5 Mince Recipes

Recipes you can make with mince.

Mince is an incredibly versatile ingredient, and at Campbells we have a wide range of minced products including minced lamb, minced beef, minced turkey, minced pork, and minced venison. The following recipes are firm family favourites that can be made with any type of mince. Recipes that use mince also freeze very well, making them ideal for cooking in bulk. See below for a variety of easy meals from Europe, South America, and South Asia that are bursting with flavour.

 

Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese is loosely based on the ragù alla Bolognese found in the city of Bologna, which is a meat based sauce cooked with white wine that is commonly served with flat pasta like tagliatelle. These days Bolognese usually refers to a tomato based meat sauce that is closer to ragù alla napoletana. It is a popular dish to make, and there are many variations to it. Some people add extra vegetables to a Bolognese like chopped peppers, aubergine, or courgettes.

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 500g mince
• 100g chopped bacon, smoked or unsmoked, or pancetta, or bacon lardons
• 1 large onion, or 5 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
• 1 tsp of dried rosemary
• 1 tsp of dried basil
• 1 tsp of dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 130 ml of red or white wine
• 200 ml stock, preferably beef stock
• 1 tbsp of butter
• 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 300g of tomato paste
• 100 ml of milk
• Salt to taste
• Grated Parmesan or similar Italian hard cheese

 

METHOD:

1. Heat up your butter in a pan to a medium heat.
2. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and bacon/pancetta to the pan and stir while frying until the vegetables are soft and the bacon/pancetta starts to turn crisp. Add more butter or oil if needed.
3. Add the garlic and fry for a further minute.
4. Add the mince and cook until browned and most of the moisture has disappeared.
5. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. Cook for a few minutes while stirring.
6. Add the tomato paste, stir thoroughly.
7. Add the tinned tomatoes and stir until the mince is coated.
8. Add the stock and bring to a boil.
9. Lower the heat, add the milk and the herbs, stir thoroughly.
10. Put a lid on the pot and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.
11. Serve with spaghetti, tagliatelle, or cellentani and sprinkle cheese on top.

 

Keema Mattar

This dish translates to ‘mince with peas’ and is a popular South Asian dish both for home cooking and at Indian restaurants. The dish has a very warming quality with a tangy and spicy punch that is full of flavour.

INGREDIENTS:

• 500g mince
• 50g of frozen peas
• 3 onions, finely chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
• 1.5 inches of grated ginger
• 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 3 tsps of ground cumin powder
• 3 tsps of ground coriander powder
• 1 tsp of turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp of garam masala
• 2 tsps of red chilli powder, less if you don’t like your food too spicy
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 2 tsps of tamarind paste
• 1 tsp of ground fenugreek
• 3 tsps of salt, to taste
• 1 tsp of ground black pepper
• 3 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp of oil
• Handful of chopped coriander leaves for garnishing with

 

METHOD:

1. Heat up your oil to a medium high heat.
2. Add your onions and fry until soft, about ten minutes.
3. Add your ginger and garlic, fry for a further minute and add more oil if needed.
4. Add in your whole spices and fry for a minute.
5. Add in your ground spices and fry for a minute.
6. Add in your mince and cook until browned.
7. Add in tinned tomatoes, tamarind, and salt, and stir thoroughly.
8. Simmer for 40 minutes until most of the moisture has gone, stir occasionally and add a touch of water if needed.
9. Add in peas and cook through.
10. Taste test for salt levels and spice, add more if needed.
11. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander and serve.

 

Chilli Con Carne

Chilli con Carne translates from Spanish to English as ‘meat with chilli’. It is based on a Mexican origin dish of a chilli flavoured stew that has been heavily influenced by Spanish and American tastes. It is also rather versatile as it can be served on its own in a bowl, or on top of rice with or without a sprinkling of cheese, or as an ingredient in a burrito or as part of Nachos. You can even put in on top of burgers and hot dogs.

INGREDIENTS:

• 500g mince
• 2 red onions, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
• 1 x 400g of tinned tomatoes
• 1 tbsp of tomato purée
• 200 ml of stock, preferably beef stock
• 1 tsp chilli powder, to taste
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp of sugar, you can also put in a square of dark chocolate
• 1 tbsp of oil
• Salt to taste
• Cheese and/or sour cream, freshly chopped coriander to garnish

 

METHOD:

1. Heat oil to a medium heat.
2. Add onion, garlic, and peppers, cook until softened.
3. Add meat, cook until browned and the moisture disappears.
4. Add ground spices, stir thoroughly.
5. Add tomato purée and tinned tomatoes, stir thoroughly.
6. Add in drained beans.
7. Add stock, bring to a boil then add lid simmer for 1 hour stirring occasionally.
8. Add in chocolate or sugar, stir thoroughly and simmer for a further few minutes.
9. Serve while warm.

 

Kebabs

This recipe is for traditional Chapli kebabs. They originate from Afghanistan, are popular in South Asia as a street food and known for their patty shape. These can be eaten by themselves with some sauces and chutneys, served with rice and yoghurt, or eaten in a sandwich or wrap with salad and sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

• 500g of mince
• 1 onion, very finely chopped
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped (to taste)
• 3 tsp of salt
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp red chilli powder, to taste
• 3 garlic cloves, crushedand chopped
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• Handful of freshly chopped coriander

 

METHOD:

1. Put your mince in a large bowl, pour everything you are using on top, and mix well. If the mix isn’t binding together you can add a little flour or egg.
2. Once everything is thoroughly mixed, shape your kebabs. If you have skewers you can do long and thin shapes to make Seekh kebabs, or roll small balls then flatten them a bit to make patties for Chapli kebabs.
3. Put them on baking tray then in a preheated oven at 180C or Gas Mark 4 until brown on top and cooked through, about 20-40 minutes but this will depend on the size and shape of your kebabs.
4. Serve immediately.

 

Meatball Stew

Below is a recipe for meatballs and also an accompanying bean stew that works incredibly well together. You can use any type of mince for the meatballs but a 50/50 split between beef and pork works best. The stew itself is an easy, hearty, healthy, and tasty version of a traditional rustic Spanish stew which tend to have the above qualities.

For Meatballs

INGREDIENTS:

• 500g mince
• 1 onion, very finely sliced
• 45g parmesan or Italian style hard cheese, grated
• 50g breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp of smoked paprika
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed and very finely chopped
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp of ground black pepper

METHOD:

1. Combine all the ingredients and mix well with your hands.
2. Divide into 12 meatballs of equal size.
3. Place on a tray then put the tray in the fridge for 15 minutes to allow for the meatballs to fully combine. You can also make these ahead of time and freeze.

 

For stew

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 Meatballs
• 2 x 400g tins of tomatoes
• 1 tin of cannellini beans
• 1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 red onions, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 300 ml of beef stock
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
• 3 tsp of paprika
• 100g of spinach leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste

 

METHOD:

1. Fry your meatballs on a medium heat until seared and mostly cooked through. Take out and put to the side.
2. Add your onion, pepper, and carrots and cook until softened. Add your garlic and stir for a few minutes without letting the garlic burn. Add paprika, stir for a minute.
3. Add in stock and tomatoes. Add your meatballs back in. Drain and rinse your beans then add these in.
4. When the meatballs are cooked through add your spinach and keep stirring for a few minutes.
5. Check seasoning. Serve when everything is cooked through.