What to cook with mince: 8 recipes

How to choose and store mince

Good mince is evenly coloured, slightly moist and fresh-smelling, without grey patches in the middle of the pack. For juicy cutlets and lasagne, a pork and beef mix works best: pork brings fat and tenderness, beef brings flavour. Pure beef mince is leaner and suits navy-style pasta and bolognese.

Mince spoils faster than whole meat, so cook it within a day of buying or freeze it straight away. Flatten it in a zip bag before freezing: it freezes and thaws quickly and you can break off just what you need. Thaw in the fridge, never at room temperature.

Tips for better mince dishes

• Soaked bread makes cutlets juicy. Bread soaked in milk holds moisture inside; don't skip it.
• Brown mince in a hot, uncrowded pan for bolognese and navy-style pasta, breaking it up; grey, steamed mince tastes flat.
• Chill and wet your hands when shaping cutlets so the mixture doesn't stick.
• Simmer bolognese longer than you think; the sauce becomes richer and softer.

For bolognese and lasagne, cook the vegetables slowly before adding the mince; soft, sweet onion, carrot and celery are the base of a good sauce.

A mince week: what to cook

A kilo of mince covers the week if you plan it.

• Sunday: a big pot of spaghetti bolognese sauce; freeze half for a future lasagne.
• Tuesday: kotlety, a double batch.
• Wednesday: leftover cutlets with buckwheat or mashed potatoes.
• Thursday: lazy cabbage rolls.
• Weekend: lasagne bolognese from the frozen sauce.

Batch cooking, kids and budget

Mince is the best friend of batch cooking: shaped raw cutlets freeze on a board and go into a bag, bolognese sauce freezes in portions, and lazy cabbage rolls reheat well. For a fast weeknight, navy-style pasta takes 30 minutes.

Children almost always like cutlets and pasta with mince. To make mince go further, add grated carrot, onion or cabbage, or a little rice, as in lazy cabbage rolls: more portions and more vegetables.