A mince bowl with various accoutrements is the dinner du jour of busy people. It’s healthy, relatively fast, and mostly budget-friendly.

Cook a batch of mince using this fast and loose method and have it ready to turn into all kinds of mincey midweek excellence.

Start with the base recipe, then take it in a new direction with add-ons. All bowls serve 4-6 people, depending on how generous you are with the extras.

Fast and loose mince base

My tip: remember to add the stock. It keeps the meat tender and moist while it cooks.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 knob butter
• 2 onions, peeled, diced
• 8 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1.5kg-1.8kg beef mince
• 1½ cups chicken stock

METHOD

1. Add the olive oil and butter to a large frying pan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted and is foaming, add the onion and garlic and turn the heat to as low as possible. Cook gently, stirring regularly, until the onion is completely soft. Season with salt.
2. Scrape the onion mixture to the side of the pan, add the mince and turn up the heat. Cook the mince, trying not to turn it so it gets a lovely caramelised char on parts. Add the stock and reduce the heat. Cook until the liquid has been absorbed. Taste and check for seasoning.

Piri piri beef bowl

Tracking down piri piri chillies or even fresno chillies for a proper piri piri would push this simple meal saviour into the too-hard-on-a-Tuesday basket. Instead, I have opted for ground chipotle, which gives a lovely deep smoky heat.

INGREDIENTS

• 750g cooked mince mixture (see recipe)
• ½ cup chicken stock

Piri piri sauce

• 1 cup jarred roasted capsicum (peppers), drained
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp ground chipotle
• ½ tbsp brown sugar
• ½ tbsp sweet smoked paprika
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• zest of 1 lemon

Chopped salad

• 500g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1-2 Lebanese cucumber, chopped
• pinch sweet smoked paprika

To serve

• Greek yoghurt
• chopped flat-leaf parsley
• avocados (½ for each bowl)

METHOD

1. Add the cooked mince mixture and stock to a frying pan and cook until the stock has mostly reduced and the mince has warmed through.
2. To make the piri piri sauce, add all ingredients to a blender and blitz to combine. Taste and season.
3. Add some of the piri piri sauce to the mince. You want to add just enough to coat the mince as you would dress a salad, rather than creating a saucy meat situation. Reserve the remaining piri piri sauce to serve.
4. To make the chopped salad, add all ingredients to a bowl and toss to combine.
5. Spoon the mince into bowls. Add avocado, chopped salad and generously top with yoghurt. Finish with fresh herbs and another drizzle of piri piri sauce. I like to serve extra piri piri sauce on the side.

Gochujang and honey beef bowl with cucumber smash salad

It’s the quick dressing that makes this get-in-my-mouth delicious. I recommend making this dressing in triple batches and storing it in the fridge, ready to use at a moment’s notice.

INGREDIENTS

• 750g cooked mince mixture (see recipe)
• 1 tbsp gochujang paste (or to taste)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tbsp honey, or to taste

Quick dressing

• 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
• 5 tbsp Kewpie mayo
• 1 tbsp gochujang paste
• ½ tbsp soy sauce
• 1½ tbsp honey

Cucumber salad

• 2 Lebanese cucumbers
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp yuzu juice (or substitute lemon juice)
• ½ tsp shichimi togarashi

To serve

• cooked brown rice
• 100g kimchi
• chopped coriander leaves
• chopped spring onions

METHOD

1. Add the mince mixture, gochujang and stock to a frying pan and cook over low heat until the mince is warmed through and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the honey and cook until caramelised. Taste and check for heat and sweetness, adjusting to taste.
2. While the mince cooks, add the dressing ingredients to a blender and give it a quick whizz to combine.
3. Make the cucumber salad by cutting the cucumbers into bite-size chunks, adding the other ingredients to a bowl and quickly tossing to combine.
4. Divide the warm rice among serving bowls. Add the mince mixture, kimchi and cucumber salad to each bowl and drizzle over the dressing. Top with chopped coriander leaves and spring onions and serve.

That TikTok bowl

The viral TikTok mince bowl gets another spin with a few tiny glow-ups. While cottage cheese might have sold out as people rush to recreate the bowl, can I strongly encourage you to use ricotta and yoghurt? It has a similar protein content and a far shorter ingredient list on the back of the tub.

INGREDIENTS

Sweet potato cubes

• 800g sweet potato, peeled, cut into even-sized cubes
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• pinch dried oregano
• 750g cooked mince mixture (see recipe)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• ½ tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp dried oregano

To serve

• ¾ cup thick Greek yoghurt
• ½ cup ricotta
• 3-4 avocados
• coriander leaves
• sliced jalapeno
• fresh lime cut into wedges
• pinch chilli flakes

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
2. Toss the sweet potato cubes in the olive oil and spread them across a large, lined baking sheet. Roast until cooked through and caramelised. Remove from the oven and set aside.
3. Place a large frying pan over low heat and add the mince mixture, stock, cumin, paprika and oregano and warm through.
4. Combine the Greek yoghurt and ricotta in a small bowl and season generously with sea salt flakes and pepper.
5. To serve, scoop the mince into bowls. To each bowl, add some of the roasted sweet potato cubes, half an avocado, and a generous dollop of the yoghurt-ricotta mixture. Serve with coriander, jalapeno slices and lime wedges. Add a good pinch of chilli flakes to each bowl and serve.

Harissa and tahini mince with hummus, chickpeas and veg

I discovered shredded halloumi at one of my fave food suppliers. If you can’t find it, buy a whole halloumi and grate it yourself, or fry off halloumi slices until they are golden and crisp on the outside to serve with this one.

INGREDIENTS

• 800g sweet potato, peeled, cut into chips
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander
• 2 tsp zaatar
• 750g cooked mince mixture (see recipe)
• 1 tbsp harissa paste (or to taste)
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 4-6 tbsp chicken stock
• 500g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 100g-250g hummus
• 1 cup shredded halloumi
• coriander leaves to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
2. Toss the sweet potato chips in the olive oil and spread across a large, lined baking sheet. Roast until caramelised and cooked through.
3. Toss the chickpeas with the zaatar and coriander. Set aside.
4. While the sweet potato is baking, add the mince to a frying pan and place over low heat. Add the harissa, tahini and a splash of stock and cook until warmed through. Taste and check the spice level. You may want to add more harissa – add slowly as different brands vary greatly in heat.
5. Add the mince to serving bowls. Add the sweet potato chips, herbed chickpeas, shredded halloumi and a generous dollop of hummus to each bowl, and serve.