Aussie-Style Beef Chow Mein Under $5.50 a Serve

This Aussie-style beef chow mein feeds four for about $21.51, or $5.38 a serve, and it's on the table in 30 minutes using one pan.

If you grew up in Australia, you probably know this one: savoury beef mince, cabbage and rice simmered together until everything soaks up the flavour. It's not the noodle dish you'd order from a Chinese takeaway. It's the weeknight classic that borrowed the name, and it's still one of the cheapest, most filling dinners around.

We've built ours on the back-of-pack recipe from Mingle's Chow Mein Recipe Base, with a few swaps to make it organic where it counts without blowing the budget. The Mingle base, organic jasmine rice and Nutra Organics broth are all gluten free, so with plain mince this is an easy gluten-free family dinner (always check your labels).

Ingredients (serves 4)

From our pantry

• 1 sachet Mingle Chow Mein All Natural Recipe Base (40g)
• ½ cup Chef's Choice Certified Organic Jasmine Rice
• 350mL vegetable broth made with Nutra Organics Vegetable Broth Garden Veggie (about 3½ tsp powder in 350mL boiling water)
• 2 tbsp Carwari Organic Sesame Oil Toasted

From the fridge or the shops

• 500g beef mince
• ½ cabbage, shredded
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 zucchini, cubed

Method

1. Tip 2 tsp (10g) of the Mingle sachet into a small bowl and set it aside for the end.
2. Heat the sesame oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Brown the mince for about 5 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks.
3. Add the cabbage, carrot and zucchini and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the rest of the Mingle base, the rice and the broth. Cover and cook on low heat for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender.
5. Take the pan off the heat, stir through the reserved seasoning and let it rest for a minute before serving.

Our swaps

We kept Mingle's method and quantities, and changed three things.

We used Carwari Organic Sesame Oil Toasted for the 2 tbsp of sesame oil, which gives the dish its nutty, takeaway-style flavour.

What it costs

The whole pan comes to $21.51, or $5.38 a serve. That's less than a single takeaway main.

Pantry items are costed by the amount used, at Organics on a Budget prices as at October 2026. Fresh ingredients are approximate Coles and Woolworths prices.

Tips and swaps

• Go meat-free: Mingle's recipe works with tofu instead of mince, which makes the whole dish vegan (our plant-based pantry starter guide has more ideas).
• Use what's in the fridge: a sliced capsicum is Mingle's other suggested veg, and frozen peas or corn work too.
• Top it off: sliced spring onions, crushed peanuts or fresh coriander finish it nicely.
• Make it go further: leftovers keep well in the fridge for lunch the next day.

Eating well shouldn't come with a premium price tag. Stock up on the organic pantry staples for this recipe, and remember shipping is free on Australian metro orders over $149.