Swiss Mince and Macaroni (Ghackets mit Hörnli): What Does It Cost?

With Ghackets mit Hörnli, one ingredient drives almost the entire cost: the minced meat. The Hörnli (small elbow macaroni), onion, carrot, tomato purée, grated cheese and apple sauce are all cheap and barely move, whether your dinner comes out expensive or cheap is decided at the meat counter (beef mince, mixed mince or a plant-based alternative) and by whether you catch it on special offer. Which ingredients are on promotion right now you see in the Rappn app: put the recipe on your shopping list with one tap, and the list shows the current promotions of the seven chains for each item.

As of July 2026. This guide explains the dish's cost structure, which ingredients are on promotion right now the Rappn app shows you once the recipe is on your shopping list.

Rappn is neutral: no deals with any chain, no checkout of its own, just an honest price comparison across Migros, Coop, Aldi, Lidl, Denner, Aligro and Otto's.

What is Ghackets mit Hörnli?

It is Switzerland's ultimate budget weeknight dinner: minced meat (traditionally beef) simmered in a light sauce with onion and carrot, served over Hörnli, topped with grated cheese and eaten with apple sauce (Apfelmus) on the side. Simple, filling and cheap, it has been on Swiss family tables for generations and appears on the menus of neighbourhood, country and mountain restaurants. For four people you need roughly 500 g of Hörnli, 400–500 g of mince, an onion, a carrot, two or three tablespoons of tomato purée, a little stock, grated cheese and apple sauce. Count on about 125 g of pasta per person; you can go a bit lighter on the meat and make it up with the vegetables.

Why the mince sets the price

Pasta, onion and tomato purée cost a fraction of meat per kilo, so it is the mince that moves the total. Pure beef mince is the priciest; mixed mince (beef and pork, like the budget lines at around 70% beef) is noticeably cheaper and works perfectly well here, since the meat cooks into the sauce anyway. The biggest lever, though, is the offer: mince is one of the most frequently discounted products, and the chains take turns. Buying it when it is on special and freezing it in portions makes a real difference over the weeks.

Where do you save the most?

A neutral rule of thumb: the budget own-brands (M-Budget at Migros, Prix Garantie at Coop) are the cheapest tier for pasta, cheese and apple sauce, while on meat the promotions of the discounters (Aldi, Lidl) and Denner are often worth a look. Who is ahead in any given week can't be said in advance, which is exactly why a live comparison pays off.

The price changes every week

Meat prices shift weekly and the seven big chains take turns with their promotions, Denner one week, Coop the next, then Aldi. Rather than trusting a price from last year, check the live offers: in the Rappn app you see, for each ingredient on your list, which chain has it on promotion this week.

So how cheap your Ghackets mit Hörnli turns out depends on which mince you pick and whether it's on offer, there is no blanket "always cheapest at chain X". See the current offers: the Rappn recipes section has the recipe, the current offers page lists the running meat promotions, and the meat price comparison explains how the chains compare on meat.