Savoury Mince

Name: Savoury Mince
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 500 g beef mince (5% fat); 1 onion; 1 tbsp olive oil; 200 g frozen peas; 2 carrots; 2 tbsp flour (plain); 450 ml beef stock; 1 tbsp bovril; 1 tbsp Worcester sauce; 1 clove garlic; ½ tsp pepper; 1 tsp mixed herbs (dried)

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Savoury mince is a real British favourite that is a great base for so many family friendly dishes.

It's a 30 minute meal that can frugally feed a crowd, by adding extra vegetables or a tin of beans, to make the meat go further too.

Enjoy as a quick dinner with mashed potatoes, over jacket potatoes with grated cheese, or use as a basis for cottage pie or other dishes.

This is a perfect freezer friendly dish too, so make a big batch and get ahead for busy weeks.

Enjoy!

Savoury mince was a staple dish when I was growing up and it is still as popular today.

I think that this is beacuase it's a family friendly dish that is easy to eat and without any bones!

With the price of food ever increasing miced beef has always been better value than most other cuts and it's easy to make the mince go further by adding the vegetables that you prefer or leftovers from the fridge.

To make life even easier the variations include shepherds pie, cottage pie, bolognaise andchilli con carne too.

You can actually make this recipe with any ground meat to take advantage of the best price or offers. Even better, cooked mince freezes very well, so double up on the quantities and fill the freezer for busy times.

Why you will love this dish

Ready in just 30 minutes
Family friendly
Swap the beef mince for chicken, turkey, lamb or pork
Add your own choice of vegetables and hide them too!
Easily turn into cottage pie, shepherds pie, bolognaise sauce or chilli con carne
Great for cooking in bulk
Freezer friendly

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Why you will love this dish
🥘 Ingredients
🍽 Equipment
🔪 Instructions
⏲️ Cooking Time
🥗 Side Dishes
Substitutions
📖 Variations
Storage
FAQs
📋 Recipe
💬 Comments

🥘 Ingredients

Mince - beef mince or ground beef. Aim for around 5% fat for the healthiest option.
Onion - a medium all purpose brown or yellow onion.
Oil - vegetable oil or olive oil for browning.
Peas - frozen peas or fresh if you have them.
Carrots - fresh carrots, any shape as they will be chopped.
Flour - all purpose flour to thicken the gravy.
Stock - beef stock from a stock cube is fine for this.
Bovril - concentrated beef extract in a jar for an intensely beefy flavour.
Worcester sauce
Garlic - garlic cloves rather than powder or granules.
Pepper - freshly ground black pepper.
Herbs - dried mixed herbs.

See recipe card for quantities.

💭 Top Tip

If you are using a higher fat mince then after frying drain the meat into a colander over a bowl before continuing the recipe.
Leave the fatty juices and then discard in the rubbish to avoid blocking the sink.

🍽 Equipment

Sharp knife
Large frying pan / skillet
Wooden spoon
Colander / sieve - optional
Slotted spoon

🔪 Instructions

Peel the onions garlic and carrot and cut into small pieces.

Mince the garlic.

Put the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and cook the onions and carrot for 5 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.

Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute to release the flavour.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetable to another dish, while the beef is cooked.

Return the pan to the heat and add the mince.

Break it up with a spoon and spread into an even layer, turning regularly to brown the mince and break it up completely.

Add the flour to the pan and stir through for a minute.

Pour in the stock, Worcester sauce, Bovril, stock, herbs and pepper.

Return the vegetables to the pan.

⏲️ Cooking Time

Bring the savoury mince to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the peas and cook for 5 minutes more.

Check the seasoning and consistency before serving.

Mix a teaspoon of cornflour with water and stir into the mixture if it seems too thin.

Transfer to a freezer to oven container if you want to make a cottage pie to freeze for another day.

🥗 Side Dishes

Savoury mince just needs a serving of boiled, jacket or mashed potatoes but you could also serve it with some plain boiled rice or pasta too.

