A way to save money cooking. (Beans)

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Basically, water down your food with beans or legumes of some kind.

Like for example, I made a sort of Philly cheesesteak thing, with chicken instead of beef. So, normally what I'd put in is mushrooms (which sorta "waters it down" already) and onions, and one piece chicken breast, seasoned mostly with Worcestershire sauce. So, to water it down, I put in the equivalent of a can of chickpeas in. To make it even cheaper, I don't use canned chickpeas, and instead make a 1lb bag of dried chickpeas, and then put them in the fridge in a container when they're done cooking. It comes out to I'd say like 4 or more cans of chickpeas, the one pound bag, and a one pound bag is about a dollar.

Basically, this strategy isn't a particularly creative strategy, a big example of this is Taco Bell. In around 2008, they had a 1/2lb beef burrito for $1 for a long while, then it got phased out and replaced with the "Beefy 5 Layer" which cut the amount of beef in half or maybe to a third of what it once was, and replaced it with refried beans and sour cream. Consumers didn't seem angry about it or anything, and Taco Bell basically got away with it.

The reason this sorta "works" in my opinion, is you're still getting meat in the meal, and you'll cook it/mix it with the meat, so it picks the same flavoring up from the meat. So your brain is still happy and registering that you ate meat during the meal, but at the same time, but you're replacing much of the "volume" with something else. Beans are reasonably healthy, too, with a lot of fiber which most people are sorta deficient in.

Just a tip, it can save you some money, especially if you use dried beans. It's a great way to stretch more portions out of something.

People don't use beans, lentils, etc. nearly enough.

One of my favourite meals (unfortunately not the BF's thus we don't eat it any more) was sausage casserole but loaded with vegetables including butternut squish which is cheap and filling too, then added beans or lentils which really bulked it out so super-filling and cheap. Another one I like is using all bran in mince-based meals, once it absorbs juices from the meat it's a similar texture but healthier and cheaper.

Hungry now, not eaten a real meal in a while (kitchen is being remodelled).

Yes, beans are economical, easy to use, and healthy eating. They are also good to keep in the pantry for emergencies, as they don't need to be refrigerated until open (canned) or cooked. And they are handy to keep around in case of unexpected guests, as they can stretch a meal. Unfortunately, I hate them. However, a couple of years ago I found I was able to get them down if I put BBQ sauce on them. I still won't buy the common white beans used in commercial baked bean products. They always come out over cooked, and to me they are absolutely gross and inedible that way, even with a tasty sauce on them. I've mostly been using kidney beans--both dark and light. I also tried butter beans, a form of lima beans. The kidney beans were more tolerable to me. I would like to try black beans next, and any others available at local stores, too.

Because of my IBS, I don't buy the dried beans. I am not sure I would be able to prepare them well enough to prevent too much intestinal gas. The precooked canned ones are a better choice for me, although they are a little more money. They are still cheap compared to other proteins, and they do have all that fiber. I don't eat enough veggies as it is, so I am willing to force myself to eat beans as long as they are not those white ones, and as long as I can put something like BBQ sauce on them. I may also try them with honey or maple syrup sometime. I am also planning on sometimes mixing them with meat meals. I did try them that way once in a Hormel tray of BBQ beef and beans, with both the kidney and white beans. As always, I hated the white beans, but that's how I found out I could tolerate and get down the kidney beans. The BBQ sauce made them edible, although I still didn't care for them, but they have so many positives going for them, that I was willing to add them to my menu.

Now go and have a can of beans.

I have a great recipe for pasta that uses beans instead of meat.

Want it?

Go for it.

Pick and wash a half a bag of pinto beans. Boil them with a spoon full of minced garlic and half an onion until they are done. Drain them.

In a skillet with a lid, put a little olive oil and two more spoons of minced garlic and a chopped onion. Cook that till the onion is translucent. Add about half the beans and mash about half of them up. Add a large can of crushed tomatoes, and a large can of diced tomatoes, draind. Add oregano, basil, salt, a spoon of sugar and lots of parsley. Stir that up and add more beans if you think it needs them. Let that cook on low for about 30 minutees or so until its the right consistancy and it's cooked down some and the flavores are mingled.

Serve it over pasta.

I bulk almost everything I eat with haricot beans, kidney beans and barley.

Yum, beans with pasta is a delicious (and underrated) combination!
One of my favorites is chickpeas with shell pasta; sometimes a shell will wrap around a chickpea and they look like they're in love.

I have a crockpot/slow cooker I use for making all my beans, it is just about the easiest thing in the world to make.

If I'm just cooking plain beans I boil them all day long (at least 5 - 6 hours adding water as needed) with some white meat (salt pork, fatback), a whole peeled onion, and a whole peeled potato in them. When they ae done I take the lid off and let them cook down so the liquid thickens. The liquid is then pot liquor and you eat it over cornbread.

I just get rid of the meat. It is unnecessary to the human diet. Vegetarian here.

Fist bump.

Legumes are also unnecessary to the human diet. Every type of food is unnecessary as long as you eat something else that supplies your body with the same nutrients or with a viable alternative. If you use animal protein as your main energy source, you can do completely without carbohydrates. The glucose required by the nervous system can be synthesized from fat and protein, and most other body cells can use ketone bodies as a fuel source instead. Some people, such as epileptics or people with IBDs, feel best in a permanent state of ketosis and find that their symptoms are greatly reduced or even eliminated.

Which goes to show that there is no such thing as "the human diet". Humans are an extremely diverse species of phenotypically different omnivores with different nutritional requirements. I for one have to watch my fiber and carbohydrate intake, but animal protein works fine for me and I can't get enough vitamin B. Other people feel better on a vegan diet. Everybody has to figure this out for themselves. The only piece of advice that works for everyone is "stick to fresh, organic food and avoid processed garbage". And of course "listen to your body. If it hurts, stop eating it".