What protein do you add to stretch meat?

[Procrastoolate]

Say recipe for a standard beef stew for 4 people, but you want it to last to feed 8. What's the best (cheap) protein to add that won't wreck the taste?
Beans - which type?
or lentils - again which ones?
I'm assuming tofu or a tin of chickpeas would be weird or would that work?

I love pearl barley, and dumplings unfortunately husband doesn't.

The only great revolt I ever had with food was with a small person being able to suck the pearl barley between his teeth and spit it out on the side of the plate.

In a stew? Offal is a good choice, especially ox heart for beef.

I often use it to stretch the meat in stews as well as enhance flavour and my kids like the addition of kidney, too, for a winter stew.

Offal is dirt cheap and full of nutrition.

Oh I see it’s a hungry teenager issue . Have you tried using silken tofu to make something like a chocolate or fruit mousse - packed full of protein .

Generally though I would agree with the lentil suggestion . I also use tins of black beans or black eyed beans if I’m trying to make a meal go further and I’ve not forward planned . You could also use quorn depending on whether you are worried about UPFs

Oats go well with mince to bulk out a cottage pie. I wouldn't add them to a beef stew though.

I like brown lentils with beef as a semi invisible stretcher, but cannelini beans would be good too as they really bulk it up and are very tasty but can also be mashed into the gravy by the eater

For a hungry teen I would serve with cheesey croutons. Toasted sliced baguette with melted cheese.

@KnopkaPixie

Just a standard dumpling recipe (off the Atora packet!) but with 2/3 of the suet replaced with vintage cheddar. Spoonful of Dijon in the mix, and a few chives if I have any in. I think it's 100g flour, 100g cheese, 50g suet and a few splashes of cold water. I usually put in 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and depending on the cheese / stew sometimes a bit of nutmeg instead of the mustard.

@KnopkaPixie

I don't know about the other poster's cheesy dumplings, but I make the ones in this recipe a lot, sometimes to go on this vegetable stew, but sometimes to go on a beef or lamb stew. They are easy and delicious.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/vegetable-stew-herby-dumplingss*

Cross-posted with @RinklyRomaine!

Same here.

You can also get tins of mixed beans too.

I use mushrooms instead of mince meat in bolognese etc. I chop them up finely.

I would add mushrooms and butter beans to beef. But I wouldn't think of it as "stretching" the meat-I would think of it as a beef and bean stew.

Thankyou, I'll try that!

Red lentils

We like a tin of baked beans in ours. I don't let dh put lentils in anything because his brain can't grasp how much they swell. Guess how I know.

We put puy lentils in the little mini chopper thing and add them zuzzed up.

An extra tin of plum tomatoes and red kidney beans

Red lentils thicken stews and soups nicely without getting in the way of taste and texture

Bacon.

@Procrastoolate now Ive seen that your want is to fill a childs hollow legs, all I would do is whack in extra veg - the casserole pack from the freezer section are very economical , and either do dumplings or scones ( turn it into a cobbler )

Cobbler was very much a childhood dish for the winter months - to fill us, and I saw Jamie Oliver made one on his budget meals last week

Veggies are as filling as protein

Butter beans
Baked beans

I use Canellini beans or red lentils. Neither have much of a flavour so they add bulk without being noticed.

Canelli or haricot beans, cheese dumplings, chestnuts.