Try one of these side dishes to make it more special.

Substitutions

Vegetables - use a can of mixed chopped peas and carrots or add frozen mixed vegetables in place of the frozen peas.
Bovril - crumble in an extra stock cube instead.
Worcester sauce - use mushroom ketchup, which is very similar or balsamic or red wine vinegar.

📖 Variations

Hidden veggies - for fussy eaters blend the carrots an onions together after cooking.
Vegetable variety - add slices mishrooms, chopped peppers or courgettes with the carrots. Use other vegetables with the peas such as frozen sweetcorn or cooked lentils.
Baked beans - Stir in a tin of beans with the peas to stretch the meal further.
Shepherds pie - use lamb mince instead and place in a casserole dish. Top with mashed potato and cheese and bake in the oven at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4 for 20 minutes.
Cottage pie - top with potato ad for shephers pie.
Chilli Con Carne - omit the carrots and peas and fry the onions with sliced or quartered mushrooms. Replace the stock with a tin of chopped tomatoes and a tablespoon of tomato puree. Add a tablespoon of cumin and paprika and a half teaspoon of chilli powder to the mince before adding the flour. Replace the peas with a rinsed and drained can of kidney beans or white beans.
Bolognaise sauce - as above but with a jar or tin of passata. Use a teaspoon of dried basil and a teaspoon of oregano.

Storage

Refrigerator - cool cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Freezer - freeze in a covered container for up to 3 months.
To reheat - simmer gently on the hob until piping hot or place in a casserole dish, covered with foil and reheat in the oven at.

FAQs

How long do you cook savoury mince in the slow cooker?

This is another dish, like sausage casserole, that is perfect for the slow cooker.

After adding the stock and vegetables transfer to the slow cooker for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

As much less liquid evapourates during slow cooking it is best to use 300 ml or about half a pint of stock.

More beef dishes to try

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📋 Recipe

Savoury Mince

Amanda

Savoury mince is the perfect frugal meal on its own or adjusted to make cottage pie, chilli or bolognaise.

4.89 from 26 votes

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Total Time 35

Course Main Course

Cuisine British

Servings

Calories 446 kcal

Equipment

Sharp knife
Large frying pan / skillet
Wooden spoon
Colander / sieve - optional
Slotted spoon

Ingredients

500 g beef mince 5% fat
1 onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
200 g frozen peas
2 carrots
2 tablespoon flour plain
450 ml beef stock
1 tablespoon bovril
1 tablespoon Worcester sauce
1 clove garlic
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon mixed herbs dried

Instructions

Peel the onions garlic and carrot and cut into small pieces. Mince the garlic.
Put the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and cook the onions and carrot for 5 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute then use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetable to another dish.
Return the pan to the heat and add the mince. Break it up with a spoon and spread into an even layer, turning regularly to brown the mince and break it up completely.
Add the flour to the pan and stir through for a minute.
Pour in the stock, Worcester sauce, Bovril, stock, herbs and pepper. Return the vegetables to the pan.
Bring the savoury mince to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the peas and cook for 5 minutes more then check the seasoning and consistency before serving. Mix a teaspoon of cornflour with water and stir into the mixture if it seems too thin.

Nutrition Facts

Savoury Mince

Amount Per Serving

Calories 446 Calories from Fat 261

% Daily Value*

Fat 29g45%

Saturated Fat 10g63%

Trans Fat 2g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 14g

Cholesterol 89mg30%

Sodium 387mg17%

Potassium 850mg24%

Carbohydrates 18g6%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 6g7%

Protein 27g54%

Vitamin A 5485IU110%

Vitamin C 25mg30%

Calcium 68mg7%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.

Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article

Keyword beef mince, savoury mince

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Food Safety

Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
Wash hands after touching raw meat.
Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
Never leave cooking food unattended.
Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
Always have good ventilation when using gas.

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Savoury Mince

Why you will love this dish