Photo: Blend and Extend recipe example © Courtesy of Mushrooms Canada
Blend and Extend is an easy food prep hack that combines finely chopped mushrooms and ground meat in recipes to add veggies to your plate, boost flavour, and extend portions.
4 Reasons You Should Blend and Extend
1. Nutrition
Mushrooms and ground meat are a powerful combo, upping the nutritional value of your favourite recipes. Mushrooms provide essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants while decreasing calories, saturated fats, and cholesterol.
2. Sustainability
Mushrooms are one of the most sustainable foods on the planet, so you can feel good about blending them into your recipes!
3. Flavourful
Adding finely chopped mushrooms to your ground meat boosts flavour, moisture, and extends the recipes you love. Finely chopped mushrooms look similar and blend seamlessly with ground meat, so classics can be satisfying without losing taste or sacrificing texture.
4. Budget-Friendly
The rising cost of food is being felt everywhere as we try to provide nutrient-dense meals. Blending mushrooms with ground meat extends the portion sizes, bulking up the volume of your favourite meat-based recipes without hurting your pocketbook.
How Do I Blend and Extend?
1. Chop
Finely chop your favourite mushroom variety.
2. Blend
Blend the chopped mushrooms with ground meat.
3. Cook
Cook the mushroom-meat blend to complete the recipe.
Try Blending with:
What Ratios Should I Use?
75/25
For chili, pasta sauce, and casseroles, use a 75/25 mushroom-meat blend. Try this Chili Loaded Baked Potato!
25/75
A 25/75 mushroom-meat blend is perfect for burgers, meatballs, and meatloaf. Try this Blend and Extend Classic Cheeseburger recipe.
50/50
For ground meat dishes such as sloppy joes, tacos, burritos, and lasagna, try a 50/50 mushroom-meat blend. Try this Beefy Burrito recipe for example!
Blend and Extend Recipe: Spaghetti Bolognese
Cook Time: 75 min • Serves: 6
Ingredients:
- 12 oz (375 g) fresh crimini Mushrooms
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
- 12 oz (375 g) lean ground beef
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
- 1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) salt
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) red wine
- 1 can (156 mL) tomato paste
- 1 bottle (720 mL) strained tomato purée
- 1 lb (500 g) spaghetti, cooked and drained
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) torn fresh basil leaves
- Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Place the mushrooms, onion and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until finely chopped. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan set over medium heat. Crumble in the ground beef. Cook for 5 minutes or until browned. Add the mushroom mixture, Worcestershire sauce, herbs and salt. Cook for 5 minutes or until tender.
- Stir in the wine; simmer for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until dark red. Stir in the tomato purée. Simmer for 45 minutes or until thickened. Toss the spaghetti with the sauce and basil. Serve with Parmesan cheese.
TIP: Freeze any leftover sauce in a tight container for up to 1 month.
Find recipes and more at mushrooms.ca
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Mushrooms Canada is a voluntary, non-profit organization founded in 1955. Our members are dedicated to the production and marketing of fresh mushrooms in Canada. Membership includes mushroom growers, processors, spawn makers, suppliers, scientists and other allied industries.