	about 1,300 g in total (14 oz, about 400 g, for the enchilada skillet; 600 g for doubled buffalo bowls; 280 g for the curry)	Enchilada skillet, buffalo bowls, curry	$7 to $10
Eggs	2 dozen (1 for meatballs, the rest for breakfasts)	Meatballs, scrambled eggs	$5 to $8

Dairy and alternatives

Item	Quantity	Used in	Est. price
Plain Greek yogurt (nonfat)	about 3 lb tub plus the chia batches' 1.5 cups	Parfaits, chia pudding	$6 to $9
Unsweetened almond milk	6 cups (about 2 quarts)	Chia pudding	$3 to $4
Heavy cream	1 cup	Marry Me Lentils (double batch)	$3 to $4
Vegetarian-labelled Parmesan	about 1/2 cup grated for the double lentil batch, plus 30 g vegetarian hard cheese for meatballs	Lentils, meatballs	$5 to $8
Low-moisture part-skim mozzarella	2 cups shredded (two skillet batches)	Pizza bean skillet	$4 to $6
Mexican cheese blend, sour cream	1 cup cheese; sour cream per recipe	Enchilada skillet	$4 to $6
Cheese for sandwiches and children's lunches	1 block	Lunches	$4 to $6

Bakery

Item	Quantity	Used in	Est. price
Baguette	1	Marry Me Lentils	$2 to $3
Whole-grain bread and sandwich bread	2 loaves	Sandwiches, eggs, cheese toast	$5 to $7
Pita	1 pack	Hummus lunches	$2 to $3
Breadcrumbs	30 g	Meatballs	$1 to $2
Corn tortillas	6	Enchilada skillet	$2 to $3

Pantry and dry goods

Item	Quantity	Used in	Est. price
Dry red lentils	2 cups (double Marry Me Lentils)	Marry Me Lentils	$3 to $4
Dry or canned lentils, vegetables, spices for soup	check recipe (the page puts the whole recipe at about $7.59)	Mediterranean soup	$7 to $10
Canned cannellini beans, no salt added (15 oz)	4 cans for two skillets, plus 1 can (400 g) white beans for meatballs	Pizza skillet, meatballs	$6 to $8
Black beans (15 oz)	1 can	Enchilada skillet	$1 to $2
Chickpeas (400 g tin)	2 tins	Buffalo bowls	$2 to $3
No-salt-added tomato sauce (15 oz)	2 cans	Pizza skillet	$2 to $3
Enchilada sauce	per recipe	Enchilada skillet	$2 to $4
Chia seeds	1.5 cups	Chia pudding	$6 to $9
Natural peanut butter	about 2/3 cup	Chia pudding	$1 to $2
Unflavored plant protein powder, or ingredients for homemade	4 tablespoons	Chia pudding	$2 to $4 (homemade version: see cost tips)
Wholemeal spaghetti	300 g	White bean meatballs	$2 to $3
Brown and wild rice pouches (250 g)	2	Tofu curry	$4 to $5
Rolled oats, tahini, hummus	1 each	Parfaits, bowls, lunches	$8 to $12
Olive oil, maple syrup, tomato paste (pantry)	as needed	Several	$0 to $8

Frozen

Item	Quantity	Used in	Est. price
Frozen blueberries (optional cheaper swap)	see produce	Chia pudding	$0 to $4

Spices and condiments

Item	Quantity	Used in	Est. price
Garlic-and-herb seasoning, dried mixed herbs, salt, pepper (pantry)	small amounts	Pizza skillet, meatballs	$0 to $6
Buffalo sauce, curry paste or spices, other recipe spices	check recipes	Buffalo bowls, curry, others	$6 to $10
Vanilla extract (pantry)	1.75 teaspoons per chia batch	Chia pudding	$0 to $4

Adding the row ranges gives about $149 to $246 (my own sum of the estimates above), so I use $150 to $245 as the working range.

