Savoury Mince is a British and Australian comfort food classic. It's a budget-friendly, cozy, one-pan dish of ground/minced beef and vegetables in a rich gravy. You can sneak in extra veggies, swap out the beef for lamb, chicken, pork, or turkey, and play with the seasonings to make it your own. Whether you grew up with this classic or it's your first time making it, savoury mince is sure to become a regular on your dinner table. It's simple, hearty, and totally delicious comfort food!
Pour the oil into a large skillet/frying pan and heat over medium heat.1 tablespoon oil
Add the chopped onion and fry for 5 minutes until it has softened but not colored.1 onion chopped
Add the ground/minced beef and cook for 6 minutes. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break the meat apart as you brown it.1½ lb ground/minced beef (see note 2)
Add the minced garlic and stir.1 clove garlic minced (see note 1)
Sprinkle the flour over the meat and mix until you can't see any flour.3 tablespoon AP flour
Add the dried herbs, beef stock, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper, and then crumble in the bouillon cubes. Stir well to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.1½ teaspoon dried thyme (see note 3)1½ teaspoon dried oregano (see note 3)1 teaspoon dried parsley (see note 3)2½ cups beef broth (see note 4)2 tablespoon tomato paste1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce½ teaspoon salt½ teaspoon black pepper2 beef bouillon cubes (see note 5)
Add the frozen vegetables and simmer for 3-6 minutes until they are cooked through (the time will depend on the veg that you add)1½ cups frozen veg (see note 6)
Add extra salt and pepper to taste (the stock and bouillon cubes add salt so you might not need any).
Notes
Unusually for this site, there is only 1 clove of garlic in this recipe. That's because this is a dish from my childhood; there was never garlic when my Gran made it for us. But I couldn't resist adding a little bit. But as always, measure garlic with your heart.
For a truly comforting meal, go for ground/minced beef with some fat content; it will help the sauce have that rich mouth feel. I typically buy the 80% beef/20%fat packets. See bulk of post for alternatives to beef.
The Thyme, Oregano, and Parsley can be replaced with 4 teaspoons of dried mixed herbs.
Feel free to use chicken or vegetable broth if you only have those available.
I use beef oxo cubes. But use whatever you have. Or you can replace them with 2 teaspoons of a concentrate like 'better than bouillon' (check the instructions on your concentrate. You want to use however much it suggests for 2 cups of water)
Any frozen veg works here, carrot, corn, and peas are traditional. But use what you know your family will eat. If you are using something chunky like broccoli or cauliflower, you will need to use more than 1½ cups worth.