Savoury Mince Australian Ground Beef

Popular in Australia, this is one ground beef recipe that I think you’ll be cooking over and over again. I don’t really remember where or when I first came across savoury mince. Probably just some random internet searching. But I’ve cooked it many times over the years, and must say it’s always a crowd pleaser. I kind of think of it as Australian picadillo. And we love our picadillo. If you haven’t tried them, be sure to check out our recipes for Mexican Picadillo, Puerto Rican Picadillo and Filipino Picadillo.

Ingredients

Ground beef – I recommend either 85/15 or 90/10 lean ground beef. They’re a good compromise of not too dry, not too greasy. Fresh veggies – Onion, mushrooms and potatoes. Frozen veggies – Any mix you prefer. I use the kind with corn, peas, carrots and green beans. Garlic – The most used ingredient on GypsyPlate. Flour – To thicken the dish up. Beef broth – I use Better than Bouillon. Flavor enhancers – Tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper.

Easy Savoury Mince Recipe

First, I sauté the onion, potatoes and mushrooms for about five minutes, then add in the garlic for another minute. Next, I add the ground beef and break it up a bit with a wooden spoon. I cook it for about 5 minutes until there is no more pink. After that, I stir in the flour and tomato paste and cook for another couple of minutes. Then, I add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and oregano, and simmer everything for about 10 minutes. Towards the end, I taste and season with salt and pepper. Finally, I stir in the mixed veggies and about a quarter cup more water. I cook everything for another 5 minutes. As for serving, I like this mince a variety of ways. In Australia, it’s very common to serve it on toasted bread. It also great over mashed potatoes, rice or egg noodles.

Variations

One common variation is to add some curry powder. When I make curried mince, I add 2 to 3 teaspoons of curry powder at the same time as the flour and tomato paste. You can follow the same recipe with ground lamb, it’s great. They’re really into lamb in Australia, by the way. Try adding other veggies. Bell peppers and zucchini both go really well here. Sometimes I top the mince with mashed potatoes and bake it. So, basically, Cottage Pie.

So there you have it, savory mince, all the way from Down Under. Oh, and in case you were wondering, that’s not a typo. It’s spelled “savoury” there! If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment, we love to hear from you. And be sure to stay in the loop by subscribing to our newsletter or following us on Pinterest.