Cash strapped shoppers in Northern Ireland are being given advice on how to bulk up meals without breaking the bank.
The frugal team at online food retailer MuscleFood.com have put together their tips for making meals stretch further without buying additional costly ingredients.
They say adding lentils and oats to mince based dishes are a good way to bulk up family favourites like lasagne and cottage pie.
They suggest shredding and cutting meat to fill empty bellies and adding hidden vegetables to sauces and meal bases.
Ashleigh Tosh from MuscleFood.com said: “With shoppers still struggling with the cost of living, making sure your family gets a balanced, filling meal isn’t easy.
“But there are ways you can bulk up meals without buying pricey ingredients. Adding things like lentils to mince based dishes is a good one – lentils are cheap, you can buy them in a tin and simply add them to the dish.
“Hidden veg is another easy one, especially if there’s some looking a little past its best and you’re not quite sure what to do with it.
“Think too about cutting or shredding meat – it gives the illusion there’s more of it and your family really won’t notice the portion difference.”
Here are MuscleFood.com’s tips for bulking up meals:
1. Lentils
Add lentils to mince based dishes to bulk up and make the meal stretch further. You can buy cans of lentils from the supermarket – so no hours soaking dried lentils – and they cost pennies. Try adding to lasagne, chilli and cottage pie.
2. Oats
Like lentils, oats are perfect for mince based dishes. Add a few handfuls to a bolognese and they’ll blend in and take on the flavour of the email your cooking. The general rule is not to add more oats to the dish than there is meat.
3. Shredding / cutting meat
A shredded chicken breast gives the impression of much more meat than simply putting chicken breast on a plate. Shred chicken to put in a pasta or rice dish. Think too about cutting sausages into chunks.
4. Hidden Vegetables
Vegetables are cheaper than meat and great for bulking up a meal. Added grated carrot to a bolognese or chilli. You can add leftover veg to soups, spinach to a pie. Mushroom and courgette are both good for tomato based dishes.
5. Beans
Beans are great for bulking up a meal and they cost very little. Rather than spend hours soaking them, but in a can from the supermarket. Simply drain and add to whatever you’re cooking.
6. Potatoes
If you have potatoes then you have a meal and you can also use them to bulk out others. Add potato to a curry, stew to make them stretch.
7. Eggs
Eggs are a brilliant source of protein and a good addition to all sorts of dishes. Add to rice based dishes, they’re great in a salad, with noodles or even on a pizza.
8. Pasta and rice
Pasta and rice can be added to other dishes to make them stretch further. Try adding leftovers to soup. Risotto and pasta bakes make a delicious meal and you can reduce the amount of meat you use in them.