Forget Beef Bolognese and Chilli con Carne! We have a Filipino Beef recipe for you that may just become your new favourite ground beef recipe! Made with simple, everyday ingredients and a bunch of different veggies, Filipino Beef Giniling is a hearty dish for the chilly weather that is both family and budget-friendly!
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What is Beef Giniling?
Giniling is a ground meat dish originating in the Philippines. Traditionally made with pork, in the modern days, pork is often substituted with beef, chicken or turkey. Cooked in tomato sauce, with a bunch of different everyday hearty vegetables, it is an inexpensive Filipino Beef recipe that is perfect for feeding a crowd! It is, in a way, a version of the Filipino Picadillo.
The word giniling means 'ground meat' and is considered the ultimate comfort food in the Philippines. There are many versions of this dish in Filipino cuisine, however, the two that stand out are:
- Giniling, topped with hard-boiled eggs to make the meal even more filling and for extra texture.
- Giniling with added dried fruit, normally sultanas, raisins or dried pineapple bits (without the eggs).
Whichever version you choose, this beef and vegetable stew is going to be one of the simplest Filipino dishes you'll ever find.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- vegetable oil: or any other odourless oil, like sunflower or rapeseed.
- garlic: can be replaced with garlic paste.
- brown onion: or small white onion, or a couple of shallots.
- tomato paste: the rich concentrated paste that normally comes in a tube.
- tinned chopped tomatoes: you will need about 1x 400g tin. If you wish, you can substitute it with 3 extra tablespoons of tomato paste and 150ml of water.
- beef mince: we used lean, 5% fat meat.
- soy sauce: is used for seasoning. If you want the dish to be gluten-free, choose GF Tamari.
- lime juice: can be substituted with lemon juice.
- butter: unsalted.
- carrot: sweet potato and butternut squash work well too!
- potato: any potato will do just fine.
- bell peppers: choose yellow, orange or red bell pepper for the maximum colour vibrancy of the dish!
- Cheddar: or any other cheese that you like, that melts relatively well.
- garden peas: fresh or frozen green peas will work in this recipe.
- eggs: optional.
Step-By-Step Method
1. Chop the onion and garlic finely.
2. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add and sauté onion for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Squeeze in the tomato paste and add a tablespoon of caster sugar, then mix to combine.
4. Add the beef mince and break it up in the pan. Cook on medium heat until the meat is browned all over. Then add the tinned tomatoes, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes for the beef to soften slightly.
5. In the meantime, cut the potatoes, carrots and pepper into small pieces (about 0.5cm).
6. Add carrots, potatoes, bell pepper and butter to the beef mixture and stir to combine. Cover the frying pan with a lid and cook for 25 minutes until the vegetables soften.
7. Add the peas and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in tablespoons of soy sauce and lime juice. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
8. Finally, add the grated cheese and stir until it melts. You may choose to top the ground beef with hard-boiled eggs for an even more filling meal. Serve with with a bowl of rice.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! More traditional than beef, giniling can be made with ground pork! This saucy stew will be slightly higher in fat content (depending on how lean your pork is) and the meat will be softer. Alternatively, ground chicken or turkey can also be used (these will cook quicker too!).
Yes, this Filipino ground beef recipe freezes very well. Simply let the mince cool to room temperature, then spoon it into airtight containers or ziplock bags and freeze for up to 3 months!
What To Do With Leftover Beef Giniling?
Cooked Filipino Ground Beef can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days and reheated later. Alternatively, you can freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. But if you want to use your leftovers the next day to make something different, try these ideas:
- Use Beef Giniling to make pasties, like empanadas, or fill filo (phyllo) pastry with the beef to create samosas or Middle Eastern Sambousek.
- Make a beef omelette, known as Tortang Giniling. Simply heat the leftover mince in a pan, pour the beaten eggs over to cover the meat and cook until the eggs have set.
