....the meat!
Minced beef is a real staple, frugal food. You can make so much out of it, it regularly finds its way into my shopping basket.
But even minced beef can be pricey, and it is also quite a high point option on the weight loss plan I follow, so I do try to stretch it if I can. Here are a few suggestions;
Add plenty of chopped, fried onion, mushrooms and grated carrot to a tomatoey sauce. You will still get plenty of flavour from the mince, and they add a good texture along with vitamins and fibre.
If I'm making a chilli, I usually add a couple of kinds of beans, so that the bean to meat ratio is about 50/50.
When making a shepherds pie, I mix in plenty of veg like diced carrot, swede, peas etc.
Whatever I'm making with the mince, I often stir in a handful or two of orange lentils, and a handful or two of oats. These soak up all the flavour, and no one ever notices that they are there. I sometimes mix beef mince with soya mince, too.
All of these options make good quality minced beef go further, and add useful nutrients too.
We often add the lentils, oats and veg too. In fact, recently, I had dinner at a friend's house and she doesn't stretch her mince and I found it really strange and rather rich : )
ReplyDeleteAnother vote here for the lentils and oats! Also, if making a slow cooked beef stew, try adding a couple of handfuls of oatmeal - it helps to thicken the gravy, and gives it a lovely creamy texture.
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