chilli con carne recipe

video password: winter [case sensitive]

prepare ahead?

Absolutely! Like all slow cooked dishes, this will improve with a little time sitting in the fridge.

leftover potential

Great! Will keep in the fridge for a week or more.

variations for fun

vegan / vegetarian – for a vegetarian chilli, replace beef with 3 cans lentils but add these in at the end with the beans rather than at the beginning.

pork – replace beef with minced (ground) pork.

problem solving guide

tough meat -this means you haven’t cooked your meat for long enough. If you can, best to pop back in the slow cooker or oven for at least another half hour or even longer.

watery sauce – if your sauce hasn’t reduced down enough, either pop in the oven with the lid off for half an hour or so, or remove the beef and simmer, uncovered in the slow cooker on high for about an hour. An additional tablespoon of tomato paste may help things.

too spicy – be careful if cooking for people with sensitive taste buds. Best to add less chilli up front and serve with more chilli on the side for people to adjust the heat to their preferred level.

problem solving guide

bland – make sure you’re generous with the salt. A little tomato paste may help as well. And a dash more chilli will keep the hot heads happy.

dry – if you’re cooking in the oven it can be easy for the dish to dry out Best to keep an eye on it and add a little water if you think it’s looking too dry.

serving suggestions

I like to serve in bowls with a green salad on the side and a decadent dollup of sour cream on top.

Feel free to serve with tortillas or corn chips for dipping into the meat. And a little guacamole on the side will add to the mexican vibe.

Also lovely on a bed of mashed white beans or cauliflower rice.

_________________________
back to: Simple Slow Cooking Overview

chilli con carne recipe
serves 4-5

750g (1 1/2lb) ground (minced) beef
2 cans tomatoes (400g / 14oz) each
2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes
1 tablespoon cumin seeds or ground cumin
2 cans red kidney beans (400g / 14oz) each, drained

1. Place beef, tomato, chilli and cumin in a slow cooker or oven proof dish.

2. For the slow cooker, cover and cook on auto for 11-12 hours or until the beef is meltingly tender.

3. For the oven, add in a cup of water, cover and bake at 120C (250F) for 6-8 hours or until beef is meltingly tender. Add in a little water if it starts to dry out.

4. Add beans and cook for another 1/2 hour or until everything is hot.

5. Taste, season and serve hot.