How to Stretch Ground Beef

Stretching meat is something that goes back generations. Ask your parents or grandparents (if they’re still living) and you’ll probably hear a bunch of different ways they stretched meat to make it go further for their families. Rice, bread crumbs, oats, vegetables…you name it. And what you choose as your filler is really just a matter of preference.

My tried-and-true ground beef stretcher is old-fashioned oats. I like it better than other fillers like bread crumbs or riced cauliflower because my family can’t really tell a difference. Every once in a while, they might notice that the texture has changed a little, but that’s about it. So how much?

2.25 lbs (36 oz) ground beef (80%/20%) + 1/2 c. old-fashioned oats = 4 lbs ground “beef”

First, measure out your oats and then toss them in the blender (or a Magic Bullet if you have one) and blend until the oats are like a powder.

As you’re cooking your hamburger, stir in the ground oats.

Cook as usual. Once the meat has browned, you won’t be able to see the ground oats at all.

Then drain off the fat. After that, you can go ahead and make your recipe (loaded spaghetti is great with this blend), or you can section your beef out into one pound bags and freeze for later.

Try it out! Let me know what you think. For other recipe ideas, check out the Recipe Box page.

 

 

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