Chilli con Carne
3
‘Chilli con carne’ is Spanish for ‘chilli with meat’, although the origins of the recipe are hotly contested, with some believing it came from America. Whatever its history, it’s won itself a permanent place on British dinner tables and is the perfect dish for a winter’s evening, helping to warm you from the inside.
We’ve used minced beef here, but you could use chunks of beef steak instead if you prefer. As well as being tasty this Chilli Con Carne is good for you, too – the minced beef or beef steak is an excellent source of zinc, vitamin B12, iron, niacin, vitamin B6 and phosphorus, while kidney beans add fibre as well as protein to the dish. Kidney beans need to be thoroughly cooked, so make sure you test these before eating – they should be soft inside, not hard and white.
The chillis we’ve listed here are red ones, but if you don’t like your food too spicy, use less fresh chilli or use a little of the dried powder. Smoked paprika adds another dimension to this staple dish, but you can use ordinary paprika if that’s what you’ve got in your store cupboard.
Once it’s ready, serving with some sour cream or yoghurt will dampen down the heat.
Recipe Key Facts
- Prep time: 10mins
- Cooking time: 1hrs
Dairy free | Egg free | Shellfish free | Nut free*
Serves: 4
Calories: 493 Kcal per serving
Ingredients
Shopping List
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 chilli, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1kg (2¼ pounds) minced beef
- 1 large glass of red wine
- 2 tins chopped tomatoes
- 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tin of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft.
- Add the garlic, paprika, coriander and cumin (and chilli if liked) and cook for 1 minute until they become fragrant. Add the mince, breaking it up in your hands as it goes into the pan. Stir everything together, allowing the meat to brown slightly.
- Once nearly all of the meat has changed colour, add the red wine and bring to the boil before adding the tomatoes and sweet chilli sauce. Cook for 45 minutes before adding the drained kidney beans.
- Cook for a further 15-20 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened then season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with rice and a little yogurt if it’s a little hot.
* We cannot guarantee that recipes listed as nut-free will contain ingredients that have been produced in a nut-free environment.
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