You can’t beat a big pot of simmering chilli con carne. This dish was a saving grace for my then young family because all the kids were very very fond of it! In later years we used quorn mince which catered for all our preferences.
To this day quorn is still preferred by all of us and it’s what I used in this recipe.

I have always made three or four bags of quorn mince into a big simmering pot of chili con carne.
This gave us 4 or 5 different dishes through the week.
We would have burritos, chilli nachos, enchiladas, chilli dogs and the obvious chili con carne with rice.

There was often enough to freeze a batch. It also served for lunches, baked potatoes oozing with chilli con carne topped with grated cheese.
Sometimes I would do layered lasagna using aubergines or courgettes. No matter what I made they were all devoured by my family.

I can definitely say, without a doubt, chili con carne has served and will continue to serve every member of my family for many years to come.

This recipe is one of the more simple ones, the spices are limited and the chilli has been tamed down. I omitted the red wine. Nonetheless as with all dishes, there is always room for individuals to adjust/amend to their own palate. I do say though as with all dishes try them as per recipe the first time and then adapt it. Some might ask about dried herbs…I dont really use any now but feel free to use Oregano or mixed herbs as you choose.

I made this version for my daughter’s friend a couple days ago, he can’t take chilli heat but this he said with much gusto, this was ‘Banging’ and proceeded to have seconds then thirds!

Surprisingly my youngest has had this for 3 days in a trot!

INGREDIENTS:

500g of any type of mince or quorn mince as I used here.
1/4 cup of oil
2 large onions finely chopped
390g /1 small carton of passata
400g/ 1 tin of white kidney beans or red ( I used white)
2 tbsp of cumin powder
1 tbsp of chilli powder
1 tsp of chilli flakes
1 tsp of sugar
5 Cloves garlic minced
1 knorr chicken stock cube
1 cup of water
1 tsp dried Oregano (optional)
1 small green pepper diced
1 tbsp smoked Chipotle (optional)

METHOD:

Heat a pan up and add your oil. When sure the oil is hot add in your minced onions and chili flakes.

Fry this for a few minutes then add your minced garlic.
Continue to fry your onions until they begin to soften and take on a slight golden hue.

Now add in your mince and stock cube and cook this off well until it is nicely browned in the onions.

Now add a few tablespoons of water and your chipotle, oregano and spice powders.
Give this a good mix and cook the spices off for about 45 minutes continuing to add splashes of water.

Next add your passata and continue to cook this again for a good few minutes.

Once it comes to a simmer add your sugar, kidney beans, a cup of water, give it a good stir, cover and let it cook for about 10 minutes on a low heat. Check and stir frequently to make sure it does not stick at the bottom.

After about 10 minutes add your diced green peppers, taste for seasoning and let it cook again for another five minutes covered.
At this point your chili con carne should be getting thicker. Taste it.

When you are satisfied with how you like your chili consistency switch off and let it stand for a short while for the flavours to develop.

There are so many ways to serve…so enjoy what you like!

TIP:
If you find your sauce is a little thin add two or 3 teaspoons of gravy granules which will help picking your sauce. I often use the roast onion gravy just to add additional flavour!

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