bacon sandwich on plate

When bulking you must consume relatively calorie dense meals, but not meals that are too unhealthy. Of course you are aiming to bulk with these meals, but not sacrifice your health for it. Therefore here are the most calorie dense foods that will have decent marginal returns for your health too.

Be free to adjust the ingredient proportions (for example fry more eggs in an egg and bacon sandwich) or keep some out for your good.

These recipes will be split up into 2 categories:

  • Quick & Portable (meals that are good for taking out)
  • Complex (meals you would usually eat at home for dinner)

Quick & Portable Bulking Recipes

Egg and bacon sandwich

1. Tuna Bagel

Ingredients: Bagels, tuna (canned), sweet corn, cheese spread, cucumbers

Optional: Paprika, peri or normal mayo, salt, black pepper

Instructions:

  • Pour your desired amount of tuna into a bowl and pour sweet corn on top
    • Pour paprika, peri mayo, salt and black pepper
  • Cut your bagel in half and spread cheese on it
  • Place tuna mix evenly on both sides
  • Chop cucumbers into quarters and place on top

*If you’re sending it out, avoid putting too much tuna on one bagel so you can close it and instead spread it on two different bagels

Protein: 48g
Carbs: 80g
Calories: 700kcal

2. BBQ Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients: Whole grain bread, chicken (breasts), BBQ sauce, cheese spread, cheddar cheese (block), your seasoning for the chicken

Optional: Paprika, salt, black pepper, lettuce

Instructions:

  • Season one chicken breast on both sides and cook thoroughly
  • After cooked shred it up with two forks
  • Pour shredded-up chicken into a bowl, add some cheese spread, and some BBQ sauce and mix
  • Get two slices of bread, and place the mixture on one side, put a slice of cheddar on top
    • Put a piece of lettuce on top
  • Close the sandwich and enjoy

Protein: 58g
Carbs: 35g
Calories: 740kcal

3. Tuna, Ham & Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients: Whole grain bread, ham (slices), cheddar cheese (block), tuna (canned), cucumbers

Optional: Lettuce

Instructions:

  • Spread margarine on two slices of toast
  • Lay your slices of ham on one (e.g. 2)
  • Slice your block of cheese and lay that sheet on top
  • Slice your cucumbers and lay it on top
  • Pour some tuna on top
    • Lay a piece of lettuce to finish it off

Protein: 56g
Carbs: 38g
Calories: 610kcal

4. Egg ham sandwich

Ingredients: Whole grain bread, eggs, ham (slices),

Optional: Cheddar cheese (block), cucumbers, mayo

Instructions:

  • Fry two eggs
  • Butter your 2 slices of bread and place 3 deli ham slices on them
  • Lay your two eggs on top
    • Slice thin slices of cheese and lay them on top and pour some mayonnaise on top
    • Sprinkle with salt and black pepper
    • Lay your cucumbers on top

Protein: 34g
Carbs: 33g
Calories: 610kcal

5. Egg & bacon sandwich

Ingredients: Whole grain bread, eggs, bacon

Optional: Cheddar cheese (block), mayo

Instructions:

  • Fry one egg
  • Fry 3 strips of bacon
  • Lay your bacon and eggs on one slice of bread
    • Slice thin slices of cheese, lay them on top and sprinkle some BBQ sauce on top
    • Cover with your second bread and enjoy

Protein: 44g
Carbs: 33g
Calories: 820kcal

Complex Bulking Recipes

Chicken egg fried rice

1. Pesto Pasta

Ingredients: White pasta, pesto (green or red)

Optional: Cheddar cheese (grated)

Instructions:

  • Cook 200g of white pasta
  • When it’s reasonably cooked, add 190g of pesto and stir in the pan
    • Add some grated cheddar on top

Protein: 50g
Carbs: 70g
Calories: 1520kcal

2. Tuna pasta bake

Ingredients: White pasta, tuna (canned), bread, sweetcorn, UHT milk

Optional: Salt & pepper

Instructions:

  • Boil 200g of white pasta
  • While the pasta is boiling, add some UHT milk
  • Add a 1/4 pound of sweetcorn
  • Then add a 1/3 can of tuna
    • Mix it all together and sprinkle some salt and pepper
  • Take a slice of bread and blend it up (for the breadcrumbs)
  • After it’s powdered evenly distribute it across the pasta
  • Put it in the oven for 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius

Protein: 49g
Carbs: 80g
Calories: 940kcal

3. Cottage pie

Ingredients: Potato, beef mince, chopped tomatoes (canned) onion, margarine, UHT milk

