Here's an easy and really tasty weeknight one-dish dinner that'll feed a family, and with leftovers for the next day (mince on toast anyone?). Curried mince is inexpensive to make and great for utlilising common ingredients you might already have floating around your pantry or freezer - maybe a tin of chopped tomatoes, half a bag of frozen peas or a lonely brown onion? It's also super kid-friendly, with a mild curry flavour (although hopefully they won't shriek at the sight of an odd scattered pea). Kid's are notoriously bad with veggies, but the more they become a common fixture at meal time, the more they'll be expected and (gasp) even accepted. A trick is to include them as a feature of the main meal, rather as an optional side - they become harder to dodge, and when apart of a homemade sauce or stir-fry will be more tempting from a flavour standpoint. Veggies are too good for us to be optional at meal times - celebrate them and get them in as many ways possible.
I've used mince meat as the base of this dish, which is a good source of protein and iron, and so great for children who have increased needs of both nutrients to help support all of the growing they do. It's also a wonderful source of the mineral zinc, necessary for a healthy strong immune system and wound healing. If you enjoy a omnivorous diet, enjoy red meat 1-2x a week as a part of a balanced diet.
I plate up this dish up 1/4 curried mince, 1/4 rice and 1/2 plate salad.
Curried Mince on Rice
Ingredients:
1 brown onion
1 tbsp oil
1kg mince meat
3 tbsp curry powder
1x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
¼ green cabbage
2 cups frozen peas
1/2 cup parsley, with extra to garnish (optional)
1/2 tsp salt, to season
Rice, to serve
Method:
1. Slice the top and bottom ends off the onion. Peel onion. Chop onion bulb in half and then slice into half-moons.
2. Heat oil in a large pan. Sauté onions until soft.
3. Add mince meat to the pan. Cook until brown, using a wooden spoon to break up the mince as you go. Add the curry powder and mix well.
4. Open the tin of tomato and pour onto the mince. Mix well.
5. Finely slice the cabbage. Add sliced cabbage to mince and mix. Add peas and parlsey. Cook for a few minutes, mixing well to combine ingredients evenly.
6. Serve with rice and salad.
Serves 6-8
