Cheesy Mince and Rice
With four growing boys sporting ravenous appetites and living in a one income family I am always trying out budget friendly recipes. I cook a LOT of mince and either pasta or rice as they are so filling. I love risotto but unless something has a substantial amount of meat in it my husband doesn’t consider it as a main meal, also, the second I start to make a risotto is the second something happens and the kids need me – not good when you are trying to “constantly stir” the risotto. One day, a bit sick of your normal spag bol, I was googling recipe ideas for mince and rice and found one that looked interesting. I made it and while everyone enjoyed it I wasn’t totally satisfied. The idea was there though so with several additions and some tweaking this is what I ended up with. It got the thumbs up from all the boys which is always a plus!
Ingredients
- 1tbs oil
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 1 onion diced
- 1 zucchini, 1 carrot, 2 stalks of celery – blended
- 1kg mince
- 2 1/2litres chicken stock
- 3 cups rice
- 1 1/2 cups grated cheese
Method
- Put the stock on to boil
- Fry garlic and onion in the oil until onion starts to soften
- Add blended vegetables and cook for a further two minutes
- Add mince and cook until browned
- Combine mince and vegetable mix, rice and boiling stock in a large oven dish
- Cook @180c for 30 minutes
- Stir cheese through the mixture and cook for a further 30 minutes
Notes
- The vegetables can be grated if you prefer. My reason for blending them is because, in my opinion, there is nothing worse than dry mince – blending the vegetables gives them more of a sauce consistency and makes the dish moister.
- Premium mince is best because the regular mince can taste a bit fatty
- I just used jasmine rice because it is what I always have in my pantry but this would be delicious with arborio.
Enjoy!
I forgot to take a photo of the dish so instead here is a photo of what was left once my boys devoured it.
‹ Stories of me: 1985 Unplug…NOW! ›
