Shoutout to the guy in line at the grocery store who changed my mind about canned beans

I was waiting to check out yesterday and heard the guy in front of me tell the cashier he was making chili for a family of four for under ten bucks. He said the key was using two cans of pinto beans instead of ground beef. I always thought canned beans were just a mushy backup, but I tried his idea last night. I spent about $8 total and got three full meals out of it. The texture was way better than I expected, and it was just as filling. Has anyone else found a simple swap like that to cut a meal's cost in half?

3 comments

3 Comments

clairee882mo ago

Oh wow, my friend did something similar with lentils instead of half the meat in her spaghetti sauce! She said her picky kids didn't even notice.

noah_patel2mo ago

What kind of lentils did she use?

miles9922mo ago

Totally read an article about this last week. It was all about how swapping beans for meat in one meal a week can save a ton of money over a year. They called it "blending" where you mix them together at first. Makes sense because beans are packed with protein and fiber anyway. Honestly it's a game changer for the budget and you don't feel like you're missing out.