Mince quantity question (stretching and portion sizes)?

Big_Graeme

Why not bulk it out with veg? Diced swede, carrot and potato are prime candidates along with onion and celery.

Dmouse_2

ooh loving this thread we are having bolognese for tea and i was hoping to make enough for two meals, but i have red lentils in so will hopefully be able to make enough for three meals! :T

Sharon87

I just add loads of veg, peppers, carrots, onion, mushrooms, are my favourite things to have. I cut em up really small.

It's a good way to eat healthily, less meat more veg, but still having your favourite meals! I live on my own and I always portion out 500g mince into 4 blocks and use them for each dish which can be 2 dishes, or sometimes still have enough left over for a lunch the next day. It's even better when you get it reduced! 8 meals or more where the meat cost 99p!

Absinthe_2

A few grated carrots, plus any other suitable veg, onions, garlic, and approx a cupful of red lentils usually bulks out my mince. Just don't use too many lentils, else the texture will be mushy, rather than meaty.

babyshoes

To use oats, add them at the point where you have browned your mince and have some fat and juices from the meat. I use a good handful per pack (400g ish) of mince. Stir the oats round well so the soak up all the juices, then add some beef stock and/or bovril and/or boullion etc - anything dark brown and beefy so the oats soak up the flavour and colour. Continue with your recipe as usual, adding veg and lentils if you like.

My OH is quite fussy, but is fine with oats-bulked mince, as long as they are added in this way - if you add them later they tend to stay white and are visible!

carly13

I make a bulked out chilli with the following recipe......

Chilli :- 500g pack of decent quality beef mince, 4 grated carrots, 1 finely chopped onion, tin of red kidney beans, tin of baked beans, tin of chickpeas, two tins tomatoes (plus and extra tinful of water) small mugful of red lentils, whole punnet finely chopped mushrooms, finely chopped red pepper, an oxo cube, some cayenne pepper and chopped red chilli - i use the lazy stuff in jars (to your taste, no measurements!) and i also add a good mugful of dried soya mince as its a) better for you than real mince and b) a lot cheaper! But i like to have it in addition to the real mince, it just bulks it out to make a great economy freezer-stash meal and you'd never know it was there I literally bung all the above ingredients in my biggest pot and simmer until the lentils have disappeared and the beans are starting to fall apart - don't stir it too much, just leave it for a few hours and its amazing on a jacket spud, or just scooped out of a bowl with tortilla chips! This lot is enough for about 8 freezer portions for the two of us Enjoy! xx</SPAN></SPAN>

gravitytolls

I've also added weetabix in the absence of other bulk.

Dmouse_2

Well the red lentils definitely worked i have got 4 meals for 2 adults out of 700g of mince. :j

doelani

Well the test will be tomorrow, have 3x700g mince,so going to make stew, cottage pie and lasagne.

Not sure How many meals I will get out of it.

mrsmadmand

I have taken out of the freezer an 800g pack of beef mince. Usually I'd cook it all, and transfer half to another pot to make chilli with and use the rest as a bolognaise. I'm now wondering whether I can squeeze 3 meals out of it and make some meatballs or a small cottage pie as well.

How many meals would YOU make out of a pack of mince like this? And how much would you allocate for each - equal amounts or more in one?

Any tips gratefully received!