Mince and Dumplings

I learned to make this simply by watching my neighbor make it. I just HAD to learn how to make it myself after tasting hers. It's absolutely divine. The ULTIMATE in winter comfort food.

It's a very British dish. I'd never heard of it 'till I moved here, and I'd be willing to bet that those of you who do read this blog haven't either. But trust me... it's delicious!

As I learned this from somebody else, I can't really take credit and say this recipe is MINE... but it IS my TAKE on the recipe. I thought I'd post it here, in case anybody wanted to try it out for themselves.

Mince & Dumplings

You will need:

• desired amount of mince (ground beef) [I usually use 2-3 kg of mince, but then again, I've got 6 people to feed, one of whom is a man who still eats like a teenager! *lol*]


• 1-2 chopped onions (it all depends on how much mince you use - you want a good amount of onions to compliment it)


• desired vegetables (I usually use carrots, peas, and/or lentils - or any combination)


• instant dumpling mix -or- suet, flour, and water to make them from scratch


• instant gravy (or jarred, if that's all you can get)

1. Boil the mince and onions in a large pot, and drain when done. (This is also a good way to get rid of extra fat from mince if you're going to be making something else!)
2. While the mince is boiling, prepare your vegetables. You can use canned, but if you're using fresh, this is a good time to get them going.
3. Transfer everything to a roasting tin.
4. Prepare your gravy and add that to the roasting tin. (Refer to the picture to see the amount of gravy compared to the rest of the ingredients. Regardless of the amount of mince and vegetables you use, you want it to look generally like it looks in the picture.)
5. Mix up your dumplings, roll them into balls, and add them to the mince mixture, being sure you don't completely submerge the dumplings! (You want them to be nice and crispy on the top!)

Put in a hot oven and bake for 20-30 minutes. (You're really just cooking the dumplings at this point, so it's done when the dumplings are nice and brown.)

Serve with an assortment of vegetables. (I like to serve mine with mashed taters, mashed turnip, and any combination of brussels sprouts, broccoli, and/or cauliflower.)

Sit down and ENJOY!!!! :)

Edited to add: this has proved to be such a popular dish in our family that when Lexi turned 6 this past October, she requested it as her "birthday dinner!" (I always let the kids pick what they want to eat on their birthday, since it's THEIR special day!)