Basic savoury mince: 10 meals!

Variations

Cannelloni: (Pictured) Fill cannelloni shells with Savoury mince. Or use fresh lasagne sheets, fill then roll up like a pancake. Lay in a baking dish. Top with cheese sauce or pasta sauce and grated parmesan cheese. Bake at 180°C for 20-40 minutes (depending on whether pasta is fresh or dried).

Spaghetti bolognese: Add 100g finely chopped mushrooms at step 2. Serve Savoury mince over cooked spaghetti and top with grated parmesan cheese.

Chilli con carne: Add finely chopped fresh chilli to onion and garlic (Step 1). Or add chilli powder or flakes to browned mince. Omit herbs and add one 420g can chilli beans 5 minutes before the end of cooking. Use chilli: served on rice; to fill burritos or tortillas – top with a little extra sauce and grated cheese then bake; to fill tacos or burritos – along with shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, grated cheese, sliced red onion and avocado.

Shepherd’s pie: Increase stock to 1 cup. Add 1 cup frozen peas at step 2. To make a paste, mix 1 tablespoon flour with a little water. Add to Savoury mince a few minutes before end of cooking. Continue cooking until thickened. Transfer to a baking dish, top with mashed potato or mashed potato/kumara mix and bake at 180°C for about 20 minutes, or until meat is bubbling and topping crisp and golden.

Winter pasta bake: Mix cooked Savoury mince with cooked pasta shapes such as penne, macaroni, spirals. Transfer to a baking dish and top with grated Edam cheese and some fine breadcrumbs. Bake at 180°C until topping is crisp golden brown.

Saucy spuds: Add one 420g can baked beans to cooked Savoury mince and use to top baked potatoes. Kids love it!

Lasagne: Make a cheese sauce. Layer Savoury mince and lasagne sheets in a baking dish. For a twist, add a cooked spinach, mashed pumpkin or pan-fried mushrooms layer. Top with cheese sauce and grated parmesan cheese. Bake at 180°C for 20-45 minutes (depending on whether pasta is fresh or dried).

Bobotie (a sweet, spicy, delicious baked mince dish from South Africa): Soak 1 slice wholemeal bread in 1 cup trim milk. Squeeze out bread, saving remaining milk. Mash bread with a fork. Set aside. Add 1 tablespoon curry powder to softened onion and garlic (Step 1). Add 1/4 cup apricot jam/chutney to meat when it has browned. Add mashed bread, 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1/2 cup raisins or sultanas. Do not add stock, tomato sauce, canned tomatoes or herbs. Pile in a baking dish and bake at 180°C for about 25 minutes. Mix 2 eggs with reserved milk and pour over baked mince. Return to oven and cook for 20 more minutes, or until topping is set and golden. Serve with rice.

Moroccan mince: Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cumin and a touch of cayenne pepper to browned mince (Step 1). Add one 390g can chickpeas (drained) and frozen green beans near end of cooking. Serve atop couscous.

Mince pie: Make Shepherd’s pie filling (above) and cool. Line a pie dish with a 6-sheet filo pastry stack layer: spray each sheet lightly with oil or brush with melted reduced-fat spread. Spoon mince into dish then top with another filo pastry stack. Trim and seal edges then glaze with a little egg yolk mixed with water. Make 2 holes in pastry centre. Bake at 200°C for 25 minutes, or until golden.