Stretching Your Ground Beef Is Easier Than You Think. Give This Simple Trick A Try

If you regularly make meals such as simple weeknight bolognese or spicy slow cooker beef chili, you may wish there was a strategic way to stretch your allotted budget for ground beef, especially if you buy high-quality ground beef. To make sure the amount you purchase covers at least a few quality meals per week, there's one efficient way to stretch your next pound so you have more meat to enjoy: use only 1 cup of ground beef per pound called for and add a combination of fillers, such as ½ cup cooked rice, minced carrots, and 1 cup canned black beans, to make up for the loss in volume.

Since many recipes call for 1 pound of ground beef, you can save about 50% of your latest pound by reducing the amount of beef you use. Depending on the fat percentage of your beef, most 1-pound packages equate to about 2 cups of cooked meat. By using just 1 cup of meat for every recipe, and filling in the blanks with a versatile blend of fillers, you wind up having enough beef to supply another whole meal. However, use fillers with varying textures for the best consistency.

Fortunately, there are many ingredients to choose from when it comes to stretching ground beef, though you should choose versatile fillers for the best taste and texture. If you're not a huge fan of black beans and rice, consider other neutral ingredients, such as oatmeal, breadcrumbs, quinoa, lentils, and various vegetables, such as celery, onion, and mushrooms. You may also want to add a little more moisture to your mix with a raw egg.

For these ingredients to mimic the look and feel of ground beef, use a food processor to achieve the best texture. For instance, if you plan on using carrots, black beans, and rice, mince the carrots first, then pulse all three ingredients together until you have an evenly mashed, uniform mixture. Next, mix your fillers and ground beef together with your hands, or a sturdy spoon, and use accordingly. Also, use your new-and-improved ground beef mixture in versatile recipes that require little structure. Considering the best meatloaf begins with the right ground beef blend, use filler-blended beef for more adaptable recipes instead, such as meat-based sauces, casseroles, bowls, and tacos.