To think I could add quorn mince to beef mince and get away with it?

[Ilovehamabeads]

Disclaimer.. I've never tried quorn mince.

I'm trying to make our meals a little healthier and less red-meat heavy. We don't eat badly, but my children's two favourite meals are made of beef- spag bol and cottage pie. I already add as much veg as I can without altering the meal beyond recognition so wondered if I could swap out some of the beef mince for soya mince? Would that work or does it taste really different and be disgusting?

I'm not mad on it but it's ok in a mixture. One of my 2 actively prefers veggie chilli etc which I make with quorn.

Turkey is also a great idea.

I don't buy the 'Quorn is healthy' line they peddle. It's not even an actual food, it's a mould that was created in a lab. And a lot of people have a very strong allergic reaction to it, so watch out for that!

It makes me poo the entire dinner out within an hour of eating it so you'd have to tell me

I find supermarket own brand meat-free mince is nicer than quorn (and cheaper).

I tried a spag Bol with quorn mince, nearly hurled.

Also tried the quorn meat balls to see if the first attempt was dodgy. Ate one. Never again. Horrid horrid taste.

I quite like adding baked beans to half the amount of mince I'd usually use, then top with mash and cheese (brown the cheese) and tell my son it's Cowboy Pie (or Cowgirl, or Cowpoke)

Hah! I tried this and myself an both kids had a night on the loo because of it. Dh had 2 helpings and was fine, though.

Beef isn't 'unhealthy'. In fact you're probably better off using good quality beef mince than the weird suggestions on this thread ( in terms of taste as well as health).

Quorn is ok if smothered in sauce/tinned tomatoes etc. you get the meaty texture, but not the slightly odd taste.

It also gives me the worst farts imaginable. Even my cat looked disgusted.

Smaller portions of actual meat with more veg sides? So quality over quantity.

You can buy dehydrated soy protein in most supermarkets. I hydrate it with stock and a teaspoon of marmite and it's delicious, better than quorn imo and cheaper.

Try 1/2 beef and 1/2 pork mince with some porridge oats or lentils in. Quorn makes me barf too.

I eat Quorn (or own brand veggie mince) because I can't bear gristle. I'm not a vegetarian but can't tolerate beef mince due to said fat (even the leanest of stuff freaks me out). I can't actually tell the difference other than Quorn not smelling of menstruation when it cooks like beef does

I really don't like the texture of Quorn mince. Tried it twice when cutting down on red meat last year and I just couldn't finish it. DP enjoyed it but I just couldn't get used to it.

Bulking mince out with red lentils as already mentioned is really nice. They're not really noticeable once it's all cooked and mixed together. Adding baked beans to cottage pie is nice too. DP's grandad does this as he's a "chuck anything in" type cook and his cottage pies are delicious, so now I do it! I also sometimes use less mince when making chilli con carne and add two tins of mixed beans to bulk it out. Turkey mince is good too. It's a different flavour of course but still tastes really nice in a chilli. Never had it in a spag bol.

lentils give me bad belly as does soya but im fine with quorn.

I think do what you like

I doesn't taste any different to me, but h can spot quorn a mile away and any mean substitute. Also I'm allergic to quorn, I get awful stomach cramps and diarrhoea if I at it so I'd know!

But generally I you just don't say anything people tend not to notice unless they are really fussy.

I'm one of the "allergic reaction" people to quorn. I'm not remotely sensitive to anything else so it really makes me wonder what on earth is in that stuff.
If you feed it to me I'll spend the next few hours doubled over evacuating every once of my innards.

I just checked Sainsbury's own meat free mince against their 5% fat lean beef mince, and the meat free mince is higher cals and fat per 100g? (not that their meat free mince was available - I just googled it)

Quorn is a lot lower, but tastes shite.

Personally I would bulk out with more veg & pulses.

I use a handful of oats rather than red lentils to bulk out mince, you really don't notice them and I now prefer mince made with it.

Sorry to hijack but to those saying to add red lentils: do you use dried or tinned? and if dried, do you pre cook? & when do you add to the mince?

Yep. Do it all the time with all sort of curries, chillies, casseroles, pies etc. Not quorn per se as no-one much likes it, but TVP and/or lentils/beans of all varieties. It adds texture and reduces the cost.

Dried red lentils don't need pre-cooking or soaking. Most lentils don't - beans and peas do.

It makes me shit out my entire body, noisily and painfully, nasty stuff

How about turkey mince or chicken mince? Much lower in fat and tastes no different once cooked.