Chilli con Carne
Chilli con carne is simple, cheap and delicious. It is easy to adapt, simple to add veg to, and can be batch cooked to save time and money for the future, too! We’ve gathered some expert tips and small steps to help you take your current chilli from good to great!
Chilli con carne is simple, cheap and delicious. It is easy to adapt, simple to add veg to, and can be batch cooked to save time and money for the future, too! We’ve gathered some expert tips and small steps to help you take your current chilli from good to great!
Why is chilli so great?
Chilli con carne is simple, cheap and delicious. Spice levels can be adjusted to suit adults and children and it is easy to add veg to without changing the flavour or texture of the dish. By adding more veg and less meat, you’ll make your money go further all while eating better. It’s a perfect basic family recipe to have under your belt to make small tweaks to over time.
You can make a big batch of chilli and eat different meals from it – over rice with guacamole one day, in a jacket potato with sour cream and sliced spring onions the next, then stuffed into a taco with some shredded lettuce and a little cheese for a third variation.
Our Simple Chilli Con Carne recipe below is just that – a basic mix of meat (or veggie alternative) + beans + tomato sauce + spices. If you are just starting out, this is the place to start!
If you already have the basics and want to work on slowly improving your recipe using our Step by Step method, try our Next Steps Chilli Con Carne.
Kids who engage with healthy foods are more likely to eat them, so to set yourself up for success, we’ve included tips to get kids involved in the second recipe to keep things simple.
Simple Chilli Con Carne
Ingredients:
Beef (or pork/chicken/turkey) mince – approx 400-500g for a family of 4 – or veggie alternative
A jar of chilli con carne sauce (approx 400g)
400g tin of kidney or black beans
Not made a chilli con carne before, or not ready to try the next steps? Start here!
Method:
- Cook the mince in a pan with a little oil until browned and cooked through. Pour in the chilli con carne sauce and simmer for a few mins until heated through.
- Drain and rinse the beans, then add to the sauce and cook for another 2-3 mins until everything is hot.
- Serve with cooked rice or couscous.
There is no need to go any further with this recipe until you are confident with it and feel up for the next step.
Once you have the basics it’s time to slowly improve your recipe using our Step by Step method to a bit better.
There are three ways to step-by-step your way to better chilli – start where you feel most comfortable and if in doubt, start with a few veg.
Remember, the MOST important thing is that the family enjoys the meal! These changes and swaps can take as long as is needed. Small simple improvements over time may not even be noticed!
add veg
Aim for 2 handfuls of veg per person in the long-run, but it’s better to go slow and get there than to rush to the finish line and find no one is there with you. For the best chance of success, start with a veg you know the family likes, don’t try to hide it, and build up over time. Starting with frozen veg can also mean less waste, keeping costs down, and being able to add a small amount simply.
We’ve added our top suggestions and how and when to add them to the recipe below.
better sauce
Swapping a ready-made chilli sauce for a homemade sauce can often help the budget as well as the salt and sugar content. If making your own sauce is 20 mins you can’t spare, using a tin of chopped tomatoes or passata is an easy, cheaper, instant way to a healthier sauce. Add flavour with a pinch of salt, and some chilli powder, paprika and cumin to taste.
reduce meat
Try a tin of cooked lentils (drained and rinsed) to replace half (or all of) the mince, added for the last couple of mins of cooking, or add the more classic kidney or black beans. If you think it will be turned down, try starting with just half a tin and perhaps even blending it into the sauce and just reduce the meat while adding more lentils and/or beans slowly each time you make the meal.
Next Steps Chilli Con Carne
Ingredients:
Beef (or pork/chicken/turkey) mince – approx 200-300g for a family of 4 – or veggie alternative
1 tbsp mild chilli powder
2 tsp ground cumin
400-500g homemade tomato sauce OR 400g chopped tomatoes
400g tin cooked beans (good choices include black or kidney or mixed beans)
A handful per person of 1-2 veg (see suggestions in recipe)
We suggest you do this in stages, slowly, and go as far as works for your family, here’s how your final recipe might come together…
Method:
- Cook the mince in a pan with a little oil until browned and cooked through. If you are using fresh veg (eg: diced carrots or onion, sliced peppers or mushrooms, etc), add them now and cook for 5-10 mins until softened. Stir the spices through and cook for another minute. Pour in the sauce or chopped tomatoes and simmer for about 15-20 mins, stirring regularly and adding some water if it starts to stick.
- Drain and rinse the beans, then add to the chilli and cook for another 2-3 mins until everything is hot. If you want to add some extra protein with a tin of cooked lentils as you are using less meat, add these with the beans. If you are using frozen/tinned veg (eg: sweetcorn, peas, mixed frozen veg, frozen cubed butternut squash or sweet potato, sliced carrots, frozen spinach, from sliced peppers, etc), add with the beans and cook until piping hot (most small/thin frozen veg will cook in under 5 mins, but check package instructions).
- Serve with cooked rice or couscous (or over jacket potatoes, in wraps, stirred through pasta…).
Engaging Kids
Kids who engage regularly with veg through veg-themed activities, such as arts and crafts, sensory experiences, growing and cooking are shown to be more likely to eat the veg they engage with. Encouraging kids to engage and play with veg is the handy first step to them developing a good relationship with veg and life-long healthy eating. Find out more here.
Kids in the kitchen
You could get the kids to help with browning the mince, or getting the rice ready by measuring one mug rice to 2 mugs water into a pan for 4 people. Older kids might be ready to chop veggies, while younger ones may be happier washing them and adding the spices to the pan with you.
Activities
Use arts & crafts as a stepping stone to interacting with the veg themselves. While you make your spag bol sauce, why not set a child up with:
Sweetcorn Top Secret Code Puzzle
Time to Face the Heat Corn Puzzle
Find more arts & crafts and puzzles & games on our website.
Sensory
Why not start with a spoonful of tinned sweetcorn and get your child to describe what they feel – maybe they are “bumpy” or feel like tiny pebbles or gemstones! See if they want to chuck some into the chilli after having engaged with them.
Watch Ruth Platt’s video on sensory activities with peas for more inspiration, or get more tips, games and videos over on our Sensory page.
Serving
If your kids aren’t ready to be in the kitchen helping with part of the prep or cooking process, why not give them a job around the serving that could help them feel involved in the meal? You could ask your child to help you serve up the chilli and add any toppings to the plates, or lay out in small bowls for people to “build their own” chilli at the table. Get more ideas over on our Roles for Kids page.
Family Favourite Recipes
Use our step-by-step methods to slowly improve these favourites, too…
DO you have a question you’d like one of our experts to help you with?
SIMPLY VEG
Need to get your kids eating more veg?
Our only goal is to help parents and carers serve up affordable, simple food their families will love. We know that takes more than a few recipes, so we've got all the hacks and advice you'll need. Join now. It's 100% free and 100% simple.
Follow Us on Social