Chilli Con Carne

Everyone loves a Classic Chilli Con Carne  – it’s a perfect recipe for feeding a crowd and tastes even better if made ahead of time.

This Chilli Con Carne recipe contains dried chipotle chillies and smoked paprika for a wonderful smoky flavour.

I converted a life long Chilli hater with this recipe.  My husband has never been a fan, but one day I persuaded him to try it.  He now says he still doesn’t like Chilli, but he likes my recipe.  Go figure!! 

I always end up craving chilli in the colder weather so when the craving strikes, I usually order two packs of minced beef in my food shop – one for chilli and the other is reserved for a favourite with everyone in my house – mince and tatties.

chilli con carne recipe

The recipe I’m sharing with you today is the best chilli con carne recipe I’ve ever made.

Now I’m not claiming it’s an authentic Chilli recipe, but I’ve been playing about with this recipe over the past few years and I think I’m finally happy with it.

It’s spicy, but not kill your tastebuds hot with a smoky background from the smoked paprika and dried chipotle chillies.

ingredient list

(Ingredient amounts and full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)

• Minced Beef – Or you can use stewing/braising steak if you prefer for a chunkier texture. 

• onions and garlic
• Red Bell Pepper

• Spices – ground cumin, ground coriander, mild or hot chilli powder (depending on your level of chilli tolerance), smoked paprika, dried oregano and dried chipotle chillies.

• I like to add two dried chipotle chillies, but everyone’s chilli tolerance is different so you might want to use just one.
• TIP If you can’t get or don’t want to use chipotle chillies, you don’t have to – the recipe still works very well without them.

• cocoa powder adds a real depth of flavour to the chilli – don’t worry, you won’t taste it at all! It does make sense when you think about it though – dark chocolate and chilli really compliment each other. Give it a try and you’ll see what I mean! Make sure it’s proper cocoa powder though – drinking chocolate would not have the same effect at all!

• chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and a squirt of tomato ketchup. I hear you – ketchup in a chilli?  Yes! It adds a nice tang – don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!  If it’s good enough for Nigella, it’s certainly good enough for me! 

• A tin of Kidney beans, drained and rinsed.

• Worcestershire sauce

• a few shakes of Tabasco Sauce

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

what to serve with chilli con carne

• I like to serve this chilli with grated cheese, sour cream, avocado slices and crunchy tortilla chips.

• I also love to spoon chilli over a fluffy baked potato and top with lots of grated cheddar cheese. One of my favourite lunches!

• Stuff Bell Peppers with Chilli, top with cheese and bake until the peppers are soft.  Delicious!

• Make Chilli Nachos – spoon leftover Chilli and grated cheddar over Tortilla chips.  Heat until the cheese has melted and serve with sour cream and sliced jalepenos. 

• Make Chilli Cheese Dogs!  Fill hot dog buns with hot Chilli and grated cheese. Place the buns under a hot grill to melt the cheese.  Serve with fries or potato wedges.

I’m having a few friends over – can I double the recipe?

Definitely! You can easily double or even triple this chilli recipe without any problems.

Can I make this chilli ahead of time?

Absolutely! I do it all the time. It’s actually better if you do – making the chilli a day or two before you need it will allow all the flavours to develop. Just make sure to keep the chilli in the fridge in an airtight container and re-heat until piping hot.

Can I freeze Chilli Con Carne?

Yes – once the chill has been cooked, allow to cool completely, then divide into portions and freeze. Defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat until piping hot. I often make a big batch of this chilli to freeze for future meals.

Need a vegan chilli recipe instead?

For a vegetarian/vegan option, take a look at these recipes for vegan Aubergine, mushroom and lentil chilli or this sweet potato and black bean chilli

if you like this recipe….

You might also like to try…….

Crock Pot Butter Chicken Curry

chickpea and potato curry

Slow cooker beef and chorizo casserole

chicken Fajita pasta bake

chicken and chorizo Enchiladas

Quick Thai red prawn and spinach curry

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Chilli Con Carne

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 3 minutes

Total Time: 23 minutes

My take on the classic Chilli Con Carne is full of rich, smoky flavour from dried chipotle chillies and smoked paprika. This chilli is best made in advance to allow the flavours to develop.

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Ingredients

• One tablespoon vegetable oil
• One large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• One red bell pepper, diced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 or 2 teaspoons mild/hot chilli powder, depending on your chilli tolerance!
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons tomato puree
• 500g Minced Beef
• One or two dried chipotle chillies, rehydrated in boiling water for 15 minutes then finely chopped (optional)
• Two 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 25g cocoa power - NOT drinking chocolate! OR 25g dark chocolate (optional but adds a lovely depth of flavour to the chilli), 70% cocoa solids
• 200g can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• a few shakes of Tabasco sauce (optional)
• 1 teaspoon fine salt

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the chopped onion. Cook on a low to medium heat for 10 minutes until soft and transculent, then add the crushed garlic, diced red pepper, all the spices including the black pepper and the tomato puree.
2. Cook for another few minutes to release the flavours, then turn up the heat and add the minced beef, breaking it up with a fork as it browns.   
3. When the mince has browned, add the chopped tomatoes, tomato ketchup, cocoa powder, Worcestershire sauce, the chipotle chillies if using, the kidney beans, Tabasco sauce if using and the salt.
4. Half fill one of the empty can of chopped tomatoes with water and pour it into the pan. Turn the heat right down to low, cover and gently simmer for 2-3 hours (the longer the better), stirring occasionally.

Notes

This chilli is definitely worth making in advance - it tastes even better after a day's resting in the fridge.  

Not a fan of minced beef? Use stewing steak instead!  

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 589Unsaturated Fat: 0g

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