Easy Chilli Con Carne

A hearty and comforting meal, this Easy Chilli Con Carne is deliciously smokey and packed with lean protein, beans and veggies for a meal the whole family will love. A simple one pot meal that is great for batch cooking, as there are so many uses for the leftovers.

Whilst there is much debate on how Chilli Con Carne is made across the world (some people will only use cubes of beef and would never use beans or canned tomatoes), this is the chilli we grew up eating. It's kind of like a bolognese, but with beans and plenty of spice.

You can adapt it to be as mild or as spicy as you like to suit your families needs, and swap out vegetables for whatever you have on hand, making it a great way to use up what you have.

Why should you try it?

Step by step

One: Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion, mushrooms, pepper and garlic and gently cook for 4 minutes until softened. Add the beef mince and cook for 3-4 minutes until browned.

Two: Add the rest of the ingredients (except the coriander/cilantro) to the pan and stir well.

Three: Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the chopped coriander (cilantro) before serving.

Chilli Seasoning

To get the spicy and smokey flavour of this chilli we added smoked paprika, ground coriander, mild chilli powder, cumin and cocoa powder. Yes - cocoa powder! Adding chocolate to your chilli will give it a depth of flavour as well as a nice colour. It will also help to balance out any acidity from the chopped tomatoes. Trust us on this!

What to serve it with

Chilli and rice is the obvious combination, but this chilli is great with so many other things. Try it on top of a baked potato or a hot dog to make a chilli dog. If you want to stick with a traditional chilli and rice combo, then why not add our Easy Homemade Flatbread or some simple tortilla chips to dip in?

If you take your chilli toppings seriously, then you have loads of choices. We just went with a dollop of cooling creme fraiche and a sprinkling of coriander. However, you have so many options. Why not add some slices of jalapeno, grated cheese, diced avocado or swap the creme fraiche for sour cream. Finely diced red onion or Pico De Gallo is a good choice too.

We always make sure that we have some leftover for the next day, as it makes an epic nacho topping. Also, stir some in to Mac and Cheese. AMAZING! Oh, or make a spicy lasagna with it. See, SO many uses.

FAQs

Extra tips

• Chilli is supposed to be spicy, however if you can't handle the heat (no judgement), then use less chilli powder or none at all.
• If you don't want to make your own spice mix, you could just use fajita seasoning instead, however you wouldn't get the same authentic flavour.
• Why not load your chilli with toppings. Grated cheese, jalapenos and avocado work well.
• Make sure you make extra, as leftovers are great on a baked potato, stirred in to mac and cheese or used as a nacho topping.
• Any extra leftovers can be frozen for 2-3 months.
• Give a richer flavour to this chilli by swapping some of the stock for red wine.

More chilli recipes

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog then let us know how you got on in the comments below, we love hearing from you!

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Recipe

Easy Chilli Con Carne

A hearty and comforting meal, this Easy Chilli Con Carne is deliciously smokey and packed with lean protein, beans and veggies for a meal the whole family will love.

4.89 from 18 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Allergen:

Meat

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 294kcal

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Ingredients

UK Metric Measures - US Customary Measures

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 medium onion peeled and diced
• ▢ 4 mushrooms diced
• ▢ 1 yellow bell pepper diced
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic crushed
• ▢ 500 g beef mince
• ▢ 400 g chopped tomatoes canned
• ▢ 240 g kidney beans canned, drained
• ▢ 2 tablespoon tomato puree
• ▢ 200 ml beef stock
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ▢ 1 teaspoon mild chilli powder or more to taste
• ▢ 2 teaspoon cumin
• ▢ 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
• ▢ 15 g fresh coriander (cilantro) chopped
• ▢ 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion, mushrooms, pepper and garlic and gently cook for 4 minutes until softened. Add the beef mince and cook for 3-4 minutes until browned.
• Add the rest of the ingredients (except the coriander/cilantro) to the pan and stir well.
• Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the chopped coriander (cilantro) before serving.

Notes

• Chilli is supposed to be spicy, however if you can't handle the heat (no judgement), then use less chilli powder or none at all.
• If you don't want to make your own spice mix, you could just use fajita seasoning instead, however you wouldn't get the same authentic flavour.
• Why not load your chilli with toppings. Grated cheese, jalapenos and avocado work well.
• Make sure you make extra, as leftovers are great on a baked potato, stirred in to mac and cheese or used as a nacho topping.
• Any extra leftovers can be frozen for 2-3 months.
• Give a richer flavour to this chilli by swapping some of the stock for red wine.

Nutritional Information

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 236mg | Potassium: 766mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 585IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 5mg

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DisclaimerThe nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.