A round-up of our most popular mince recipes

Mince is cheap, mince is versatile, mince is good.

Picadillo Source: Danielle Abou Karam

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Mince (any type) is the kind of thing you'll want to keep on hand. You can have a packet or two of mince in the freezer, ready to launch whenever the 'what's for dinner?' blues start. The good news is, those blues need not be a theme-tune for long because we've got a mince meat recipe for every kind of mood and every kind of mince.

If you're looking for meatballs/keftedes/kofta/sliders, look here:

Otherwise, join us here as we feast on mince recipes from every cuisine; all of them clean plate-approved by popular demand.

Holy lunch

Street food dining at its finest. Source: Alana Dimou

Make like the Thais and munch on this quickly stir-fried chicken mince and basil dish for lunch - served with rice topped with an egg. If you think cooking your own Thai food is a bit daunting, start here.

Bun cha cha cha

Bun cha is grilled pork, rice noodles, herbs and fish sauce all in one bowl. What a combination! Source: Luke Nguyen's Railway Vietnam

So many elements we love about Vietnamese dishes are in this bowl. And at its heart, the marinated minced pork and pork belly patties are bursting with fresh flavours.

Shepherd's gem

No need to defrost the potato gems either - pop them straight on the top before the whole lot goes into the oven. Source: Kitti Gould

This is a cute way to make shepherd's pie faster to make - no need to mash the potato when potato gems are on hand. The same shortcut will also work in this cottage pie.

Crispy parcels

Mince comes into its own when wrapped up in a flaky pastry. Source: Hardie Grant Books

Baking your pierogi isn't common practice, but it works a treat in this recipe. The ground pork and pine nut filling is *chef's kiss*.

A clever twist

Source: Jiwon Kim

This is a cheaper and faster alternative to the classic French beef bourguignon. By replacing brisket (or chuck steak) chunks with beef mince and using a supermarket jar of pre-cooked, peeled baby onions instead of tiny pearl onions, you'll save time and money without compromising on taste!

Another delivery

A parcel of crispy pastry filled with eggs, beef and spices? Sign us up! Source: SBS Food

Also in crispy parcel form, this time from Indonesia. Martabak telur is stuffed with mince, eggs and spices then deep fried until its thin dough wrapper (or spring roll wrapper, if you making a cheat's version) crisps up nicely. The combination is good and it's one of Indonesia's most prized street foods for a reason.

Big flavours

If you're feeling pressed for time, feel free to only make the rice in this dish. It's enough all on its own. Source: Andrew Dorn

Riz al djaj is a traditional Lebanese dish with chicken mince at its heart and garlic in its soul. There are many steps to the perfect dish, but just make more than you need of everything to add extra flavour to your dishes all week.

Picadillo

Many Cuban dishes have a base of sofrito, a mixture of capsicums, onions, garlic and tomatoes, slow-cooked in oil to create a sweet, fragrant starting point for a meat dish. Picadillo is cooked this way, and it is featured almost weekly on chef Danielle Alvarez's comfort food menu at-home.

Picadillo Source: Danielle Abou Karam

Slow boat ragú

If there were one, this would be the real 'bolognese'. Source: Jono Fleming

Mix up your veal and pork mince for an authentic ragú tagliatelle that takes a respectable seven hours to cook. Hush now, anything less just isn't bolognese!

Layered perfection

Source: Alan Benson

Let's not forget lasagne, one of the most popular mince dishes, well, anywhere ever. Though a thousand interpretations exist, the classic beef-layered-with-pasta-and-cheese version holds the crown. Okay, okay, here's one for the béchamel lovers:

Greek response

This particular moussaka calls for a combination of turkey, pork and chicken mince, so go for your life. Source: Poh & Co. 2

If we're listing lasagne, you'd better believe we're listing moussaka. It's the kind of bake that brings the punters from far and wide when you mention you're making it. The more the merrier, we say!

Don good

Making a variety of soboro don is a great way to show off your minced meat. Source: Alan Benson

A Japanese rice bowl is basically an homage to minced meat, in this case chicken mince. The salty-sweet mirin, soy sauce and ginger sauce is completely addictive, so lucky this dish is a healthy one - you'll be making it regularly.

Tacokinawa

Japanese chef Matsuzo Gibo started the taco rice craze in 1984, serving US military personnel stationed in Okinawa. Source: Adam Liaw

Another popular Japanese mince dish is taco rice. It's one of those strange cross-cultural flavour marriages that just works. In this case, Tex-Mex meets Okinawa.

An element of surprise

Source: Jiwon Kim

This modern country chicken terrine from chef Wesley Cooper Jones includes a special ingredient, adding an element of surprise. It contains black fungus mushroom, an ingredient more commonly used in Chinese recipes.

Sang it loud

There's just something about wrapping flavoursome pork mince in lettuce leaves and crunching merrily away. Source: Adam Liaw

Sang choy bao is a beloved dish for many because it really is 'fun to eat'. They say that all the time but a dish so rarely lives up to fun hype - this one truly does.

Larb it

This dish has all the wonderful hallmarks of a Thai salad: spicy, sour and salty with a rounded sweetness that doesn't dominate. Source: Danielle Abou Karam

Larb is a spicy Thai salad and all the tastiness is there in this prawn and pork version, plus added heat to fire things up.

Ham it up

A hearty beef patty features in the original hamburger, but feel free to mix up your mince. Source: Donna Hay

Have you ever wondered why it's called a hamburger when there's no ham in it? The name comes from Hamburg in Germany, where the hamburger first originated. Good to clear that up - let's eat!

Keema keen

This recipe calls for goat's mince, but if that's too tricky, lamb will do nicely. Source: Chris Chen

India's favourite mince dish has got to be keema. For the home cook, it makes a curry both achievable and cheap to make. This is highly recommended for a weeknight dinner with plenty of naan or roti to wrap it up.

Meatballs for all

Source: Jiwon Kim

Perfect for sharing with your gluten-free or coeliac friends, these juicy meatballs by Michelle Bridges are packed with garlic, ginger, and chilli flavours and served with a sweet and zesty lemony slaw.

Un-con-firmed

The great thing about an unconfirmed recipe is you can feel free to mix things up to suit yourself. Source: Alan Benson

Chilli con carne could be called chilli con-troversial. Many American states claim this Mexican-inspired dish as their own, although Texas is the frontrunner. Rest assured, it's worth fighting for.

Well stuffed

Whole tomatoes are stuffed with a mixture of rice, lamb mince and fresh herbs and baked until juicy and fragrant. Source: Kitti Gould

Mince is excellent for stuffing into vegetables. Exhibit A: these lamb and veggie crammed tomatoes. Exhibit B: these beef-piled zucchinis. Exhibit C: these extra-spiced eggplants.

Sarma goodness

This traditional Serbian recipe for pickled cabbage leaves stuffed with a mixture of mince, rice and spices, is bursting with delicious flavours. Source: Tammi Kwok

Cabbage leaves are another go-to wrapper for mince in many cuisines and sarma is a testament to why. First, pickle your cabbage, then stuff it with spiced beef and pork mince and see how you go.

Pie it on

A golden puff pastry case is a must. Source: Stockfood

There are many ways to meat pie and it's worth trying them all. This recipe is for one large pie to feed the clan, but individual pies are easy to make yourself as well. Ditch the frozen variety and make your homemade pies instead!

Kibbeh dreams

A Lebanese specialty: baked kibbeh (kibbeh bil sayneeye), laced with the seven-spice blend baharat. Source: Alan Benson

Kibbeh is Lebanon's national dish and it's fast becoming Australia's as well. The simple fact is, once you try it, you crave it. Go on, you'll see...