Savoury Mince

I’ve wanted to add this recipe to the blog for a very long time, but not knowing what to call it, I kept holding it back. Those of you who know savoury mince may laugh but finally I know. Literally, the only change I made to my mince to make it truly a savory mince recipe was to add tomato paste.

More ground beef / beef mince recipes.

What is savoury mince?

I’m not entirely sure where this recipe originates. I know that in Australia, savoury mince just like this recipe is a popular classic recipe but it also seems to be very popular in British cooking too.

Beef mince (aka ground beef) and veggies cooked in a rich, thick gravy, this mince is often served on toast, with crusty bread, or over rice or mashed potatoes. But it doesn’t need to stop there. It’s delicious used as a pie filling using some simple store-bought puff pastry and makes a perfect cottage pie too.

Savoury beef mince is quick and can be made ahead or even frozen, making it perfect for batch cooking or meal prep.

Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.

• Beef mince: I use 10-20% fat (80-90% lean) beef mince / ground beef. Don’t go too lean as you will lose out on flavour.
• Onion: Pretty much any onion will do the job. I use a brown onion but red onion or even shallots will work.
• Mushrooms: I can never leave out mushrooms because I love them so much but you can if you don’t like them.
• Garlic: I don’t add a lot of garlic to this savoury mince – just one clove. For me, this is one recipe that doesn’t need it but you can go ahead and add more if you love it.
• Flour: Just regular plain flour (all-purpose flour) is used to thicken the gravy.
• Worcestershire sauce: This adds extra flavour to the gravy.
• Beef stock: Beef stock is the base of the gravy.
• Stock cube: To intensify that beefy flavour, add 1 stock cube. If you don’t have any on hand, I find a tablespoon of soy sauce is a great alternative.
• Tomato paste: This is the super thick tomato concentrate. It does amazing things, adding umami, flavour and a touch of sweetness.
• Vegetables: Keep life simple – use frozen mixed vegetables. I use a combination of peas, carrot and corn. They’re already blanched so just need to be heated through and they’re perfectly healthy and nutritious as well as being super convenient.
• Seasoning: A little salt and cracked black pepper finishes off this yummy beef dinner.

Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.

1. Onions and mushroom: Heat some oil in a large skillet or frying pan and cook the onions and mushrooms until the onion has softened. Add the garlic, stirring for a minute while it cooks.
2. Beef: Next, add the beef and cook it, stirring and breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned all over.
3. The flour: Add the flour and cook stirring for another 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour flavour.
4. The gravy: Now add the gravy ingredients – Worcestershire sauce, beef stock, tomato paste and crumbled up stock cube. Give it a good stir to combine everything then let it simmer for 3-4 minutes to thicken.
5. Vegetables: Add the frozen vegetables and stir them in. Cook for 2-3 minutes until everything is hot, then stir in the seasoning (salt and pepper).

This really is an incredibly quick and easy dinner. The whole process takes about 20 minutes and dinner is pretty much served, depending on what you plan to serve it with. If you want it super simple, just serve it with toast or a crusty baguette (so good). The veggies are already in there so there’s nothing more to do.

What to serve with savoury mince

This unbelievably easy savoury mince is often served on toast, though I prefer a crusty baguette, or over mashed potatoes. It’s also great over rice. Being so simple to make, you can even make a double batch and either freeze half for later or serve it a different way later in the week.

Other uses for the mince:

• You can use this mince to fill meat pies or empanadas.
• Make a shepherd’s or cottage pie, finishing it off in the oven to get a nice crispy top. You can make a fun cottage pie using potato gems as the topping too.
• Try serving it in crusty bread rolls, sloppy joe style.
• Spoon it into hollowed out capsicums (bell peppers) or tomatoes and bake.
• Serve over jacket potato or baked sweet potatoes.
• Drop it into a casserole dish then top with slices of zucchini (courgette), grilled eggplant and / or tomato followed by cheese. Bake until the veggies on top have softened and the cheese is melty.
• Serve it as is, with corn chips for scooping.
• Serve it with lettuce leaves (lettuce wrap style).

Variations

• Want more veg? It’s so easy to add more veg to this beef mince dish. Feel free to add diced capsicum (bell pepper) or celery with the onion at the start. Cauliflower or broccoli in very small florets, or chopped green beans, can be added with the frozen veg at the end.
• Different meat: You can use other minces as well like pork, turkey, chicken or lamb mince. You can even use the meat out of sausages – just squeeze the meat out of the skins and break it up as it cooks in the pan.
• Other flavourings: You can add other flavourings like herbs (dried or fresh), chilli or even a touch of curry powder.
• Legumes: Add a tin of drained and rinsed beans or lentils.

Yield and storage

This recipe makes 4 serves. You can easily scale this savoury mince recipe though make sure to use a pan large enough to give the mince space to brown.

• Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Make ahead: You can make this savoury mince recipe all the way through, then treat it like leftovers, stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
• Freezing: Again, make it all the way through, then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you add mash to the top, you’ll turn it into cottage pie which can also be frozen, ready to bake.

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