Taste Magazine
Login/Register
Menu
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Starters
    • Mains
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
    • View all
  • Ingredients
    • Asparagus
    • Avocado
    • Beetroot
    • Berries
    • Cheese
    • Chicken
    • Mielies
    • Potatoes
    • Spinach
    • View all
  • Dishes
    • Chakalaka
    • Braai
    • Fridge desserts
    • Mediterranean
    • Sandwiches
    • Plant-based
    • Potjies
    • View all
  • Occasions
    • Birthdays
    • Ramadan
    • Eid
    • Easter
    • Pesach
    • Diwali
    • Hanukkah
    • Christmas
    • New Year’s Eve
  • Popular
    • South African
    • Air fryer
    • Braai
    • Five-ingredients or less
    • 30 minutes or less
    • Great Value
  • Win
    • Competitions
    • Competition Winners
  • Culture
    • Articles
    • How To
    • Columns
    • Glossary
  • WList™ great value hub
  • WCellar
  • Login
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter sign up
Editor’s picks
Colcannon with spring onion butter
Cabbage recipes

Colcannon with spring onion butter

15 minutes  
Air-fryer wraps
Air-fryer recipes

Air-fryer wraps

4–6 minutes
Crayfish curry
Curry recipes

Crayfish curry

30 minutes
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Dairy free
Sticky air-fryer chicken wings
Air-fryer recipes

Sticky air-fryer chicken wings

15–20 minutes
Spicy chicken scotch eggs
Chicken recipes

Spicy chicken scotch eggs

15 minutes
Gochujang devilled eggs
Afternoon tea

Gochujang devilled eggs

10 minutes
Grilled squid with crispy onions
Aliums

Grilled squid with crispy onions

10 minutes
Crushed tomatoes on toast
Anchovy recipes

Crushed tomatoes on toast

5 minutes
Shisanyama-style chuck with harissa cauliflower salad
Beef recipes

Shisanyama-style chuck with harissa cauliflower salad

25 minutes
Seafood potjie paella
One-pot wonder

Seafood potjie paella

40 minutes
Snoek-and-potato frikkadels
Fish recipes

Snoek-and-potato frikkadels

30 minutes
Chicken-and-mushroom wontons in broth
Chicken recipes

Chicken-and-mushroom wontons in broth

20 minutes
Steamed garlic-and-ginger angelfish
Fish recipes

Steamed garlic-and-ginger angelfish

30 minutes
Laksa-poached chicken
Chicken recipes

Laksa-poached chicken

1 hour
Beef-and-Bovril meatballs
Beef recipes

Beef-and-Bovril meatballs

35 minutes
  • 8 of 166
  • Taste Magazine
  • shop online at woolworths. Shop Now
© 2026 Woolworths holdings limited. All rights strictly reserved.
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Media24
Please login or register to favourite a recipe.
Login/Register

Beef-and-Bovril meatballs

By Abigail Donnelly
4
Easy
15 minutes
35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 500 g beef mince
  • 2 T parsley, chopped
  • 1 onion, grated
  • 1 free-range egg
  • 50 g breadcrumbs
  • sea salt and white pepper, to taste
  • oil, for frying
  • mashed potato, for serving
    • For the gravy:

  • 2 onions, quartered
  • 1 T Bovril
  • 1 cup water

Method

1. To make the meatballs, mix the mince, parsley, onion, egg, breadcrumbs and seasoning. Roll into small balls, approximately 5 cm in size. Heat the oil in a large pan. Cook the meatballs in batches over a medium heat. Cover with foil to keep warm.

2. To make the gravy, cook the onions in the same pan until golden brown. Add the Bovril and water. Simmer for 5 minutes.

3. To serve, spoon the meatballs into bowls, spoon over the gravy and mashed potato.

Cook’s note: The Bovril adds an instant hit of umami and is a great standby pantry staple to use instead of stock. Serve with wholegrain mustard mash and buttered gem squash. Cover halved gem squash with olive oil and seasoning, then roast until tender. Serve with meatballs.

Make ahead: Make a double batch of meatballs and freeze. You can then cook them from frozen – pan fry, then finish off in the oven.

Find more mince recipes here.

Photographs: Jan Ras
Food assistants: Bianca Strydom and Keletso Motau