Mince is a terrific, economical ingredient, which can be used to make a variety of family meals. Why not consider buying this in bulk? You can follow the recipes in this section to create batch-cooked recipes, made into single or family portion sizes ready for the freezer, or make a large batch of the base mince recipe on page 124 and store it in 500g portions in your freezer as the base for dozens of different meals. Remember, you can make your own mince from leftover meat from your Sunday joint.
Any of the recipes supplied here can be made by replacing the meat mince with quorn or soy mince to make these meat-free.
This basic recipe can be used for a multitude of recipes (a few are shown below). My mum makes up these batches but also adds tinned tomatoes and mushrooms. The choice is yours!
Serves 4–6
Olive oil
Onions (1 large onion for every 500g of mince)
Garlic (2 garlic cloves, crushed for every 500g of mince)
500g mince
1 Place the oil, onion and garlic in a sauté pan and fry until golden.
2 Drain off any excess fat before adding the mushrooms and tomatoes, if you are using them. Leave to cool
3 Place in freezer-proof containers in either individual or family size portions.
4 Label and freeze when cool.
Top Tip
Use the Base Mince in any of the recipes in this chapter. Follow your chosen recipe, omitting any onion or garlic as the base already contains this. Add the base mince when your recipe tells you to add mince and continue as usual.
Traditionally, this recipe uses lamb mince, but to save time, use your prepared Base Mince (page 124).
Serves 4
2–3 aubergines, cut into slices roughly 5mm thick
Olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400g lamb mince
400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tsp tomato purée
1 tsp dried mint
2 tsp cinnamon powder
Seasoning to taste
300ml low-fat crème fraîche
50g mature Cheddar or Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Preheat your oven to 190˚C (gas mark 5).
2 Place the aubergines in a pan of boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove and pat dry, then leave to one side.
3 Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in a sauté pan and fry the onion and garlic. Add the lamb mince and fry until browned.
4 Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, mint, cinnamon and seasoning. Cook for another 2–3 minutes.
5 Place a layer of mince in the base of an ovenproof dish (a lasagne dish is ideal), followed by a layer of aubergine. Continue alternating mince and aubergine, finishing with a layer of mince.
6 Mix the crème fraîche with the grated cheese (reserve a little to garnish) and spread over the final layer of mince. Garnish with a sprinkling of Parmesan. At this point, if you wish to freeze, do so before cooking.
7 Place in the oven and bake for 20–25 minutes, until bubbling and golden on top.
If you are using the Base Mince recipe with tomatoes (page 124), you only need to add the herbs and aubergines before following the remaining recipe.
If you are following the Base Recipe with tomatoes on page 124, you only need to add herbs before layering the lasagne. For an additional cheat, use a jar of white sauce or a portion made up and frozen at an earlier date to make this the speediest lasagne ever!
Serves 4
For the Bolognese
A spray of olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
2–3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 pepper, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
400g lean beef mince or vegetarian mince
150ml red wine
75g mushrooms, finely chopped (optional)
3–4 fresh tomatoes, chopped, or 400g tin chopped tomatoes
Mixed herbs to taste
Seasoning to taste
For the white sauce
25g butter
1 tbsp plain flour or cornflour
500ml milk
¼ tsp mustard (optional)
Black pepper to taste
To assemble
6–8 sheets of lasagne (ensure the pack says ‘no pre-cooking required’)
Grated cheese to garnish
1 Preheat your oven to 190˚C (gas mark 5).
2 Fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the pepper, if using.
3 Add the mince and cook until brown, followed by the wine and mushrooms (if using). Cook for 2 more minutes.
4 Add the fresh or tinned tomatoes and stir well. Finally, add the herbs and season to taste. Leave to simmer for 5 minutes.
5 While the Bolognese sauce is simmering, make the white sauce. Melt the butter gently in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the flour or cornflour and stir well with a wooden spoon. Add the milk, a little at a time, continuing to stir to avoid lumps.
6 Switch to using a balloon whisk and continue to stir over a medium heat until the sauce begins to thicken. The balloon whisk will also help eradicate any lumps that may have formed. Add more milk as necessary to achieve the desired thickness (the sauce should be the consistency of custard). Stir in the mustard (if using) and season with black pepper.
7 Spoon a layer of Bolognese sauce into the base of your ovenproof la-sagne dish and then pour over a thin layer of white sauce. Cover this with a layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat the layers, then finish with a layer of white sauce. Don’t overfill the dish as the lasagne may spill out during cooking.
8 Sprinkle grated cheese over the top. At this point you can freeze or to cook, place the lasagne in the oven and bake for 35–40 minutes, until golden and the pasta sheets are cooked. (The cooking time can be greatly reduced if you use fresh lasagne sheets.)
9 Serve with salad and garlic bread.
Top Tip
Freeze before baking. May be cooked from frozen, or cooked when defrosted. If cooking from frozen, add 10 minutes to the cooking time.
This is a real family favourite. I normally buy a large pack of mince and make up several portions for the weeks ahead. The only real difference between shepherd’s pie and cottage pie is the meat. Shepherd’s Pie is traditionally made with lamb mince and Cottage Pie with beef. Of course, you can use vegetarian mince if you prefer.
