Across many cuisines, rissoles mean different things - but to us Aussies a rissole is made from minced meat (usually beef), often packed with vegetables and usually incorporates breadcrumbs. Think of them as a big meatball, but rather than having it in a tomato pasta sauce, you eat it with tomato sauce (or gravy!), mash and veggies. A perfect, quick and simple weeknight meal.
Rissoles are a staple in pubs across Australia, along with chicken parmigiana, caesar salad, spaghetti bolognese, bangers & mash, fish and chips, seafood baskets and nachos!
I've tried and tested this recipe with multiple proteins; beef, chicken, lamb, turkey and pork. It's fantastic with all of them. Serve rissoles with tomato sauce for the true blue experience, or make a gravy if you'd prefer.
The best part for parents is these rissoles are packed with hidden vegetables. They'll never know they're in there!
What's in rissoles?
- Mince - use whichever type of protein you prefer; I've tried this with beef, pork, chicken, lamb, and turkey mince - all work well. I recommend 10-15% fat. Too lean and the rissoles will be dry, too fatty and they're too greasy and are more likely to fall apart.
- Onion, carrot and zucchini - perfect way to hide vegetables for the kids!
- Garlic, dried thyme, Worcestershire sauce and parsley for flavour.
- Salt.
- Egg and breadcrumbs for binding.
Step-by-step guide to making rissoles
Prepare ingredients according to instructions. Finely grate the carrot and zucchini. Finely dice the onion. Mince the garlic clove and finely slice the parsley.
Mix ingredients by adding the mince, carrot, onion, zucchini, garlic, panko breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, salt, egg, Worcestershire sauce to a large mixing bowl (1). Mix until all ingredients are well combined (2).
Shape the mixture into rissoles by taking a small handful of the mixture and shaping into a round disc, about 1.5cm (5/8") thick. The weight of the rissole should be around 80g. Optionally roll the rissole in flour or breadcrumbs and place on a plate. Repeat until all rissoles have been made.
Cook - in a large skillet, heat enough oil to just cover the base over medium heat. Add rissoles (1) without overcrowding the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes or until browned. Flip rissoles and cook the other side until browned (2), another 4-5 minutes. When rissoles are cooked through, remove and place on absorbent paper towel. Repeat until all rissoles are cooked.
Serve with mashed potato & steamed vegetables or a salad, along with plenty of gravy or tomato sauce.
Tips
- When cooking, avoid pressing down on the rissoles as this can press out the juices and make them dry.
- Don't over mix the mixture; doing so will make them dense.
- To make sure you get your seasoning and balance of flavours right, you can cook a small bit of the mince mixture in a skillet or in the microwave.
- If you want to serve thick rissoles, brown them in a skillet and finish in the oven at 180C (350F) until cooked through.
- Want to meal prep? Shape your rissoles and place them between sheets of baking/parchment paper before freezing - this will stop them from sticking together and you can cook them straight from frozen - just add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
- While we're talking about meal prep - this recipe is easily doubled or tripled.
What to serve with rissoles
Traditionally rissoles are served with steamed seasonal vegetables - think carrots, peas, broccoli, and mashed potatoes.
You could try and hide some more vegetables in the mash by making colcannon as I have for these pictures - it's an Irish mashed potato with cabbage - or you could make champ, another Irish mash which is made with scallions.
You could also serve the rissoles with a salad if you prefer.
Best type of mince for rissoles?
I like these rissoles made with beef mince, but they're equally good with pork, lamb, chicken and turkey mince.
I think that 10%-15% fat is the sweet spot.
I suggest using whichever type of mince you prefer, but if you're unsure - use beef!
How big should the rissoles be?
You can make them as large or as small as you'd like, but in general rissoles are smaller than hamburger patties. Aim for around 80g of mixture per rissole and shape it into a patty; don't make it too thin - you're not making a smash burger!
Make ahead, reheating and freezing rissoles
Easily made ahead, you can store the mixture in the fridge - and save time when it comes to cooking by pre-shaping them into rissoles.
To reheat cooked rissoles, reheat in the oven at 180C (350F) for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through. You can also reheat them in a skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, or in the microwave.
To freeze, place uncooked or cooked rissoles on a tray in a single layer and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before cooking or reheating.
Add your own touch
- Experiment with different herbs and spices.
- Try different gravies or sauces to serve with your rissoles.
- Use different types of meat.
Rissoles
| Prep | Cook | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 10 mins | 20 mins | 30 mins |
- 500g mince 10-15% fat - beef, pork, turkey, chicken, lamb work well - see note 1
- 1 carrot, finely grated
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1/2 zucchini, finely grated
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
- 30g (1/2 cup) panko breadcrumbs you might need more, see note 2
- 15g parsley, finely sliced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Breadcrumbs or flour for rolling, optional see note 4
- Oil, for shallow frying ideally olive oil
- Mashed potato or colcannon, champ, etc
- Steamed vegetables carrots, broccoli, peas, etc
- Tomato sauce or gravy of choice
- Prepare ingredients according to instructions. Finely grate the carrot and zucchini. Finely dice the onion. Mince the garlic clove and finely slice the parsley.
- Mix ingredients by adding the mince, carrot, onion, zucchini, garlic, panko breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, salt, egg, Worcestershire sauce to a large mixing bowl. Mix until all ingredients are well combined.
- Shape the mixture into rissoles by taking a small handful of the mixture and shaping into a round disc, about 1.5cm (5/8") thick. The weight of the rissole should be around 80g. Optionally roll the rissole in flour or breadcrumbs and place on a plate. Repeat until all rissoles have been made.
- Cook - in a large skillet, heat enough oil to just cover the base over medium heat. Add rissoles without overcrowding the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes or until browned. Flip rissoles and cook the other side until browned, another 4-5 minutes. When rissoles are cooked through, remove and place on absorbent paper towel. Repeat until all rissoles are cooked.
- Serve with mashed potato & steamed vegetables or a salad, along with plenty of gravy or tomato sauce.
- Mince - I've tried this recipe using pork, lamb, chicken, beef and turkey - it works great regardless of what protein you choose. You want to avoid using an overly fatty mince - I'd suggest at least 10% fat and ideally no more than 15%.
- Panko breadcrumbs - occasionally mince can have a lot of liquid present - if you find the mixture is not coming together and the rissoles are falling apart when you try and shape them, add additional breadcrumbs until they come together.
- Yield - at default scale, this recipe will serve 4 people and should make between 8 and 12 rissoles, depending on the size you make them.
- Flour/breadcrumbs - it's common to roll rissoles in flour or breadcrumbs prior to frying. The flour or breadcrumbs will crisp up and add a good texture to the rissoles.
- Make ahead - you can easily make the rissoles ahead of time; they'll keep in the fridge for a day or so, just keep the use by date of the mince in mind.
