A very low fat alternative to minced beef

We are not vegetarian in our family, but I am always on the look out for value for money and nutritious food. While chatting to some of my work colleagues one vegetarian mentioned Tesco meatfree mince and another non-vegetarian said how good it was. As someone always keen to try new products, the next time I was at Tesco I bought a packet.

It can be found in the freezer section in the vegetarian section and comes in a green pack as the picture above shows.

The contents, before cooking, look light slightly anemic minced beef and it is made from a blend of soya and wheat proteins but once made into a Bolognese sauce tastes and looks as good as minced beef. The pack claims that it is low in saturates and a good source of fibre with no artificial flavours or colours and suitable for vegans.

I have used this a few times now and make my Bolognese sauce as I would normally with onions, tomatoes, peppers, seasoning etc and the first time I made it I did not tell the family that it was vegetarian. Both my teenage children said "this is really delicious, nicer than usual, is it a different recipe?" I informed them what it was and everyone agreed that although it tasted slightly different from my usual it really was delicious.

The one big advantage that I think is that it is only £1.99 for a 454g bag and compared with cheap minced beef there is virtually no fat in it - you know when you use inexpensive minced beef you get a layer of fat floating on the top of the pan? Well with this you do not.

I would not rule out using minced beef again but I am certainly a convert vegetarian mince.