Serves 4–6
800g potatoes, cut into rough chunks
4 carrots, 2 roughly chopped, 2 cut into small cubes
A spray of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
400g lean mince (or pre-drained of fat)
75g mushrooms, sliced (optional)
100ml red wine
1 tsp yeast extract (Marmite or similar)
200ml meat gravy or vegetable gravy, if using vegetarian mince
Seasoning to taste
Worcestershire sauce
25g butter
75g mature Cheddar
Paprika for sprinkling
1 Preheat your oven to 180˚C (gas mark 4).
2 Place the potatoes and the 2 chopped carrots in a steamer. Cook until soft.
3 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large sauté pan and fry the onion for 1–2 minutes before adding the mince.
4 Cook until brown before adding the cubed carrots, mushrooms (if using) and the wine.
5 Dissolve the yeast extract in the gravy then add to the mince. Cook for 15 minutes until the sauce has reduced to the desired consistency. Season to taste and add a splash of Worcestershire sauce.
6 Mash the steamed potato and carrots together. Add the butter and two thirds of the Cheddar and mix thoroughly.
7 Place the mince in a deep, ovenproof dish and spoon mash over the top. Be careful not to overfill the dish. Press the mash down gently with a fork, then top with the remaining grated cheese and a sprinkling of paprika.
8 Place in the oven and bake for 20–25 minutes. Allow to cool thoroughly, then freeze, if you wish.
Top Tip
Freeze before baking. May be cooked from frozen, or cooked when defrosted. If cooking from frozen, add 10 minutes to the cooking time.
Again, this recipe can be used with the Base Mince on page 124. Just add herbs and follow the remaining steps below.
Serves 4–6
For the meatballs
400g beef mince
1 small onion, finely chopped or grated
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp parsley
50g breadcrumbs (page 12)
1 egg, beaten
Seasoning to taste
Drizzle of olive oil
For the tomato sauce
400g tin chopped tomatoes (or fresh, skinned and chopped)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
Drizzle of olive oil
Handful of fresh, torn basil leaves
Olive oil for frying
1 Combine all the meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
2 Form the mixture into small balls and place on a baking tray. Cover with a sheet of clingfilm and store in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest, or freeze until needed (see tip opposite).
3 When you are ready to cook, place a little olive oil in a large sauté pan and fry the meatballs gently over a moderate heat until they start to brown.
4 While the meatballs are cooking, make the sauce by combining the ingredients for the sauce in a pan and heat gently until they reach a mild simmer. Cook for 5-8 minutes before removing from heat..
5 Once the meatballs are browning, add the tomato mixture to the sauté pan. Cook for a further 5 minutes, then serve on a bed of spaghetti.
Storage Tip
Freeze the meatballs before cooking. Place them on a baking tray and freeze for 1 hour, then transfer to a freezer bag and label. That way they won’t stick together and you can pull out the required number of meatballs, as and when you need them. The tomato sauce can also be frozen in freezer bags in single or family size portions for 1 month or in an airtight container in the fridge.
These are perfect for a summer barbecue, or when your children are demanding a junk food fix. They’re tasty, without any unnecessary additives – a guilt-free treat!
Serves 6–8
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
400g lean beef mince
1 tbsp home-prepared wholemeal breadcrumbs (page 12)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp dried coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp English mustard
2 tsp tomato purée
Seasoning to taste
Olive oil
1 Place the onion and garlic in a large bowl and stir well. Add the mince and breadcrumbs and mix thoroughly.
2 Add the beaten egg (you may not need to use it all), coriander, cumin, mustard and tomato purée. Season to taste.
3 Mix thoroughly and form into balls – these should be firm but moist.
4 Use the palm of your hand to flatten the balls into burger shapes. Place them in the fridge until you are ready to use them, or freeze them in layers (see box opposite).
5 When you are ready to cook, brush the burgers lightly with olive oil. Place under a hot grill or in a frying pan and cook for 5–8 minutes on each side.
6 Garnish with salad and serve in wholemeal baps with Homemade Potato Wedges (page 61).
Freeze some burgers once they are formed, before cooking. Simply shape into patties and pile them one on top of the other, with greaseproof paper between each burger to prevent them from sticking together. Freeze in stacks of 2 or 4, in freezer bags.
Extra Recipes
If you like your burgers slightly spicy, why not add some chopped chillies and 1 teaspoon of curry powder to the burger ingredients before mixing? You could also brush the burgers with chilli oil instead of olive oil to add a tasty zing.
If I’m making burgers, I like to batch up several variations, such as this one, and pop them into the freezer. I like to use smoked bacon in this recipe as it adds a stronger flavour, but it also works well with unsmoked.
Serves 4
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
400g beef mince
2–3 rashers of lean bacon, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon marjoram
2 tsp tomato purée
1 tbsp home-prepared wholemeal breadcrumbs (page 12)
1 egg, beaten
2–3 tsp Cajun seasoning
Olive oil for frying
1 Into a large bowl, put the chopped onion and crushed garlic; stir well. Add the mince, bacon, tomato purée and breadcrumbs. Mix thoroughly.
2 Add the beaten egg (you may not need to use it all), marjoram and Cajun seasoning.
3 Combine thoroughly and form into balls – these should be firm but moist. Use the palm of your hand to flatten the balls into burger shapes.
4 Place the burgers in the fridge until needed, or freeze them (see tip on page 133).
5 When you are ready to cook, you can grill the burgers or fry them in a little olive oil for 5–8 minutes on both sides.
7 Serve with wholemeal baps, garnished with salad, and Homemade Potato Wedges (page 61).