Optional: Peas

Instructions:

  • Peel a potato and chop it up into many pieces (not too small)
  • Put them in your pan and let them boil for 18 minutes
  • Then when done add some UHT milk and a tablespoon of margarine and mash the potatoes
  • While making this or after, prepare your mince by chopping up an onion in a pan, then add the beef mince and 3/4 a tin of chopped tomatoes
  • Then put your desired amount of your mince in a bowl before you add the mashed potatoes on top (1/3 of what you made)
  • Then leave it in the oven for 25 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius
    • Boil some peas and serve it on the side

Protein: 53g
Carbs: 70g
Calories: 820kcal

4. Chili and rice

Ingredients: Rice (white), beef mince, chopped tomatoes (canned) onion, kidney beans, peas

Instructions:

  • Boil 125g of white rice
  • While making this or after, prepare your mince by chopping up an onion in a pan, then add the beef mince and 3/4 a tin of chopped tomatoes
  • Then add 1/2 a can of kidney beans and mix them
  • Take 1/3 of this and put it on your boiled rice on a plate
  • Boil some peas and serve it on the side

Protein: 70g
Carbs: 87g
Calories: 1160kcal

5. Pasta carbonara

Ingredients: Pasta, bacon, eggs, UHT milk

Instructions:

  • Boil 200g of pasta
  • While boiling the pasta fry 2 pieces of bacon all cut into pieces
  • Then stir 2 eggs together in a bowl (add some UHT milk to the egg mixture and stir)
  • After the pasta has boiled add it on top of the bacon then add the eggs on top, stir it up and serve it

Protein: 40g
Carbs: 75g
Calories: 1020kcal

6. Chicken egg fried rice

Ingredients: Mexican rice (or white rice), chicken (breasts), eggs, peas

Optional: Paprika, garlic granules, soya sauce, honey, curry powder

Instructions:

  • Pour olive oil into your pan
  • Chop up 200g of chicken breasts into pieces and pour them into your pan
  • Then pour paprika, garlic granules, soya sauce, honey, and curry powder into the pan and mix them all with the chicken, then put them in a separate bowl
  • Then scramble 3 eggs, leave the eggs in the pan and add 250g of Mexican rice (or normal rice)
  • Then pour the chicken on top
    • Add some additional soya sauce and honey if you wish
  • Then pour in 50g of peas, cook it for some extra time and serve it

Protein: 81g
Carbs: 87g
Calories: 1050kcal

7. Spaghetti bolognese

Ingredients: Spaghetti, beef mince, carrots, bolognese sauce, peas

Optional: Cheddar cheese (grated), paprika, salt, pepper

Instructions:

  • Peel and dice 4 carrots
  • Boil 100g of spaghetti
  • Then while it’s boiling, pour some olive oil on your pan, then add 100g of mince, and season with paprika, salt and pepper
  • Then add your diced carrots and mix
  • Then add 1/2 a can of bolognese sauce
  • Boil 50g of peas
  • Serve the spaghetti, mince sauce and peas together
    • Add 30g of grated cheddar cheese on top

Protein: 47g
Carbs: 74g
Calories: 930kcal

Takeaway

Don’t take the macronutrients stated too literally as they are an estimate. If you really want to track the macros, you must count the macronutrients of every individual food item you use, but just know that these meals are calorie-dense and rich in protein.

Quantities matter, and you don’t have to take the vague quantities of ingredients literally; they are there as a guide if it’s your first time preparing these meals. So if you have a larger appetite, you will be able to eat more hence you’ll consume greater portions of these meals and consume more calories. On the contrary, if you have a smaller appetite you may need to make smaller quantities.

And that’s ok, because when you’re bulking you don’t want to be overeating as it’ll greatly extend the time your food takes to digest, therefore you wont be able to consistenyl eat decent portions.

So when bulking, aim to eat consistently and don’t force a lot of food down you, but eat more consistently and lower portions, so you can eat more overall during the day. Here’s an example of a bulking day of eating (assuming you’re at home the whole day):

Meal #1 (07:00): Peanut butter oat smoothie

Snack (10:30): Classic Granola Bowl

Meal #2 (14:30): Tuna pasta bake

Meal #3 (18:30): Egg ham sandwich

Dessert (21:00): Peanut Butter, Banana, and Honey Toast

*You should eat relatively lighter portions of these meals to ensure you have enough stomach space for the following meal