Easy Chilli Con Carne

There is nothing better than having a nice warm bowl of this Chilli Con Carne on a cold winter’s day.

Loaded with hearty vegetables, meat and a delicious broth, this Chilli Con Carne will keep you satisfied until your next meal.

I've tried this recipe in both a slow cooker and on the stove top and it works well with either cooking method.  I don't own an instant pot, but if you do try this recipe and used an instant pot, please leave me a comment on how it turned out.

This easy chilli con carne is so easy to make and I know that your whole family will love it as much as my family does.

Tips and Tricks to making this Hearty Chilli Con Carne

Browning the Beef and Adding Your Spices

After you have  sauteed your onion and garlic, please don't skip this next part!  Put a nice sear on your beef by browning it.  The flavor is all in the browning.  Add your spices.  Get creative.  You can use chilli flakes, cayenne pepper, chipotle flavor, etc..  My all time flavors for Chilli Con Carne are cumin and jerk seasoning.

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Tomato Paste and Tomato Puree

Once your beef has browned and the liquid at the bottom of the saucepan has evaporated mix in at least one tablespoon of tomato paste, mix well and let simmer for a minute or two.  Then add in about 2 cups of tomato puree and stir and simmer. I used a tomato puree for this Chilli Con Carne Recipe, one similar to this one here.

Beef Stock vs. Bouillon Cube

I don't always use ready made beef stock to make this Chilli. That's because I can't always find my favorite organic beef stock or because I've just run out. So what do I do?  I use beef bouillon cube and I make the beef stock as per the directions.  Either beef broth or bouillon cube will work well for this recipe.  I consider them to be interchangeable.

Finishing Off Your Chilli Con Carne

Add the beans and then pour the beef broth into pot until the broth almost submerges all the ingredients. The broth should be level with the total ingredients in the pot. If you like your chilli to resemble more of a broth add more beef stock. You'll need to gage. Just know that as the mixture cooks, it will create more liquid. You can also simmer the Chilli with the lid ajar to allow the steam to escape, resulting in a reduction of the liquid.

What the Beef?

Don't sweat it, if you don't have a can of bean medley or ground beef, just use what you have. I've used ground turkey and garbanzo beans in Chilli and it turned out just fine. Instead of Chilli Con Carne you can call this Everything but the Kitchen Chilli!!

Corn and Peppers

Note that some have said that corn has no place in a Chilli recipe and I would argue this statement.  Once you try this Chill Con Carne recipe I know that you will agree that having a little bit of a crunchy component like corn is satisfying in itself.

I like to add the peppers at the very end.  This way they don't get super soft through the cooking process. The peppers don't really need to cook so I toss them in once the Chill has cooked. I usually make Chilli as a dinner for the next day. So, when I warm up the Chilli, the peppers get a chance to slightly cook but not overcook.

A word of advice, let the Chilli cool down sufficiently before you serve it.  Serve the Chilli with a cheese scone, bun or some bread to scope up all that goodness.

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Recipe Details

Chili Con Carne

AmyG

This Chili con carne is loaded with hearty vegetables, meat and a delicious broth and it will keep you satisfied until your next meal.

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 20 mins

Course Main Entrées

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 683 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 red pepper
• 1 can red kidney beans
• 1 can mixed bean medley
• 2 cups tomato puree
• ¼ can of corn niblets
• 500 g ground beef
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp marjoram
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp chili powder (more or less)
• ¼ cups olive oil
• 1 tbsp salted butter (for frying)
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 medium sized onion chopped
• 1 clove of garlic chopped

Instructions

 

• Saute garlic and onion in butter and oil until translucent. Add ground beef and cook until golden brown. Add your salt and spices. Saute for 2 minutes.
• Add tomato paste and simmer for 2 minutes. Add tomato puree and simmer for another 2 minutes. Place the cooked ground beef in a medium sized slow cooker. If you don't have a slow cooker, continue to use a saucepan.
• Place the beans, corn in the pot. Pour into slow cooker with all other ingredients and mix to combine well.
• Pour beef broth into pot until the broth almost submerges the ingredients. The broth should be about an inch less than the total ingredients in the pot. If you like your chili more liquidy add more broth. You'll need to gage it. Just know that as the mixture cooks, it will create more liquid.
• Cook in slow cooker for about 4 hours or simmer on stove top for about an hour. Add diced peppers once chili is ready, mix. The peppers will soften up and stay firm. LET THE CHILI COOL DOWN!

Notes

The Chili is going to be hot, let it cool down before you serve it.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of PotCalories: 683kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 47gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 112mgSodium: 2368mgFiber: 10gSugar: 10g

Keyword beef, chili, hearty, vegetables

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