Easy Mince and Dumplings
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
10 mins
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Cook Time
56 mins
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Total Time
1 hr 6 mins
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Servings
4 servings
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Calories
962 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
British
Easy Mince and Dumplings
Description
The mince portion includes finely sliced onions, carrots, celery, and garlic gently sautéed before adding ground beef. The beef is browned thoroughly, imparting depth of flavor, then combined with canned tomatoes, tomato puree, herbs like herbes de Provence, Worcestershire sauce, and beef stock. The sauce is simmered to develop a rich yet slightly saucy consistency.
The dumplings are made from self-raising flour, beef suet, salt, and dried herbs such as parsley, rosemary, and thyme, mixed with water to form a light dough. They're gently placed atop the simmering mince, covered, and steamed to become soft and fluffy, infused with herb aromas from the dough and stew.
Once cooked, the dish offers a balance of tender meat, savory gravy, and light dumplings that complement each other. It's practical terrain for a satisfying homemade meal requiring some patience in slow simmering and baking dumplings in situ.
It is important to use a heavy-based casserole to prevent hotspots and ensure even cooking. Properly browning the mince enhances flavor, and keeping the stew moist during simmering avoids dryness. Handle the dumpling dough gently to keep it light and spacing the dumplings allows them to steam evenly. Allowing the resulting dish to rest briefly before serving helps meld the flavors.
Ingredients
For the mince
- 2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil like vegetable or olive oil, generic cooking oil
- 150 grams onion roughly one large onion, finely sliced
- 150 grams carrot roughly two large carrots, diced
- 100 grams celery roughly two sticks of celery, finely sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 500 grams ground beef
- 400 grams chopped tomatoes canned
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon herbes de provence mixed herbs
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 - 1½ teaspoon salt to taste
- black pepper few generous grinds
- 450 millilitre beef stock made with two beef stock cubes, like Oxo
For the dumplings
- 250 grams self-raising flour
- 125 grams beef suet shredded, like Atora
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoons parsley or 3 tablespoons fresh, chopped parsley, dried
- 1 teaspoon rosemary dried
- 1 teaspoon thyme dried
- 180-200 millilitre water
Instructions
Make the mince
- To make the mince, start by heating the oil in a large, heavy-based casserole or cast iron pot over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onions, diced carrot, sliced celery and minced garlic.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and gently sauté the vegetables together for 13-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened and lightly browned.Add a splash of water if the vegetables seem too dry.
- Next, add the beef mince to the vegetables and break it up using a fork.
- Cook the beef mince for approximately 5 minutes, stirring frequently until it browns and loses its pink hue.
- Next, stir in the canned chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, sugar, bay leaves, dried herbs, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and prepared beef stock.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer the mince for 18 minutes until the gravy thickens slightly but remains a little saucy. Add water if it’s too dry and adjust the seasoning if needed. Important: Ensure there's enough liquid in the mince before adding the dumplings, as some will evaporate during the next 20 minutes of cooking, which is needed to steam the dumplings.On the other hand, if the mince is too saucy, thicken with a tablespoon of flour or gravy granules and cook for a few more minutes.
Make the dumplings
- About 10 minutes before the mince is done, start making the dumplings. In a large bowl, combine the self-raising flour, shredded beef suet, salt and dried herbs.
- Make a well in the centre and gradually add 180-200ml water, mixing it into the dry ingredients to form a soft, pliable dough. Note: It's a personal choice, but we don't like our dumplings too dry, so we leave the dough a little sticky.
- Lightly flour your hands, then shape the dough into balls just larger than a ping pong ball, handling the dough gently.
- Once the mince is ready, carefully drop the dumplings onto the stew, spacing them out to allow for expansion.
- Seal the pot tightly with a lid and return it to the stove over a medium heat. Allow it to cook for another 20 minutes or until the dumplings have risen well and are thoroughly cooked.
- You can now sprinkle over more herbs if you wish. Parsley works well and adds some colour. Let the stew rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use a heavy-bottomed pot to ensure even cooking and avoid hotspots.
- Take time to brown the mince properly to develop rich flavors.
- Simmer the stew gently to deepen flavors without drying out the sauce.
- Taste and adjust seasoning before adding dumplings to balance flavors well.
- Maintain enough sauce moisture so dumplings steam properly; add water or stock if needed.
- Mix dumpling dough lightly to keep it tender and fluffy.
- Space dumplings on top of stew to allow even cooking and rising.
- Cover tightly during cooking to trap steam and cook dumplings perfectly.
- Let stew rest for five minutes after cooking to let flavors settle.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 962 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 962kcal | 48% |
| Carbohydrates | 64g | 21% |
| Protein | 34g | 68% |
| Fat | 63g | 97% |
| Saturated Fat | 27g | 135% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 4g | 24% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 25g | 125% |
| Trans Fat | 2g | 100% |
| Cholesterol | 110mg | 37% |
| Sodium | 1744mg | 73% |
| Potassium | 1129mg | 24% |
| Fiber | 5g | 20% |
| Sugar | 11g | 22% |
| Vitamin A | 6565IU | 131% |
| Vitamin C | 18mg | 20% |
| Calcium | 127mg | 13% |
| Iron | 6mg | 33% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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