Pork mince is a bit of an unsung hero when you’re cooking on a budget. It’s cheaper than beef mince, but very few recipes ever call for it. In reality, however, pork mince can easily be the centrepiece of any meal where you’d ordinarily use beef, chicken or turkey mince.
Meatloaf in quick tomato sauce (pictured top)
This humble meatloaf shows that, with a little seasoning and served with a velvety tomato sauce, pork mince can easily be the beginnings of a triumphant main course.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4-6
For the meatloaf
500g pork mince
50g cheddar, grated
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp mixed herbs
2 tbsp gluten-free plain flour
1 egg
Salt and pepper
Mashed potato, to serve
For the tomato sauce
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp dried mixed herbs
1 tbsp garlic oil
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 and line a 1lb (450g) loaf tin with foil, leaving enough overhang to use as a cover later.
Mix all the ingredients for the meatloaf in a large bowl until smooth and combined. Press into the prepared loaf tin, then bake for about an hour. About halfway through the cooking, spoon out and discard any liquid build-up in the tin, pull over the foil overhang to cover, and return to the oven to finish cooking.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Mix the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, dried herbs, oil, and some salt and pepper in a large pan and put it on a medium heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the chopped tomatoes break down and the juices thicken.
Leave the cooked meatloaf to rest for a moment, then lift out of the tin and put in the tomato sauce. Slice and serve with the sauce on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes and any other vegetables of your choice.
Honey and garlic pork meatballs
These crisp-on-the-outside and tender-in-the-middle meatballs are coated in a sticky soy sauce, honey and garlic glaze, and are perfect served with rice and topped with spring onion. They taste even better cold, so save any leftovers for snacks or sandwiches the next day.
Prep 10 min
Cook 20 min
Serves 4
For the meatballs
500g pork mince
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
1 egg
2 tsp ground coriander
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp gluten-free plain flour
For the sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp minced ginger paste
2 tsp minced garlic paste
2 tbsp gluten-free soy sauce
3 tbsp white-wine vinegar
70ml honey
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
To serve
Steamed rice
Chopped spring onion greens or chives
Roast carrots
Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl. Using your hands, make 12 meatballs from the mixture, then bake in a 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7 oven for 10-12 minutes, or air-fry on 190C for 10 minutes.
While the meatballs are cooking, make the sauce. Put the oil in a small pan on a low-medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic pastes, then the soy sauce and vinegar. Bring to a low boil, then stir in the honey and chilli flakes.
As soon as the meatballs are ready, drop them into the sauce, which should by now be thickened and sticky, and turn over gently, so they are all well coated.
Serve on steamed rice and sprinkled with spring onion greens or freshly chopped chives; I like some roast carrots on the side, too.
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Becky Excell is the author of Quick + Easy Gluten-Free (Quadrille, £20). To order a copy for £17.60, go to guardianbookshop.com
