Bulking out Meals?

Pink.

Hi princess_siobhan,

I bulk out soups, stews, casseroles, pasta sauces, pasta bakes etc...basically anything with a sauce. I use lentils, oats, beans, potatoes, onions, mushrooms or extra veg I need to use up thrown in to stretch the meal.

There's an earlier thread on bulking out meals that should give you lots of ideas:

Bulking out Meals?

I'll add your thread to that one later to keep the suggestions together.

Pink

Pippilongstocking

HIya
I bulk mine out with TVP (99p for a big bag) - its colourless and takes on the flavour of the stuff in the pan - better with mince etc but works wonders with chicken etc too.

We also use loads of dumplings and cobbler type recipes as well - so by the tiem you have a couple of them on your plate they take up about a third of your stew and therefore less meat.

I also chop up veggies and potatoes onions, very chunky -

I also recycle any leftover bits of stew or mince etc into a pie at the end or into rissotto - gives you another meal from leftovers.

Not much help I suppose but great fun xx

ps we also often have soup first - it takes the edge of the dinner and since using this trick - I am usign less meat!!!

xxvickixx

I bulk chicken stew up with pearl barley it is yummy and a little goes a long way, the texture is quite meaty too.

SailorSam

TVP is that some sort of soya ?
Where do i go for a 99p bag ?

jacky_horn

sweetcorn, peppers, onions, courgettes and leeks all bulk out chicken well.

princess_siobhan

thanks for the replies....definately helped...i am slowly converting OH to veg

when you say about using oats where do you get them from? how much can you use? and how do you cook it with the meal?

thanks!

siobhan

Penelope_Penguin

princess_siobhan wrote: »

when you say about using oats where do you get them from?

Oats from all good grocers, and Tesco I've not used them to bulk out meals, and you have to be careful, as too many make the food like wallpaper paste I prefer lentils - you can't add too many of them :T

I know it's not bulking out, but have you considered eating more meat-free meals It's another way of reducing your food bill.

Penny. x

kazzam_2

I'm making Irish Stew that'll serve 4. How much Pearl Barley should I add to thicken the sauce??

Thanks in advance K

love2shopforbargains

I am trying to be more MSE.
So I am wanting to bulk out my meals.
Is it just veg, lentils, porridge oats that you use.
Also, with regards to the lentils do you soak them the previous night before adding them to the meal to be bulked out? Do you just soak how much you will need or soak more and then just add them to other dishes as and when you make them?

Thanks very much for any help/advice received.

Miss_Liquorice

Other things to 'bulk' can be vegetables - grated carrot in mince disappears, while peppers can add nice colours to a bologneise, and onions can go in just about anything. I keep in a bag of frozen peas and of frozen peppers and add them to just about everything.

Also, for pasta dishes, cook a little more pasta than normal, and you can get away with less meat. Same goes with rice, potatoes etc.