Budget-conscious cooks are being encouraged to follow clever hacks to bulk up their meals without compromising on taste. With the cost of everyday essentials rising in supermarkets across the country, making meals to fill the whole household without breaking the bank is becoming more of a struggle for many families.

Ashleigh Tosh from MuscleFood said: “With so many finding their weekly food budget stretching even further in order to buy all of the essentials, we wanted to offer people some straight forward tips to bulk up their meals.

“Adding simple, low-cost ingredients like oats, beans and eggs can add nutrition and fibre to your favourite meals and allow you to dish up large portions and bulk cook for the week without spending a fortune.”

Here are MuscleFood’s top hacks for bulking up meals:

Eggs: Adding eggs is an inexpensive way to add extra nutrition while bulking up your favorite meals. Mixing scrambled egg into rice, adding boiled egg to salads or sandwiches or popping a fried egg on top of your food will make your meal much more filling without overpowering the taste.

Pulses: Lentils and pulses can be bought in bulk at low prices and used in many meals to bulk them up without changing the texture or flavor of the food. This is also a great way to add more fiber into your diet at a low cost.

Chop up meat: If you are hoping to bulk up something like a pasta dish, consider cutting up your meats like sausage, chicken or beef before adding to the meal. Your plate will appear much fuller and you will end up with more leftovers than normal, making it a cheap way to bulk up some of your favorite meals.

Beans: Adding beans into meals like chili, bolognese, shepherds pie or even sausage rolls will bulk them up without changing the flavor. Beans can be bought in tins for low prices in many supermarkets, making them readily available budget-friendly cupboard essentials.

Oats: As well as using them for great low-cost recipes like overnight oats and porridge, oats can be included in sauce-based meals like bolognese and chili as an alternative to using lots of meat. Oats are a low-cost product that won’t compromise the taste or texture of the meal they are added to.

Potatoes: As an excellent low-cost source of fiber, antioxidants and healthy carbohydrates, adding white or sweet potatoes into your meals is a great way to bulk them out.