Savoury Mince with Curry

a bowl of savoury mince with mashed potato

5 from 16 votes

Rich, cosy and comforting, this old-fashioned savoury mince is Aussie comfort food at its finest! It is the perfect meal for busy nights; easy to batch cook and freeze, super versatile and ready in around 20 minutes. And it can be used as a base in a number of different dishes! Serve it over buttered toast, rice or mashed potatoes, or find more variations from the list below.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: lunch, main

Cuisine: Australian

Servings:

Calories: 332kcal

Author: Andrea Geddes

Ingredients

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 brown onion diced
3 cloves garlic crushed or finely chopped
2 carrots peeled and finely diced
500 grams beef mince regular or lean
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1-3 teaspoons Keens curry powder to taste
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
1 cup liquid beef stock
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce or tomato sauce
1 cup grated zucchini
1 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon plain flour mixed with ¼ cup stock or water, to thicken

Instructions

In a pan with the olive oil, sauté the onion and garlic over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
Add the diced carrots and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
Add the beef mince and stir over high heat until the mince has browned. Use a wooden spoon to break down any large lumps.
Add the tomato paste, curry powder, salt, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, zucchini and peas and stir to combine. Bring to the boil.
Mix the flour with ¼ cup water (or use extra stock instead). Stir until lump-free. Add the flour to the mince mixture and stir.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through and the sauce has thickened. If you need to thicken the sauce further, add a little more flour until you reach your desired consistency.
While the sauce is simmering, taste and adjust the curry, salt and Worcestershire sauce levels, to taste.
Serve over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes, pasta, rice or buttered toast.

Notes

Curry powder – for the most traditional flavour, I use Keen’s curry powder (mild). Both mild and hot versions can be found in supermarkets around Australia. Elsewhere, you can use any curry powder that you have on hand or even make your own version. There may be slight differences in flavour, depending on the spices used. To make this dish mild for kids, start with 1-2 teaspoons of curry powder and then adjust from there, to taste.
Use regular or lean beef mince, whichever you prefer. You can swap beef for chicken, turkey or lamb mince instead; or substitute for Quorn mince for a vegetarian option.
Stretch it further – if the budget is tight or you need to fill some hungry bellies, stretch the mince further with a can of drained lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas or some extra veggies and serve with some toast, rice or pasta.
Choose a hot curry powder or add chilli powder to add your desired level of heat.
Use any fresh or frozen vegetables. Try adding diced potatoes, shredded cabbage, corn, mushrooms, green beans, celery, snow peas, kale, capsicum, broccoli or diced, mixed frozen vegetables.
Be sure to finely dice the carrot and other veggies, so that they cook through in the sauce.
Make sure the mince is fully browned before adding the tomato paste. Use a wooden spoon to break down the lumps.
Meal prep – to prepare ahead of time, all of the veggies can be sliced and stored in an airtight container.
Have everything ready to go – this is such a quick dish, so it makes it easier to have everything chopped and ready to add to the pan.
It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, cook gently in a pan over the stovetop, or in the microwave.
Freezing instructions; Store it in appropriately sized portions (family-sized or in individual serves) so that you can just thaw what you need at the time. Add it to freezer-safe, airtight containers and freeze it for up to 3 months- ready to reheat when you need something comforting and cosy. I always make a double batch and freeze half for next time. To thaw, place in the fridge overnight, or leave out at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
A spoonful of flour is added to the sauce, to thicken as it simmers. For a thicker sauce, add a little more flour. For a runnier sauce for pastas or rice, add a little more stock or reduce the amount of flour used. Cornflour can be used instead, if preferred.
Please note that the nutrition information is based on the mince being divided into 4 bowls, with one bowl being one serve. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional ingredients or sides served with the mince.
This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.

Nutrition