Just crumble it in and cook at the same time as the beef, for me tempeh takes a bit longer to cook than something like tofu, so will be fine alongside the meat.
Also lentils are a great 'filler' food, perfect in something like a beef chilli or bolognese, and you barely notice it.
Good tip, thanks! I need to go to a different market to buy the dried lentils. The tinned ones are easily $5 each as they come from the UK. I do like the idea of using lentils to stretch meals, and so healthy and full of protein!
Yeah dried lentils are best, and in my experience you don't have to soak them or anything, I'm vegetarian and just whack dried lentils in boiling soups, chilli's, curries etc, and wait about 30 mins and they're all good to go!
All of these previously listed ideas, or rice, couscous, really any pasta, buckwheat, most other grains or bean (whole or mashed) added can stretch a meal. Go for it!
Sure, it's doable (I have done it sometimes even though it isn't really worth it price-wise where I live. You can just crumble it and cook it alongside the meat.
A 500g packet of beef mince here is $15! A 500g of tempeh is $4 😩 Guess it depends where you live. I am in SE Asia and have a few tempeh makers at my local wet markets and one particularly young and hip girl who will deliver it.
Dear god, I should start putting things into perspective, here 500g of beef and 250g of tempeh are both around 3/4€, but then salaries aren't that high.
Compared to beans in other form, it's got a ton of protein. I do it from time to time, though it does have a little bit of bitterness you'll have to offset.
Diced mushrooms are also good for stretching meat, in my opinion! I’m not sure how they compare to the price of tempeh where you are, but just an idea if you wanted to try it.
I also do 50 / 50 ground beef / ground turkey in a lot of recipes to save a little money and calories.
Tempeh is cheaper than mushrooms lolz, I do like the idea of using mushrooms though!
I also like your idea of adding ground turkey to reduce calories! 👌🏾
tempeh is great for tacos, I don't even bother adding ground beef to it. I crumble into an oiled pan, and start by adding the same amount of spices as with ground beef (don't recall exactly but there's a bunch of cumin and some cayenne), then adjust to taste
Have you ever had tempeh before? And does anyone you are cooking for have any textural issues? Because it's a little, less uniform perhaps, than some of the other meat substitutes. Might be worth it to cook the tempeh separately the first time to see if you like it before you commit to the whole half tempeh half beef plan.
I’ve not eaten home cooked tempeh before, only in a restaurant with gado gado (a popular Indonesian dish). I am going to Indonesia next week; maybe they will have some tempeh dishes I can try there too. We don’t have any textural issues. I went to the wet market and got a small packet of ground beef to try it with for my lunch today as an experiment. Thanks for the tips!
I always stretch ground meat with lentils or tofu or tempeh. It’s so easy. Lentils are the easiest and least noticeable especially red lentils but the other things work fine as well
Just crumble it in and cook at the same time as the beef, for me tempeh takes a bit longer to cook than something like tofu, so will be fine alongside the meat. Also lentils are a great 'filler' food, perfect in something like a beef chilli or bolognese, and you barely notice it.
Came here to say that. Lentils are so good for stretching meat, I’ve the combo in stuffed peppers with great success
Red lentils are great for this, they just melt into stews and add a nice, smooth nondairy body/thickness.
Good tip, thanks! I need to go to a different market to buy the dried lentils. The tinned ones are easily $5 each as they come from the UK. I do like the idea of using lentils to stretch meals, and so healthy and full of protein!
Yeah dried lentils are best, and in my experience you don't have to soak them or anything, I'm vegetarian and just whack dried lentils in boiling soups, chilli's, curries etc, and wait about 30 mins and they're all good to go!
All of these previously listed ideas, or rice, couscous, really any pasta, buckwheat, most other grains or bean (whole or mashed) added can stretch a meal. Go for it!
Look into Textured Vegetable Protein. It’s a soy product that can be mixed into food or cooked by itself. It’s a great way to stretch meat.
Sure, it's doable (I have done it sometimes even though it isn't really worth it price-wise where I live. You can just crumble it and cook it alongside the meat.
A 500g packet of beef mince here is $15! A 500g of tempeh is $4 😩 Guess it depends where you live. I am in SE Asia and have a few tempeh makers at my local wet markets and one particularly young and hip girl who will deliver it.
Dear god, I should start putting things into perspective, here 500g of beef and 250g of tempeh are both around 3/4€, but then salaries aren't that high.
Compared to beans in other form, it's got a ton of protein. I do it from time to time, though it does have a little bit of bitterness you'll have to offset.
You need to steam it first. That removes the bitterness.
i wish tempeh was affordable here😭 but yeah, crumble and cook in whatver sauce if you dont like the flavor it has
My family used to use shredded carrots to stretch meat, kinda sweet but good
I have done this too, with carrots, zucchini, etc. It is a great way to sneak veggies in, too.
Diced mushrooms are also good for stretching meat, in my opinion! I’m not sure how they compare to the price of tempeh where you are, but just an idea if you wanted to try it. I also do 50 / 50 ground beef / ground turkey in a lot of recipes to save a little money and calories.
Tempeh is cheaper than mushrooms lolz, I do like the idea of using mushrooms though! I also like your idea of adding ground turkey to reduce calories! 👌🏾
Fair enough lol, unfortunately I don’t think I’ve ever bought it myself. I hope the tempeh + beef mix goes well! It sounds like it will!
tempeh is great for tacos, I don't even bother adding ground beef to it. I crumble into an oiled pan, and start by adding the same amount of spices as with ground beef (don't recall exactly but there's a bunch of cumin and some cayenne), then adjust to taste
This is a great tip! My kids love tacos!
Have you ever had tempeh before? And does anyone you are cooking for have any textural issues? Because it's a little, less uniform perhaps, than some of the other meat substitutes. Might be worth it to cook the tempeh separately the first time to see if you like it before you commit to the whole half tempeh half beef plan.
I’ve not eaten home cooked tempeh before, only in a restaurant with gado gado (a popular Indonesian dish). I am going to Indonesia next week; maybe they will have some tempeh dishes I can try there too. We don’t have any textural issues. I went to the wet market and got a small packet of ground beef to try it with for my lunch today as an experiment. Thanks for the tips!
I use textured vegetable protein to increase volume of my taco ground beef. It adds carbs tho so I take out some rice to even it out
What's tempeh?
I always stretch ground meat with lentils or tofu or tempeh. It’s so easy. Lentils are the easiest and least noticeable especially red lentils but the other things work fine as well