Batch-prep plan

Sunday, about 2 hours (the week's main session):

(0:00 to 0:15) Make the first chia pudding base, refrigerate it for at least 12 hours. The recipe keeps assembled jars up to 3 days.
(0:15 to 1:25) Cook the Mediterranean lentil soup. The page lists 15 minutes prep and 55 minutes cooking.
(1:25 to 1:45) Cool the soup fast in shallow containers. USDA FSIS advises dividing large amounts into shallow containers so food reaches 40°F or below quickly, and refrigerating leftovers within 2 hours.
(1:45 to 2:00) Freeze 7 portions of soup (the plan thaws 4 for Saturday lunch and 3 for Sunday lunch). Wash and chop kale, and pre-chop onions and peppers.

Midweek top-ups:

Tuesday evening, 15 minutes: Make chia pudding batch two for Thursday. The page gives 15 minutes active time.
Each dinner: Cook one or two recipes, then box the leftover portion for the next day's lunch the same evening.

Storage and reheating:

Fridge life: USDA says leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge or 3 to 4 months frozen. That is why the 5-day lentil date on EatingWell's page should be treated as an upper limit; I plan to eat the lentils within 2 days.
Reheating: Reheat leftovers to 165°F, bring soups and sauces to a rolling boil, and cover while heating.
Timing note: Soup frozen on Sunday is thawed in the fridge and used on Saturday and Sunday of the same week, well inside the 3 to 4 month freezer window USDA gives. The Pizza Bean Skillet page says to keep leftovers up to 3 days, which the Wednesday-to-Thursday lunch respects.

Cost estimate

Total: My estimate is $150 to $245 for the week (estimate, the summed aisle ranges above), or about $5.40 to $8.75 per person per day (150 / 28 and 245 / 28, derived).
Pricing date and stores: I did not retrieve live grocery prices from Walmart, Kroger or any other store on 5 October 2026, so no store-specific prices are quoted.
Benchmark: The USDA Thrifty Food Plan costs $236.30 a week ($1,023.70 a month) for the reference family of four in August 2026. The plan assumes all meals are cooked at home. My range straddles that figure, and I could not check it against store shelves, so treat it as indicative. I did not extract the Moderate-cost plan figure.
One real price anchor: Budget Bytes puts its lentil soup at $7.59 per recipe, or $1.08 per serving (published April 2024, so prices have likely risen).

Ways to cut cost:

Make protein powder at home. EatingWell's chia page says a homemade plant-based powder is more budget-friendly than store powder.
Use frozen blueberries and store-brand beans, lentils and tofu (my suggestion, untested for price).
Cook the extra lentil soup and swap one Marry Me Lentils batch for it, since soup has the lowest cost per serving on the page.
Replace the curry with a third bean skillet if the family dislikes it, avoiding waste from a recipe rated 2.3.

Nutrition notes

This is general information, not medical or dietetic advice. A doctor or registered dietitian should confirm the plan for children, especially if a child has a growth concern, an allergy or a medical diet.

Protein targets: An Oklahoma State University Extension summary of the 2025 to 2030 Dietary Guidelines says the RDA for healthy adults remains 0.8 g protein per kg body weight per day, and that older adults and physically active people may benefit from 1.2 to 1.6 g per kg per day. It gives the example that a 75 kg (165 lb) person needs about 60 g a day to meet the RDA. I did not retrieve a child-specific protein figure.
Plant protein variety: The same summary says protein foods should include a mix of beans, peas and lentils; nuts, seeds and soy products; seafood; and lean meats, poultry and eggs. The source also lists seafood and meat; for a vegetarian plan I use only the plant and egg options, namely lentils, white and black beans, chickpeas, tofu, peanut butter, chia and eggs.
Protein per serving where stated: chia pudding 24 g, Marry Me Lentils 19 g, enchilada skillet 19 g, pizza bean skillet 17 g, white bean meatballs 20 g, super-green tofu curry 19 g and lentil soup 9 g. The buffalo bowls list 28.8 g per serving. I did not retrieve sandwich values and do not estimate them.
Fibre: The lentil, bean and chia dishes also list fibre, for example 17 g per chia jar and 12 g per serving of white bean meatballs.
Limits: Per-serving numbers are for adult-sized servings and are the sites' own estimates. I did not add them into daily totals because assembled meals and side additions have no stated values.

Sources

Access date for all pages: 5 October 2026.