Bulk Up Your Meat With Lentils

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Description
I've been seeing a lot of recipes pop up lately for adding lentils to your meat, helping to stretch it out. feed more people, and save money. Truly a recession indicator.

But it's a great idea, allowing you to add roughly 25% more servings, as well as some fiber, protein, iron, and folate. With beef prices these days, it's damn near necessary to stretch that out as much as possible. So today, I'm making a taco meat by mixing ground beef with cooked lentils and taco seasoning.
Time
Prep Time:
10 minutes

Cook Time:
30 minutes

Total Time:
40 minutes
Cost
Total Cost:

Cost per Serving:
$1.85
Ingredients
Serving(s)
Lentils
  • 1/2 cup Lentils
  • 1 cup Water
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
Meat
  • 1 tsp Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium Onion
  • 1 lb Ground beef, 93/7
  • 1 tbsp Minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp Lime juice
  • 2 tbsp Water
Spcies
  • 3 tbsp Chili powder
  • 2 tbsp Paprika
  • 1 tbsp Cumin, ground
  • 1 tbsp Cilantro, dried
  • 1 tbsp Garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp Onion powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
Instructions
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  1. Add lentils, water, and salt to a small pot, and cover with a lid. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low. Simmer with the cover on for about 25 minutes, or until the lentils are tender and the water has been absorbed.
    1. Meanwhile, heat a large pan over medium heat with olive oil. Cut an onion into a small dice. When the oil is hot, add in the onion, and cook until it starts to brown and turn translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
    1. Add in the meat, and press it down to make sure as much of the meat is touching the pan. Let it sear for about 5 minutes without touching it to develop good browning, until fragrant.

      Mash with a wooden spoon, and continue cooking until no longer pink.

      Make a hole in the center, and add the garlic to the pan. Cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add in the lime juice and water, and mix the lime and garlic into the meat.
    1. Meanwhile, mix together all the spices in a small bowl.
    1. When the lentils are done cooking and the meat is no longer pink, add all your lentils and spice mix into the meat. Mix together, and cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until you can smell the spices. Season with salt and lime juice to taste, and serve.
    Notes
    1. Any lentils will work, like brown, green, or red lentils.
    2. Any ground meat will work, like ground beef, turkey, chicken, or pork.
    3. 1/2 cup (96 g) of dry lentils yields about 1 1/3 cup (265 g) of cooked lentils.
    4. The total cooked weight of the whole recipe with lentils weighs about 775 g, or 5 servings of 155 g each.
    5. Since the lentils make up 265 g of the total weight, then cooking the meat on its own would yield about 510 g (775-265) total, or 102 g for each of the 5 servings.
    6. Adding in the lentils makes each serving about 50% larger compared to only meat.
    7. You can even use tofu instead of lentils to bulk up the meat. Simply mash a 1 lb (454 g) block of drained tofu directly into the raw ground meat, then cook them together according to the recipe.
    1. Using tofu instead of lentils will change the final weight. While the cooked weight with the lentils was 775 g total and 155 g per serving, the cooked weight with tofu instead will be about 950 g total and 190 g per serving, since tofu contains more water than cooked lentils.
    1. Adding in the tofu makes each serving about 85% larger compared to only meat.
    1. A typical serving of ground meat uses about 1 lb (454 g) of raw meat for 4 people. By adding the lentils or tofu, you can stretch that same 1 lb (454 g) of meat into 5 servings, a 25% increase in servings.
    2. The nutrition facts below assume 1 lb (454 g) 93% ground beef with all the spices, divided into 5 servings. The three columns compare the recipe made with lentils, tofu, and with just the beef.
    3. Five servings of just 1 lb (454 g) of meat would make relatively small portion sizes (just 102 g). Adding lentils or tofu increases the amount of food in each serving (to 155 g & 190 g, respectively), while keeping the same amount of meat.
    4. The lentils also add fiber, folate, and plant-based protein & iron. Tofu meanwhile adds calcium, iron, manganese, and selenium.
    Nutrient With
    Lentils    		 With
    Tofu    		 Just
    Meat
    Calories 280 281 212
    Protein 26.3 g 28.9 g 21.6 g
    Fat 9.2 g 13.3 g 9.0 g
    Total Carbs 25.1 g 14.6 g 12.9 g
    Fiber 6.4 g 4.6 g 4.4 g
    Nutrition Facts
    ------------------------------------------
    Serving Size: 155 g cooked
    Calories: 280
    ------------------------------------------
    Total Fat: 9.2g (12% 12 % of Daily Value (78 g) )
    Saturated Fat: 3.0g (15% 15 % of Daily Value (20 g) )
    Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.2g
    Monounsaturated Fat: 3.8g
    Cholesterol: 57mg (19% 19 % of Daily Value (300 mg) )
    Sodium: 903mg (39% 39 % of Daily Value (2300 mg) )
    Total Carbohydrate: 25.1g (9% 9 % of Daily Value (275 g) )
    Fiber: 6.4g (23% 23 % of Daily Value (28 g) )
    Net Carbs: 18.7g
    Total Sugar: 2.8g
    Protein: 26.3g (53% 53 % of Daily Value (50 g) )
    ------------------------------------------
    Vitamin B12: 2.02mcg (84% 84 % of Daily Value (2.4 mcg) )
    Vitamin D: 0.1mcg (0% 0 % of Daily Value (20 mcg) )
    ------------------------------------------
    Calcium: 89mg (7% 7 % of Daily Value (1300 mg) )
    Iron: 6.49mg (36% 36 % of Daily Value (18 mg) )
    Magnesium: 57mg (14% 14 % of Daily Value (420 mg) )
    Potassium: 791mg (17% 17 % of Daily Value (4700 mg) )
    ------------------------------------------
    Glycemic Index
    :
    28.5

    Glycemic Load
    :
    7.2

    ------------------------------------------
    Nutrition Score
    :
    8.5

    ------------------------------------------
    Sources of Inspiration
    https://www.poormanprotein.com/recipes/taco

    https://www.poormanprotein.com/recipes/red-lentils
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