Bulking out Meals?

bigblackdog

i use pasta , either spagetti or shells and add some ragu does the trick nicely better than mince beef on its own

gemma1984

thanks guys- I've got some oats in the cupboard, will chuck a few in tomorrow night and see if he notices.

msb5262

Baked beans can be good - I like them whole but if I'm disguising them, I mash them thoroughly with a fork before mixing them in.
If you add porridge oats, go easy - I overdid it and ended up with what I could only call porridgenese sauce...grim. Sort of tomato-and-mince-flavoured porridge.

floyd

If its for a cottage pie then diced carrots and peas and if its for an italian dish then very finely diced celery and grated carrot but don't overdo it as it changes the flavour of the finished dish

NJW69

Depends what you're making. If its a chilli or bolgnaise then I add one large chopped onion, one large diced carrot, two sticks of celery, two peppers and two tins of tomatoes to a pound of minced steak and it doubles the quantity and I actually prefer it. If it's just mince or shepherds pie etc then its more difficult but you could still do the carrot, onion and celery with a shake of red lentils. I also sometimes put in diced sweet potatoe. I do it more for the health benefits rather than to save money.

Norman_Bean

I use puy lentils but as ChocClare says it does affect texture.
Oats are recommended often but I haven't tried that yet.
I always add grated carrot if making spag bol.
HTH
Norman x

debtmess

i use grated carrot and lentils in with mine, i dont like it anymore when made without guess ive got used to bulking it out

only used proridge oats once, not a fan of savory porridge

kippers

I pad out with any left over veg i have in the freezer and i use red lentils and a tablespoon of porridge oats

PolishBigSpender

I always use onion, but that's personal preference and not to 'bulk it out'.

angeltreats

I use mushrooms chopped up very very finely. It has the added advantage of getting some veggies into my veggie-phobic husband without him realising.