Quick Answer:
Some high protein vegetables include: beans, peas, potatoes, spinach, and kale. Not only do these vegetable contain a relatively high amount of protein, they also have essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.
Full Answer:
If you are looking to eat vegan or just looking to add a low fat protein option, vegetables are an option to get the protein that you need. While vegetables don’t pack as much punch as a chicken breast with over 8 grams of protein per ounce or a steak, they do offer vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants that meat doesn’t provide. They also contain very low fat and help with cholesterol making them a great addition to any diet.
High Protein Vegetables
The first vegetable that comes to mind in connection with high protein is beans. Beans do have a lot of protein; each type varies on the amount of protein it provides. Cooked black beans provide about 8 grams of protein for a ½ cup while Soybeans, for that same ½ cup serving, will give you about double the protein, around 15 grams. Continuing with the small round vegetables, peas are another high source of protein with 1 cup providing around 8 grams of protein.
Spinach is also a popular protein packed vegetable, made popular by the Popeye cartoon. Spinach is a great addition to a meal because it can be cooked and easily mixed in to sauces and eggs or eaten raw in salads and sandwiches. 1 cup of cooked spinach contains 5 grams of protein and is stuffed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Good news for potato lovers, a large russet potato with skin provides about 8 grams of protein with slow digesting carbs for recovery. For a healthier potato, skip the butter and sour cream and use olive oil with salt and pepper.
Kale, the superfood of 2016, not surprisingly will give you a small boost of protein with essential vitamins A, C, K and minerals including copper, iron, and more. Adding 1 cup of uncooked Kale to your meal will give you 2.5 grams of protein added to the benefits above.
References: Livestrong, Mindbodygreen, Bodybuilding, eatthis