A classic and for good reason! This Simple Savoury Mince is quick, delicious and very easy – making it a fantastic option for busy weeknights.
A classic for a reason!
Savoury mince is a true British classic… and for good reason! It’s quick and simple to make, relatively inexpensive, easy to adapt to whatever you have in the kitchen (see below for ideas) and, above all, utterly delicious!
As a kid, this was a ‘Dad dinner’. As a rule, Mum made the majority of weeknight dinners. But if Mum was out, for whatever reason, then Dad was on dinner duty… and this Super Simple Savoury Mince was one of his specialties… and one I would always look forward to!
I’ve tweaked Dad’s original recipe, to add a little more flavour and more veggies. (Dad would typically cook the veggies separately and serve them on the side, but you know me… anything to make a recipe even quicker and simpler!) Plus I’ve included a few ingredients that just weren’t around when I was a kid. (Tomato puree and soy sauce had not had not yet been discovered in 1980s Britain!) But this recipe is still, at it’s heart, my ‘Dad dinner’ favourite!
How to make savoury mince
Savoury mince is so easy to make! All you need to do is fry onions, mushrooms (if using) and beef mince, until nicely browned. Then add flour, a beef stock cube and some boiling water to make a simple gravy. Next, add tomato puree, soy sauce and herbs for extra flavour. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add some frozen vegetables and simmer for a further 5 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through.
(Full recipe given in the recipe card below.)
Make it your own!
This basic recipe is so easy to adapt to your / your family’s tastes and preferences, as well as what you happen to have lurking in your fridge and cupboards. For example, you could:
- Use pork mince, lamb mince or turkey mince, instead of beef mince.
- Use Quorn mince if you want to make this vegetarian
- Leave out the mushrooms if you don’t like them
- Add extra mushrooms to make this go further
- Add a tin of brown / green lentils to make this go further
- Double up on the flour / stock cube / water, if you want extra gravy
- Use a tin of tomatoes or passata instead of the water if you want to make this more tomatoey
- Use Worcestershire sauce or red wine, instead of the soy sauce
- Use any kind of herbs you like!
- Just use frozen peas, instead of frozen mixed vegetables
- Use fresh vegetables, instead of frozen ones
- Leave the veggies out completely and serve the mince with fresh veggies on the side instead
What to serve with savoury mince
My favourite thing to serve with Savoury Mince is mashed potatoes! However, this delicious mince also goes very well with rice, baked potatoes or pasta.
If you want to be a bit more adventurous, this also works well with baked sweet potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, parmentier potatoes or tortilla wraps.
Or, to make this meal even quicker and easier, just serve the mince on its own, with some crusty French bread on the side.
(Shown in the photos with my Easy Cheesy Mashed Potatoes.)
Simple Savoury Mince with Easy Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
What to drink with savoury mince
This is definitely a red wine dish! But beef mince is very red wine friendly, so it will go well with most red wines.
Some of the best matches include Southern French reds, Côtes du Rhône, Australian Shiraz, Argentinian Malbec and Chilean Cabernet or Merlot.
But really, so long as you steer clear of the very light and delicate reds, you’re going to be fine!
What to do with leftover savoury mince…
Savoury mince is one of those many, many recipes that actually tastes BETTER the next day, so it makes a great make ahead option!
Put any leftover (or ‘made ahead’) savoury mince in a lidded container and place in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 3 days.
To reheat, simply tip the savoury mince into a saucepan with a splash of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until piping hot all the way through.
Alternatively reheat this savoury mince in the microwave until piping hot all the way through.
Can you freeze savoury mince?
Absolutely, the savoury mince freezes very well. In fact, I recommend you make double the quantity and freeze half for some time in the future when you are super short on time, but still want to eat well!
Simply put the cooked and cooled savoury mince into a lidded container and place it in the freezer, where it will keep for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
- Easy Beef Mince Curry (Keema Curry)
- Easy Beef Mince Fried Rice
- Easy Peasy Spaghetti Bolognese
- Easy Peasy Cottage Pie
- Easy Beef Mince Enchiladas
Easy Beef Mince Curry (Keema Curry)
Simple Savoury Mince
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 100 g chestnut mushrooms diced (or regular mushrooms, if you prefer - or leave them out completely if you don't like mushrooms)
- 500 g beef mince
- 2 cloves garlic crushed or grated
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 1 beef stock cube (I use Kallo organic beef stock cubes, but Oxo beef stock cubes also work well!)
- 400 ml boiling water
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or Worcestershire sauce, if you prefer)
- 2 teaspoons dried herbes de Provence (or dried mixed herbs or dried Italian herbs – see Note 1)
- 150 g mixed frozen vegetables (see Note 2)
Instructions
- Put the olive oil and diced onions in a large frying pan. Fry gently for about 3 minutes until softened but not brown, stirring occasionally.
- Turn up the heat and add the diced mushrooms. Fry for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are just starting to brown.
- Add the beef mince. Break the mince up with a spatula and stir everything together. Continue to fry for a further 4 minutes, or until the beef mince is nicely browned all over.
- Turn the heat down and add the garlic. Fry for 1 more minute, stirring occasionally.
- Sprinkle over the flour and stir it in well. Then crumble in the stock cube, pour over the boiling water and stir everything together.
- Add the tomato puree, soy sauce and herbs. Stir everything together, then simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the frozen vegetables directly into the pan. Stir everything together, then simmer for a further 5 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through.
- Serve with rice, mashed potatoes or pasta.
Notes
- I’ve experimented with different dried herbs and I definitely prefer herbes de Provence in this dish, but you can use any herbs you like. Dried mixed herbs and dried Italian herbs also work well.
- You can use any frozen mixed vegetables you like here. I like to use a mix of peas, sweetcorn, carrots and green beans. If you use larger vegetables, like broccoli or cauliflower, you may have to cook them a little longer than 5 minutes to ensure they are fully defrosted and cooked through.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Marilyn Ormson says
Have been making this for sixty years 😊. Pretty much always have portions of it in freezer. Make 1500g grams mince plus onion plus stock cube and water plus dash soy and dash Worcester, three hours plus in slow cooker. When it gets used again for pie filling, baked potatoes, rice, pasta etc etc I add anything else thats appropriate….. tomato purée, wine, mushrooms, herbs, dice vegetables etc etc. makes a lovely mince and potato pie for example.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, that’s so lovely to hear! It’s a classic for a reason, right?