- Drain the mince of rich tomato sauce that sets at the bottom, and scatter the Giniling Beef on pizza or cheesy naan bread!
- Try it instead of spiced turkey in our Ground Turkey Burrito Bowls.
Reader Review
"Really enjoyed this beef dish. We had it on its own, as there are plenty of veggies and my son has asked if we can have it again. He especially liked the egg too."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
What To Serve Beef Giniling With?
It is a saucy dish, so it can benefit from something to soak up the sauce. Filipino Giniling is traditionally served with a bowl of white rice. However, we find that this recipe goes very well with creamy polenta or even couscous.
Beef Giniling is often topped with hard-boiled eggs too. We have also tried it with poached eggs on top, or even better, make the groves in the rich tomato-based stew towards the end of the cooking and crack the eggs in them. Cover with a lid and cook your eggs until the whites have set!
If you're looking for vegetable side dishes for this delicious Filipino Giniling Recipe, we recommend serving it with:
Other Beef Recipes
We don't cook beef very often here, at Somebody Feed Seb, but when we do, it's something truly special. Some of family favorite dishes include:
- Slow Cooker Goulash (Hungarian Beef Stew Recipe)
- Chipotle Beef Burrito Bowls
- Traditional Beef Stroganoff With Brandy
- Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne
- Slow Cooker Braising Steak (Braised Beef Steaks)
- Pasta Al Forno
- Crispy Chilli Beef | Chinese Takeaway Favourite
- Cuban Ropa Vieja
- Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry
Beef Giniling (Filipino Beef Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 brown onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 500 g (1.1 lb) beef mince
- 400 g (1¾ cups) tinned chopped tomatoes 1 tin
- 1 carrot cut into small cubes
- 1 potato cut into small cubes
- 1 pepper cut into small cubes
- 50 g (3½ tablespoon) butter
- 100 g (¾ cups) garden peas frozen
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ lime juice only
- 60 g (½ cups) Cheddar grated
- 2 hard-boiled eggs optional
Instructions
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Add the onions and sautee for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Sweeze in the tomato paste and add a tablespoon of caster sugar and mix to combine.
- Add the beef mince and break it up in the pan. Cook on medium heat until the meat is browned all over. Then add the tinned tomatoes, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes for the beef to soften slightly.
- Add carrots, potatoes, bell pepper and butter and stir to combine. Cover the frying pan with lid and cook for 25 minutes until the vegetables soften.
- Add the peas and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and lime juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Finally, add the grated cheese and stir until it melts. Top with eggs, if using.
- For serving suggestions, have a look in the 'What to Serve with Beef Giniling?' section.
Notes
Nutrition
Shadi+Hasanzadenemati says
I have everything I need for this dish, can’t wait to make it this weekend! My family is going to love this!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
Really enjoed this beef dish. We had it on its own, as there are plenty of veggies and my son has asked if we can have it again. He especially liked the egg too.
Tara says
Oh yum! Such a comforting meal. So many incredible flavors paired with the beef and I love how it all comes together in one pan.
Ieva says
I love the one-pan aspect of it too (especially when it comes to washing up :D)
Stephanie says
What an interesting combination of ingredients. I bet this is absolutely delicious!
Savita says
It is a great recipe, so comforting and hearty. Will try it this weekend.
Helen says
This looks great! We don't eat red meat but this looks like it would work really well with beyond meat or a similar ground meat substitute. Looks really tasty and perfect for a midweek family meal 🙂
Dannii says
We are always looking for new ways to use beef mince and this looks delicious. So much flavour.
Beth says
I've never heard of this dish but it looks so tasty. One that the kids would eat too!
Anonymous says
This is very good, you misspelled Philippines though haha
Ieva says
Oh my, how embarrassing! Lesson learnt - never rely on auto-correct! 😀
Ned says
What a great lookin recipe! I've bookmarked this one to make for my family. Thank you!
Katherine says
This beef dish is so flavorful and easy to put together!