What can I use to pad out the meat in a bolognese or cottage pie other than lentils?

[DrKoothrappali]

Just that really, I'd like my mince meat to go a bit further and I know people who add lentils to theirs but lentils don't agree with me so what else could I use?

I was thinking of Quorn but that is really pricey too, is there another alternative? Some sort of soya pieces or something?

I don't use lentils at all, I've tried red , brown and green but I feel pretty poorly after them tbh.

I'm going to find some now for nostalgia purposes. I bet mum's got one in the cupboard from 1998.

I'm going to find some now for nostalgia purposes. I bet mum's got one in the cupboard from 1998.

Excellent, I've got few good ideas to try now, thanks guys.

I def try the carrot, breadcrumbs and the soya mince (is that the same as TVP?) and if I get brave I'll try the porridge oats!

I like to add aduki beans and loads of extra carrots, mushrooms, onions and celery to my bolognaise!

Barley and loads of veg.

Beanfeast is a really useful standby - Sainsbos definitely still do it.

Aduki beans are quite mince like - soak in boliing water fior a couple of hours & then cook for 20 minutes ish until soft.

Or you could just bung in a handful of frozen peas. Added advantages that you're getting one more towards 5 a day, & makes it more palatable to kids if a bit sweet & unauthentic for adults...

I use bulgar wheat. It thickens it up too.

yeh soya is same as tvp i believe.

Thanks again, some great ideas for me to try. I'll just try them out til I find one that DH and DDs like!

Tin of red beans

Veggies, I add almost anything apart from cabbage, tinned beans baked or otherwise are also good. The one I made yesterday had baked beans, courgette, red onion, and red pepper, extra garlic and two small chillies, I'm congenitally incapable of following a recipe tho :)

Mushrooms, onions, borlotti beans or similar.
Also bung a bit of cheese in the mash on a cottage pie (makes up the protein proportion a bit if you're diluting it in the meaty layer!)

I like the idea of whizzed up mixed veggis too whims, will have to give that a go (have used celery alongside onion before but not quite like that)

Roasted butternut squash

I grew up on my mum's version of spag bol- bag of frozen quorn mince, jar of whichever tomato pasta sauce is cheapest, tin of cheap peas and a tin of cheap beans. Usually with pasta because the value stuff is usually cheaper than proper spaghetti! Beans make a really good filler. Also semolina, believe it or not.