The base of so many meals, knowing how to cook the perfect minced meat will stand you in good stead for making all manner of dishes. This recipe uses minced beef but you can swap it for other types of mince if you prefer – lamb, mutton, pork or turkey will all work (just swap the beef stock, for vegetable if you’re vegetarian, with a bit of added marmite or miso paste to mimic the richness).

A flavor-packed mince is the perfect start-point to make dishes like spaghetti, rice, cottage pie, and chili con carne.

This method to cook minced meat includes carrots, sweet pepper, onions, and tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 1tbsp cooking oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 500g minced beef
• 2 level tbsp plain flour
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• Red and yellow sweet pepper
• Spices and herbs(optional)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method: Cooking Minced Meat

1. Heat the oil in a sauté pan or large frying pan, add the onion, carrots, and herbs/spices and cook over medium heat for about 5 mins, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have started to soften. Add the beef to the pan and cook for about 5-10 mins, stirring to break up the meat, until it browns. Once the minced meat is crumbly, stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking and burning, but don’t keep stirring it, otherwise, it just cools the mixture, rather than letting the meat brown. Add the sweet pepper to the pan and let it cook for a few minutes.
2. Sprinkle over the flour, then mix it in well and heat for 3-4 mins to cook the flour. The flour will absorb the fat that comes out of the minced meat, which will then thicken the sauce.
3. Pour in the can of tomatoes, sprinkle in the stock cube, and bring the mixture to the boil, stirring continually, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 mins, until it thickens slightly and the vegetables are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving, or use it as a base for another recipe. If the sauce seems very thick, just add a little boiling water.

Recipe Information

This recipe is a serving of four.

Takes 15 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.

It’s easy to cook.