My favorite stretcher foods are beans, rice, pasta, oats, and veggies. They can be used with just about anything if you use your imagination. In fact, there were a couple semesters in college that I cooked almost exclusively with these stretcher foods.
In stir-fry you take meat and seasoning then add some vegetables to make it more balanced and filling. Then to make it even more filling you serve it with rice or noodles. Chili is made with a little meat, a little seasoning, a lot of beans, and some vegetables. To make it even more filling, some people add pasta.
These are such common examples, that it's easy to overlook their "stretching" ingredients.
If you're still confused allow me to break it down:
- Beans are a great additive to ground meat. You can use as much as a 2:1 ratio meat:bean and still have a predominately meat feel to your dish. I use this most often on taco/burrito night and always have plenty of leftovers to freeze and/or have for lunch the next day.
- Veggies are so versatile! When you pair them with meat (any cut) you get a meal that is more filling and visually satisfying. I've actually found that most recipes can be modified by increasing the amount of vegetables and cutting the amount of meat.
- Rice and pasta are similar in how they are used. You can add them as a side or mix them right into lots of dishes to fill you up and "stretch" the meal.
Oats aren't quite as versatile, but they pair well with ground meats. I use them regularly in sloppy joes and meatloaf. If you don't want to be too obvious about using oats, simply cut the oats up in a food processor first. Adding oats will make the dish more filling/ rib-sticking and in some cases less messy.
What's your favorite meal that utilizes stretcher foods?
This post is a revised compilation of two posts I originally published in October 2011 @ oneincomefamilyliving.blogspot.com.
Haha, I didn't realize they had a name :) I add in veggies where ever I can!!
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's an official name for them. This is just a term I started using a few years to talk about these foods.
DeleteYeah I didn't realize it was called stretcher food either. I do this all the time to make meals more filling.
ReplyDeleteI love using beans to stretch my meat meals. They are so healthy too!
ReplyDeleteI like to utilize pasta it really does stretch into a few meals.. I never heard the term stretcher meal, but it does make sense..
ReplyDeleteGood to know! I love stretching our meals as much as possible!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! I think I'm start streching my ground beef with beans!
ReplyDeleteAs a former single (and sole) mom, I can attest to the power of the pasta, the rice, and the beans LOL These are great tips and so needed!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Stretcher foods are life savers and allow for so much meal creativity :)
ReplyDeleteSurely these foods save money. Green beans, noodles, rice, and spinach are some of our favorite stretcher foods. :)
ReplyDeleteI have a huge stock up of 'stretcher' foods!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, my mother used to make elbows and meatsauce all of the time. So, pasta was a stretcher food that I grew up with as a child. Nowadays, I would say rice is what I use in my own household.
ReplyDeleteI use oats the same way you do - with ground beef. I also love adding veggies to a meal to round it out and complete it.
ReplyDeleteConsidering how much everyone in our house eats, "stretcher" foods are a necessity around here! Great ideas!
ReplyDeleteMy gran makes this casserole with noodles all sorts of kinds and chili its amazin!!
ReplyDeleteI love having "stretcher" foods. I grew up very poor and my mom knew how to make our food stretch! Very smart and no waste!
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