Mince is one of our most popular items at Provenir. Why? It’s the best mince you can buy – 90% lean meat and 10% fat, and nothing else – no additives or preservatives. Another reason is because there are so many things you can do with it. Mid-winter burgers or a good old English cottage pie comes to mind. Delicious due in no small part to that awesome topping of grilled mash and cheese and the hearty mince filling – why wouldn’t you? And kids love it. 

If there’s one thing we have learnt in this game; it’s if recipes are popular in one country, then there is likely a similar version in another. With mince being a universal favourite, you can find super tasty mince recipes in pretty much most cuisines. So, for those looking to try another take on cottage, or shepherd’s pie, that the kids will still love, here are a couple of alternative suggestions.

Stuffed Eggplant

There are Greek, Spanish and Moroccan versions of this that you can try however if you want that comfort factor of the cheesy topping then Papoutsakia (Greek Stuffed Eggplant) is the go. Use our lean mince beef instead of the traditional lamb and the béchamel sauce can be a simple white sauce if you don’t want to fuss around with the egg yolks. Rick Stein has a great Moorish version of this in his Spain cookbook which uses Manchego cheese as the topping instead of the sauce. Either way this is comfort food plus, delicious flavours that can be more or less spicy. Eggplants are just going out of season now so get in fast.

Beef Pastitsio

This Greek classic delivers on all the key aspects of great comfort food: tasty beef and tomato filling, pasta laid through to bulk it up and super yummy, browned topping delights from the béchamel sauce. There is an Italian version too that uses spaghetti, but we love using hollow penne, mezzani or bucatinie pasta which gets filled with the sauce. A key here is the bolognese sauce that uses cinnamon and cloves for extra flavour and scent. The BBC has a very good version but there are dozens to try online.  

Calzone

This recipe is super versatile in that it can be a lunch, snack or main meal and there are endless possibilities for fillings. For us the classic mince filling is the go. Those with the skills and time can make their own pizza dough but there are lots of versions using store-bought pizza dough or even frozen pizza bases. Once made up these bad boys can be easily frozen and you can bring a few out for a quick lunch. Another spin is to head south of the border and add extra spice and red beans for an empanada style calzone. Cheese plays a leading part in a great calzone and that can be simple cheddar or even feta – the choice is yours.

Whatever country you land in for your flavours the beauty of mince is that you get a lot of meals for great value. Low cost shouldn’t mean cheap – mince often comes with fillers or additives to make it more attractive on the shelf. No fear of that with Provenir, you just get great grass-fed grass-finished beef from the very best Australian farmers, and we can even tell you exactly which farm it came from. Great value with high welfare and full traceability that’s our six star Provenir Promise. Enjoy!