Savoury Mince

This versatile and simple savoury mince recipe is ready in 35 minutes and is a great batch cook recipe that freezes well. Rich with tomatoes and vegetables, it’s a delicious family friendly recipe for beef mince that you can serve with toast, potatoes, pasta or rice; or make into lasagne, pies or empañadas.

Jump to:

• Why we love this recipe
• Ingredients Notes
• How to make this recipe
• FAQ
• My Recipe Tips
• Serving Ideas
• Storage
• Variations
• More easy dinner recipes
• Savoury Mince

Why we love this recipe

• Easy to make minced beef recipe, alongside these Mexican beef mince and hoisin beef noodles, it’s a recipe I make all the time for my family.
• Savoury beef mince is such a versatile recipe, it can be turned into pies, chilli con carne, lasagna, or eaten on it’s own!
• One pot meal.
• A great meal prep recipe – keep in the fridge enjoy for the next 3 days.
• Good for batch cooking – this mince freezes well. In fact it is one of my favourite freezer recipes that saves me from many a dinner dilemma.
• Kid friendly recipe, and good for fussy eaters too (see my recipe tips below)

Ingredients Notes

• Minced Beef – lean minced beef, the best you can buy. You can use lamb mince instead.
• Onion – I often use brown onions to keep the cost down. However red onions work too, as you will see from the pictures I have used a red onion to make savoury minced beef on this occasion.
• Tomatoes – tinned/canned diced tomatoes. Use plum tomatoes and break them up with a spoon once they’re in the pan. Some savoury mince recipes don’t add tomatoes, but I love using them as they make the mince red rather than brown, and adds another vegetable in to the recipe.
• Herbs –  I like to use dried oregano, however you can use dried rosemary or Italian seasoning instead.
• Vegetables – I’ve kept it simple with carrots and celery. You can also add peas, capsicum/red pepper, zucchini/courgette, corn, mushrooms, whatever you and your family like!
• Worcestershire sauce – I use this savoury English sauce in so many dishes. If you don’t have it, add a splash of soy sauce, or leave out altogether.
• Stock – I like to use chicken or vegetable stock / broth, but you can also use beef stock if you prefer.

How to make this recipe

(For full detailed recipe please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post)

1. In a medium saucepan add the oil and diced onion and cook over a medium heat until softened and turning translucent.
2. Add diced carrot and diced celery to the pan and cook until the vegetables are soft.

3. Add crushed garlic and tomato puree/paste and cook for 1 minute.
4. Then add the beef mince.

5. Break up the beef mince with a spoon, turn the heat up and cook until the beef mince is brown.
6. Add tomatoes, stock, bay leaf, dried oregano, Worcestershire sauce (optional), salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the vegetables are tender.

FAQ

My Recipe Tips

• Cook the onion, celery and carrot slowly for maximum flavour.
• Brown the beef mince before adding the tomatoes – this adds flavour to your mince.
• Serving to fussy eaters – grated the carrot and vegetables, or place in a food processor and chop until fine. Add to the recipe as normal.

Serving Ideas

• Toast a slice of bread then spoon savoury mince over the top.
• Turn it into chili con carne – add a pinch of chilli powder and a tin of cooked kidney beans.
• Lasagna – layer the cooked mince with lasagna pasta sheets and béchamel, sprinkle with cheese and bake at 180˚C / 356˚F for 40-50 minutes until cooked through.
• Top with a sheet of puff pastry and turn into into a minced beef pie.
• Spoon in to bread buns for sloppy joes (especially useful when camping.)
• Heat and serve with spaghetti for a quick spaghetti bolognese – sprinkle with a little grated cheese and serve with garlic bread.

Storage

• Fridge: Store the mince covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
  • How to reheat the minced beef: Place in a saucepan over a medium high heat and gently heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. If the beef is looking a little dry, add a splash of boiling water from the kettle.
• Freezer: Cool completely before portioning out and placing in bags or containers. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight.

Variations

• Potatoes: add 400g / 14 oz potatoes, diced to 1cm / 0.4 inch cube and add when you add the tomatoes and stock. Check they are tender before removing from the heat – they may take 20 minutes to cook rather than 15.
• Frozen vegetables: you can use 120g / 1 c of frozen peas and corn, or peas, corn and carrot as well as or instead of the carrots in the recipe. Add them 5 minutes before the end.

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