One Pot Mince and Pasta

Ingredients

• 600g raw pork mince
• 15ml neutral oil, total — staple
• 150g onion, diced — staple
• 9g garlic, crushed (about 3 cloves) — staple
• 120g spinach, washed and cooked through
• 3g dried Italian herbs (about 1 Tbsp) — staple
• 1g chilli flakes, optional — staple
• 15g tomato paste
• 400g canned chopped tomatoes
• 500ml beef stock — staple
• 250ml pasteurised milk
• 200g dry penne pasta
• 75g grated hard cheese — staple
• 200g carrot, grated
• 200g courgette, grated
• 200g mushrooms, finely chopped

Method

1. Heat measured oil in a deep pan and brown pork mince, breaking it up.
2. Add onion, carrot, courgette and mushrooms and cook 5–7 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic, herbs, optional chilli and tomato paste.
3. Add tomatoes, stock, milk and dry pasta. Simmer 12–15 minutes, stirring regularly; add water as needed for the pasta.
4. Stir in spinach for the last 3–5 minutes until thoroughly wilted. Pork must be cooked through and pasta and vegetables tender.
5. Stir in hard cheese until melted and serve everything together from the pan.

Notes

- Pork mince replaces beef on this week’s price per gram of protein. Cheese increased to 75g to retain the protein target. Drain excess rendered fat if needed; estimates conservatively include all meat fat. - Carrot, courgette, mushroom and spinach cook into the sauce; no side salad. Tomato paste comes from recorded stock, subject to confirmation. - Cooked in-meal vegetables: 180g per serve (excluding onion, canned tomato and potatoes). - Estimated macros include all served carbs, dairy and measured cooking oil. Raw meat protein estimates follow household guidance; brands and fat content vary. - Flexible proteins remain alternatives: compare suitable raw meats by price per gram of protein and recalculate portions for 40–50g protein per serve and at most 20 calories per gram. No lamb or unrequested steak. Cook all meat through.