Easy Savoury Mince Recipe

An easy savoury mince recipe is a true British and Australian comfort food classic. This budget-friendly, one-pan wonder serves up rich, nostalgic flavours and is both nourishing and kid-friendly, making it the ideal quick weeknight meal.

Nothing beats a big bowl of savoury mince for comfort. It’s a classic—simple, hearty, and bursting with flavour. My mum used to make it for me when I was a kid, and it’s still one of my all-time favourite recipes. Quick and easy to whip up, it’s absolutely delicious and perfect for a cold night. Best of all, it’s budget-friendly and only needs one pan.

Savoury mince is super versatile and pairs well with almost anything. It’s great for batch cooking and freezes beautifully, making it a go-to quick dinner for busy evenings.

• Olive oil: Provides the fat needed to sauté your vegetables and sear the beef so it develops a deeply savory flavor.
• Onion and garlic: These are your classic aromatics. When gently cooked, they create a sweet, fragrant, and savory foundation for the entire dish.
• Carrot and celery: This combination—known in cooking as a sofrito or mirepoix—adds natural sweetness, texture, and depth while acting as a natural thickener as they break down during cooking.
• Beef mince: The hearty, rich protein backbone of the dish. Searing it properly first builds a caramelised crust (the Maillard reaction), adding intense meatiness.
• Tomato paste: Adds a rich, concentrated hit of sweet-tart flavor and red color. It also contains natural glutamates that boost the umami (savoury) taste.
• Worcestershire sauce: A secret weapon containing molasses, vinegar, and anchovies. It provides saltiness, tang, and a massive hit of savory umami that makes the beef taste richer.
• Smoked paprika: Adds a warm, subtle, smoky undertone that enhances the dark color of the sauce and gives the beef a wonderful barbecue-like depth.
• Bay leaf: Imparts a subtle, herbal, floral note that cuts through the richness of the beef and gravy as it simmers.
• Beef stock: The primary cooking liquid. It deglazes the pan to pick up all the browned meat bits and infuses a concentrated, savory meat flavor into the sauce.
• Cornflour: Added near the end (usually as a paste or slurry with cold water), this prevents the sauce from being runny. It thickens the stock and juices into a glossy, velvety gravy that coats the mince beautifully.

• On toast: Spoon mince on buttered toast, grate some cheese or add an egg.
• With potatoes: On top of mashed potatoes or jacket potatoes with sour cream.
• As a filling: Use savoury mince as a filling for cottage pie topped with mashed potato, meat pies with pastry or stuff vegetables before baking.
• In buns: Spoon the mixture into bread rolls to make simple "Sloppy Joe". 
• With grains: Serve with or on top of couscous, rice or pasta.

Why not try:

• Easy creamy spiced cauliflower soup
• Simple shakshuka
• Easy one pot sausage casserole
• Garlic butter chicken

Savoury mince is incredibly versatile. What do you serve your savoury mince with- mashed potatoes, crunchy toast, or over pasta/rice?

Old Fashioned Savoury Mince Recipe

Recipe by Marie Otty

An old fashioned savoury mince recipe is a true British and Australian comfort food classic. This budget-friendly, one-pan wonder serves up rich, nostalgic flavours and is both nourishing and kid-friendly, making it the ideal quick weeknight meal.

Course: MainsCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

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Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Total time

40

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 brown onion, finely diced

• 2 carrots, diced

• 2 celery stalks, diced

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 500 g beef mince

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tbsp smoked paprika

• 1 1/2 cups beef stock

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 tsp cornflour

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Sauté the vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until the vegetables are softened. Add the crushed garlic and cook for a further 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
• Brown the beef: Add the beef mince to the pan. Using a wooden spoon, break up the beef so it doesn’t clump together. Brown the mince for about 10 minutes.
• Build the sauce and simmer: Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, beef stock, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes to let the flavours fully develop.
• Thicken the mixture: In a small bowl, mix the cornflour with a tiny splash of water to make a smooth paste. Stir this mixture into the mince. Let it simmer for another 2–3 minutes until the sauce thickens to your liking.
• Serve: Remove the bay leaf and serve hot with rice, mashed potatoes, a baked potato, or on toast.