All Recipes

Chilli Con Carne

A proper chilli con carne — big on flavour, dead simple to make. Smoky spices, tender mince and kidney beans simmered until thick and saucy. Pile it over rice and go mad with the toppings.

DinnerComfortSpicyBatch Cook
A bowl of rich chilli con carne served over rice
CategoryDinner
Prep15 mins
Cook1 hr
Serves4

One of those meals that just makes everything better. A bowl of this after a long day and you're sorted. It's barely any effort — brown the mince, throw in the spices, let it bubble away — and it tastes like you've been slaving over it for hours. Scales up easily too, so make extra and stick some in the freezer. Future you will be grateful. I've used a little carrot in mine - I had some to use up. Feel free to get creative with the ingredients!

Ingredients

For the chilli

  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 500g beef mince (12% fat is best)
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 beef stock cube
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400g)
  • 1 tin kidney beans (400g)

To serve

  • Basmati or long grain rice
  • Sour cream
  • Grated cheddar cheese
  • Fresh coriander, roughly chopped
  • Tortilla chips
  • Smashed avocado

Method

  1. 1Get a large, heavy-bottomed pan or casserole dish on a medium heat with a glug of olive oil. Fry 1 large onion (diced) and 1 carrot (diced) for 5-8 minutes until softened.
  2. 2Add the 2 cloves of garlic (minced) and cook for another minute. Then add the 500g beef mince to the pan and break it up with a wooden spoon. Let the water release from the mince and start to get some colour going.
  3. 3Stir in the spices: 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp dried chilli flakes and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon. Cook the spices for a minute or two until fragrant — this makes all the difference.
  4. 4Add the 1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400g), and the broken up 1 beef stock cube. Fill the tin half full with water and add to the pot. Give it a good stir and bring to a gentle simmer.
  5. 5Pop a lid on (slightly ajar) and let it simmer on a low heat for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water if it starts to look too dry.
  6. 6Add the 1 tin of kidney beans (400g) (slightly drained) and cook for a further 10 minutes with the lid off, letting it reduce and thicken.
  7. 7Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve

Spoon over fluffy rice and any toppings you like. Why not try sour cream, grated cheddar, fresh coriander, smashed avocado or a squeeze of lime?

Tips

  • This freezes brilliantly — make a double batch and freeze in portions for easy midweek dinners.
  • If you like it hot, add a finely chopped fresh chilli with the garlic, or a pinch of cayenne pepper with the spices.
  • You don't necessarily need to cook it for the full hour - it's technically cooked long before that but the longer you leave it, the more the flavours develop. Cook it even longer if you like!
  • Personally I don't go too chunky on the vegetable - I find it's better texture-wise if the onion and any other veg is in fairly small pieces
  • I've used 12% fat beef mince - I think it's the sweet spot - but you can use whatever you prefer or whatever is available - it just may turn out slightly differently!
  • You can totally use all the liquid in the tin of kidney beans - it helps to thicken your sauce! Drain it if you'd prefer.