Description
A hearty and flavorful Chilli Con Carne recipe featuring tender ground beef simmered with a robust blend of spices, tomatoes, and kidney beans. Perfect for a satisfying meal served over rice or with corn chips and your favorite toppings like sour cream, cheese, and coriander.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 onion, diced (brown, white, or yellow)
- 1 red capsicum (bell pepper), diced
- 1 lb / 500g beef mince / ground beef
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 800g / 28 oz can crushed tomato
- 14 oz / 420g can red kidney beans, drained (or other beans)
- 2 beef bouillon cubes, crumbled
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar (any type)
- 1/2 – 1 1/2 cups / 125 – 375 ml water
Chili Spice Mix
- 1 – 2 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
- 4 tsp paprika powder
- 5 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder (or onion powder)
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
To Serve
- Rice, corn chips, tortillas
- Sour cream, yoghurt, grated cheese, coriander/cilantro
Instructions
- Prepare the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and diced onion, cooking for about 1 minute. Then add the diced red capsicum and continue cooking for 2 more minutes until the onion becomes translucent.
- Brown the beef. Increase the heat to high and add the ground beef to the skillet. Cook while breaking it up with a spoon until the beef is mostly browned all over.
- Add the spices. Sprinkle in the prepared Chili Spice Mix. Stir thoroughly to coat the beef and continue cooking until the beef is completely browned. This step releases extra flavor from the spices.
- Combine remaining ingredients and simmer. Add the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, drained kidney beans, crumbled beef bouillon cubes, sugar, and 1/2 cup to 1 1/2 cups of water depending on cooking method. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Cook according to your method choice. For a quick cook, simmer uncovered on medium-low heat for 20 to 40 minutes with gentle bubbling. For slow cooking, cover and simmer on low heat for 1.5 to 2 hours with very gentle bubbling. Alternatively, for slow cooker preparation, transfer everything (using only 1/4 cup water) to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
- Final seasoning. Adjust the salt to taste just before serving.
- Serve and garnish. Serve the Chilli Con Carne over rice or ladled into bowls alongside corn chips or warm tortillas. Top with sour cream, grated cheese, and fresh coriander leaves, or other toppings of your choice.
Notes
- You can substitute the water with 2 cups of beef broth and omit the bouillon cubes, ensuring to cook long enough to reduce the liquid.
- Adjust cayenne pepper for spiciness: 1 tsp for mild warmth, 1.5 tsp for moderate heat, and 2 tsp for medium spiciness. Start with less and add more to taste at the end.
- The slow cooker method yields extra tender beef and deep flavors; just follow initial stovetop steps before transferring.
- The chili improves in flavor the next day and freezes very well for future meals.
- Serving options include: ladling into bowls with toppings and chips/tortillas, serving over rice, chili dogs, fries topped with chili, stuffed baked potatoes, sloppy joes, tamale pie, pasta dishes, and serving with cornbread muffins or loaves.
- Classic toppings are sour cream, grated cheese (both highly recommended), coriander/cilantro leaves, sliced green onions, diced red onion, pico de gallo, diced avocado, and sliced jalapeños or other chilies.
- Nutritional info is based on 5 servings and includes only the chili without rice or toppings.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/5 of recipe (approx. 300g)
- Calories: 370 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 680 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
