To wonder why dh uses so much meat in a pasta bake?

[MadJeffBarn]

Bit of a random one, and lighthearted. Dh is responsible for dinner two days a week and always makes a pasta bake. He will use a whole pack of bacon. That's fine, he makes enough to last on Monday for tea too. But then he'll use 4 chicken breasts, and two tins of sweetcorn to bulk it out. If I fancy a bacon sandwich and use two slices, he has to go out and buy a whole new pack. With the amount of extras he puts in I try to explain that he really doesn't need to use so much, if he wants to bulk it out use more veg cause we're on a pretty strict budget (£40 a week for 2 adults and 2 kids) and he seems to be using enough food in one pasta bake that could be used in 4 meals rather than two. But he's insisting that he needs all of it. He then uses nearly a whole bag of grated mozzerella on top. I don't really like pasta bake because of this, I like pasta with a bit of meat, not meat with a little bit of pasta 😂

I thunk he needs to do the food shopping & budgetting for a few weeks!

Think, even

My oh was a chef, managed to use a 1 kilo pack of chicken breasts in a pasta bake that, quite frankly, shouldn't have had meat in it. It was a side dish, to go with fish. I left instructions, everything prepped and ready to go, got back from taking two youngest to dentist and he accused me of leaving him no meat and he had to improvise...

So... just looked up what pasta bake is. I make this quite often, but I call it gratin. Oops ;)

Anyhow, 4 chicken breast, a packet of bacon and cheese? That's crazy!!!

I often make it with quite a lot of feta and some generic cheese (like Gouda). But then I add a lot of spinach and some other veggies. Or with lamb or beef, aubergine, carrots, tomato sauce and ricotta.
Or with beef, bechamel sauce and whatever veggies we have in the fridge...

I'm making myself hungry...

Why not buy DH a pasta cook book? There are so many lovely (and less expensive!) recipes he may like to experiment with. But I agree, considering your budget his pasta bake seems very excessive!

You only use 2 slices of bacon in a bacon sandwich?!

DH's recipe sounds fine. Just very very excessive. Why not add a little bacon for more flavour and sprinkle the cheese on top...? Oh my.

That makes me kind of glad DH usually 'cooks' a cold supper. ;)

DH tells me that it's because pasta tastes crap on it's own - it's got to be with meat. He won't eat pasta without meat! Real men eat meat he says!

So he uses ridiculous quantities of meat (and I'm not a Mumsnet chicken woman) twice a week to cook a meal you don't like.

And no, it's not healthier. There is nothing wrong with carbohydrates in a balanced diet.

Eh, a packet of bacon and four chicken breasts, between four people, to last two days, so eight meals, doesn't seem excessive to me. It's half a chicken breast and prob one slice of bacon each, with a quarter of a tin of sweet corn per meal, bulked out with pasta.

I don't have pots big enough to make that size of meal!

It's a bit depressing to think of vegetables being used just 'to bulk things out'.

I appreciate that it's one way to make expensive meat go further.

But properly cooked vegetables/vegetable based pasta sauces with proper seasoning - fresh basil, garlic etc - are just so good on their own.

Aubergines. Courgettes. Spinach. Mushrooms. Chargrilled/roasted peppers.

Some parmesan.

(Maybe a bit of chicken or pancetta/bacon to up the protein)

Oh, boy - so you have this to look forward to tonight, OP?!

I suggest showing him this thread!

Olives. Fried, toasted breadcrumbs. Anchovies. Capers. Sundried tomatoes.

Toasted pine nuts...

(Wanders off to see what there is lunch.)

I had to make a bacon sandwich after reading this. 3 rashers
I don't think he uses a lot if you're all eating it twice. My other half will happily eat 2 chicken breasts to himself, plus potatoes and veg. No 2 appetites are the same.

If he wants to add protein put some lentils in there - far far cheaper!

My DM's 1950s cookery books suggested allowing 4 oz meat per person, 6 oz fish (I think). (I still use imperial measures for cooking.)

Your DP's pasta bake sounds decidedly OTT.

If he bulks out with lean meat he probably uses less pasta, so it might be healthier for you than something with more pasta and a bit more veg. When I make my veg pasta I use veg protein sources such as soya protein and tofu and will easily use up to 1kg, but then my pasta dish might only have a handful of actual pasta per person.

I agree, Anna, but to a person wedded to meat that may be a bridge too far. Adding other ingredients to replace some of the meat is a start.

My DPs pasta bake would just be meat and cheese if he makes it for himself He regularly uses 1kg mince!