More exciting mince recipes

Cakey_2

I did this last night and it went down a storm.

Last week I bought a cheapish 450g pack of mince, I've had it before and knew it wasn't the best (a bit on the gristly side) but I wasn't going to let it beat me as money's a bit on the tight side. I split it into two so I could get the most out of it and last night I made meatballs with one portion. It was enough to feed two big ones and a little one and they were delicious, very moist and there was no discernable chewy bits. Thought I'd share the recipe with you:

Ingredients:

225g mince (approx)
1 slice of bread crumbed (I find the texture better if I use my hands for this)
1 egg beaten (with a little salt and pepper added)
Half an onion finely chopped (other half will keep in fridge for up to a week)
1 clove of garlic finely chopped

Method:

Put everything in a bowl and mix until everything is well incorporated.
Using a teaspoon, divide into portions and roll into meatballs (I got 15 out).
Fry meatballs in batches until sealed.
Add to sauce of choice and cook while pasta is boiling (about 10 to 15 mins).

Dinners ready! If you try this I hope you enjoy it as much as we did
:beer:. Now I just need to figure out what to do with the other half!

redruby

Sounds lovely, will try it thanks x

Penelope_Penguin

Thanks for the recipe. We have another thread on mince recipes, so I'll add yours to that.

Penny. x

Stephen_Leak

Here's the risotto recipe. I've tried the mushroom version and it worked OK, despite all the water being added in one go.

RISOTTO

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

2 cloves of garlic
½ an onion
100g (¼ of a 400g tin) of plum tomatoes*
1 tablespoon of olive oil
250g of minced beef, chopped chicken, prawns, mushrooms or frozen mixed vegetables
125g (125ml by volume) of arboreo rice**
1 tablespoon of dried mixed herbs
1 beef, chicken or vegetable stock cube***
250ml of water

METHOD

Peel the garlic and chop it into tiny pieces. Peel the onion, cut it in half, chop one half into tiny pieces and save the other half.

Open the tin of tomatoes. Put the juice into a bowl. Chop the tomatoes while they are still in the can (it’s easier than chasing them around the bowl). Put the chopped tomatoes into the bowl. Use 100g and save the other 300g.

Put the oil into a frying pan on a medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir frequently to stop it sticking. Add the mince, chicken, prawns, mushrooms or vegetables. Fry for another 3 to 4 minutes, until any meat is an even colour, with no pink bits.

Add the rice and fry for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the herbs and tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat until it is just boiling (simmering). Continue to cook, stirring as the mixture boils, for another 20 to 25 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked. If it looks like it is getting dry, add some more water and stir.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

Substitute 125ml of white wine for 125ml of the water.

TIPS

This dish needs an eye keeping on it all the time to make sure that it cooks properly but stays moist.

* Plum tomatoes can be used either whole or chopped. It is difficult to stick chopped tomatoes back together again if you need to use them whole.

** It might just say “Risotto Rice” on the packet.

*** If using prawns, use either a chicken or vegetable stock cube.

foreversomeday

Hi all,

I love minced beef cooked with a knorr stock cube, onion & garlic and a little bit of black pepper, and it's usually on offer too, so I was wondering if you could think of anything else I could do with it?

At the moment these are the minced beef meals we have:

Cottage pie
Spaghetti bolognaise
Chili con carne.

I am allergic to cheese (but can eat other dairy products) but any suggestions would be great! I think I could eat minced beef and mashed potato every night but DF gets a bit sick of it, and I get a bit sick of spag bol all the time... we both like chili but it has to be every once in a while as we're not overkeen on spicy food either.

I have tried making burgers and meatballs in the past but they always go wrong. Those were the only other things I could think of though.

Lemoncurd

Bit easier than the burgers and meatballs, I sometimes make a 'meat loaf''. Chop onion, crush some garlic, use some chopped mint if lamb mince or apple if pork, mix with mince, seasoning and an egg. Mould into a kind of 'loaf' shape in the middle of a pyrex dish, bake for 15 mins or so, pour a tin of tomatoes or two over the top and bake in the oven until cooked.

Could also do stuffed peppers/squash/marrow etc

ShelBell

I'd make a cheese-free lasagne (I have this sometimes, and those who moan can sprinkle some parmesan on theirs), mince fajitas, keema curry, hm burgers, meatballs, mince pie, mmmm probably loads more!

What problems do you have with burgers/balls?

Guapa1

Add some dried apricots, cinnamon and mint and serve as a tangine with cous cous.

tessie_bear

boil potatoes and put in oven proof dish.......dry fry mince add onion carrot mushrooms peppers courgette (or whatever takes your fancy) dont add gravy or lquid spoon over pots top with chees (or not) and bake
lakeland do a buurger shaper which may help with your burger problems
have u tried pasta bake ?thats nice

stef240377

My family enjoy mince cobbler, very similar to shepherds pie with the mince base but i add tomato sause and a splash of worcester sause then use savoury scones on top instead of mash. Find this a lot more filling than shepherds pie.