broth mix v. Lentils

Auzelia

Hiya,

I was in my local asda today to buy some lentils as I see it mentioned in ALOT of posts.
But its quite expensive. 98pence for 500g or £3.odds for 3kg...
now they also had broth mix that has lentils and split peas etc in it
for 30pence for 500g and £1.odds for either 2 or 3kg...

Now can I use the broth mix instead of the lentils to bulk out my meals... or does it have to be lentils?

Thanks

MrsBartolozzi

Broth mix can be used to bulk out meals like casseroles, soups and the like. I think the reason people prefer to use the red lentils is that they "disappear" into mince dishes or tomato sauces and so can trick Oh's and kids who would not usually eat them.I usually use broth mix just in soup, but there is no reason you can't use it in casseroles etc.

hth
MrsB.

Magentasue

I use the broth mix in soup sometimes. Other times I use barley. I don't use lentils - used to but stopped making the couple of things that needed them. If you're bulking out meat, I would think there's a lot to be said for lentils because they're higher in protein than barley. Not sure what else they 'bulk out'.

Olliebeak

I've used both broth mix and lentils on occasions .

The thing about broth mix is that it needs to be pre-soaked overnight before using, whereas the lentils can be just added on the day.

The broth mix gives far more extra bulk and fibre than just lentils on their own BUT you can't disguise broth mix. If your family aren't used to it, they WILL notice and be suspicious of it - especially kiddies. I, and my OH, both grew up on the stuff so we love it anyway.

I would start em off on the lentils which are easily hidden.

I find that ASDA only have the Organic Lentils, which is a pain. Other places sell ordinary ones which are much cheaper. Do you have a Home Bargains near you? Or a Lidl? Sometimes old-fashioned greengrocers shops have lentils as well and health food shops.

Butterfly_Brain

I use Broth mix too but I buy the ready to use ones 60p in Asda

Kaz2904

None of the broth mixes I have evr bought have been worse off for not having been presoaked. I always just chuck them in at the beginning of cooking. Then again they're always in for more than 1 hour.

SpoonyOh

^ Same here.
OP, have you ever tried using quinoa? It's very substantial and is healthier than barley and lentils. You throw it in exactly the same, but you might need to add a little more water as it soaks up liquid very quickly.

Dobie

I love lentils & use them regularly in lots of dishes. I bought some broth mix for a bit of variety, it didn't need soaking I just boiled all of it at once then froze it in meal size portions. Trouble is I don't really like it, I think the barley is a bit 'slimy'. I'll still use it though - waste not want not - when I made soup the other day I just whizzed it into a paste & used it to thicken the vegetable broth. That was fine. I won't buy it again though.

I second the vote for quinoa. It's a grain but it's high in protein so makes a good substitute for lentils in burgers, mince dishes etc.