Your grill wasn’t just made for burgers and steaks — and whether you have plant-only eaters at your picnic table or you’re a vegan or vegetarian yourself, a few hearty meat alternatives could do everyone’s health some good. Krinsky suggests grilling portobello mushrooms stuffed with goat cheese and fresh herbs. Slip them onto buns and you have satisfying vegetarian burgers. “Eating more plant-based food can add more fiber, vitamins, and minerals to your diet in a delicious way, and there are so many options available on the market now,” says Hultin. Indeed, according to MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas, one of the things that stands out about plant-based foods is their fiber, which can help keep you regular, stabilize your blood sugar, lower your cholesterol, and reduce your risk of colorectal cancer.
Though portobello mushrooms don’t have much protein — you get about 2 g from one mushroom — you are getting 1 g of fiber, according to the USDA. In some people, fiber can also increase satiety, notes a systematic review of 44 studies that looked at 38 different sources of fiber. Plus, a soft goat cheese, which Krinsky recommends, provides more than 5 g of protein per ounce, says the USDA.
Alternatively, you may want to opt for a packaged meatless burger option, such as an of-the-moment Beyond Burger or Impossible Burger. While they’re more processed than homemade veggie burgers and pack saturated fat similar to their beef counterparts, they have some pros for people looking to lose weight. For example, the Beyond Burger has 20 g of protein, courtesy of peas and rice. Meanwhile, the Impossible Burger has 19 g of protein, thanks to soy and potato. Diets high in protein have been shown to increase satiety and promote weight loss, according to a research review published in September 2020 in the Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome.
For another hearty meat-free main dish option, try stuffed bell peppers. Bell pepper is a veggie that shines with a smoky, charred flavor. Krinsky likes to stuff them with quinoa, lentils, or brown rice; then she tops them with crumbled feta cheese and pine nuts before grilling them with coconut oil. Finish the stuffed bell peppers with fresh herbs and balsamic vinegar for an unexpected, flavor-packed dish.
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