Chili con carne, a rustic and delicious dish from Tex-Mex cuisine, now widespread worldwide. It’s a spicy meat stew with beans, peppers, and tomatoes… perfect as a main course, served with rice or tortillas. Here is my version of this dish (of course, many different recipes exist), which I prepared with beef cut into small pieces (instead of the classic ground meat), red beans, peppers, and the indispensable spicy spices. The recipe is really simple and can be made in advance if needed, then just heat everything for a few minutes. If you love spicy and bold flavors like me, try this dish!
Here are some other tasty ideas:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: International
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 397.71 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 41.65 (g) of which sugars 3.48 (g)
- Proteins 44.61 (g)
- Fat 7.31 (g) of which saturated 1.95 (g)of which unsaturated 0.61 (g)
- Fibers 10.86 (g)
- Sodium 2,212.23 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 300 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs beef (cubed, or ground)
- 3.5 cups precooked red beans (or black, precooked)
- 10.5 oz tomato purée
- 2 peppers
- 1 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 hot chili peppers
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (or sweet)
- cumin seeds
- coriander seeds
- Half tbsp brown sugar
- beef broth
- parsley (or cilantro)
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
Tools
- Cast iron pot or heavy aluminum
- Cutting board
Preparation
Cut the beef into small cubes. Place it in a pot with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (1).
Sauté it for a few minutes, then season with salt and transfer to a tray.
Chop the onion and garlic. Clean the peppers by removing the seeds and cut them into cubes.
Place everything in the same pot as before, adding the hot chili peppers, paprika, a handful of cumin seeds, and coriander seeds (crushed or ground).
Pour in a drizzle of oil and sauté for a few minutes (2).
Add the tomato purée and brown sugar. Adjust with salt and bring back to a boil.
Add the previously browned meat, drizzle with a little broth, and let it cook (with the lid on) for about an hour, over low heat (3).
After the time has passed, add the beans, stir, and add more broth if necessary (4).
Continue cooking for another 20-25 minutes, or until the meat is tender. The chili should have a thick and creamy sauce.
At the end, sprinkle with a handful of chopped parsley (or cilantro, if you like).
The chili con carne is ready, serve it hot, with nachos or tortillas if you like.
Tips and Notes
Adjust the amount of chili and spices according to your taste and the type of chili used.
If you want to use ground meat, you can reduce the cooking time.
If you can find them, use jalapeno peppers instead of regular peppers, or in addition. If so, reduce the amount of hot chili.
You can use canned red or black beans. Alternatively, you can use borlotti beans, but the recipe will not be the same.
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