Chilli con carne for kids
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Sent in by Lena from Edinburgh
A traditional chilli con carne dish using beef or turkey mince. All in one pot to make. Perfect for kids.
- Prep Time 10 mins
- Cook Time 1 hr 5 mins
- Serves 4
- Difficulty Level Easy
Preparation
- Total Time 1 hr 15 mins
- Preparation Time 10 mins
- Cooking Time 1 hr 5 mins
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- garlic (1x clove), finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 400g lean beef mince (or turkey mince)
- 400g chopped tomatoes (tinned)
- 1 tsp chilli powder (to taste)
- ½ tsp cumin, ground
- black pepper (to taste)
- 400g kidney beans (tinned, or mixed beans if preferred)
- Heat oil in large saucepan and fry garlic and onion gently for a couple of minutes
- Add the red pepper and stir for a couple more minutes
- Put in mince and cook until lightly browned
- Add tinned tomatoes, chilli powder and ground cumin - season with pepper
- Bring to boil and simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Then put in the kidney beans and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Serve with rice
You will need
Saucepan - This stainless steel and extra-deep saucepan is just what you need. Plus, it comes with a handy glass lid. You can find it at Amazon for £21.50.
Knife set - This sleek set of six black oxide knives is a practical kitchen counter must-have and you can get it at Amazon for £22.99.
Tips
Swap the rice for quinoa to up your child's protein intake, or serve with crusty bread instead. It even goes well with pasta!
Variations
- Chilli con carne tastes great with a dollop of sour cream, some grated cheese and a sprinkle of jalapenos on top
- Bulk out this dish and making it go further by adding a tin of baked beans at the same time as you add the kidney beans
- Intensify the flavours, add a small chunk of grated dark chocolate to the pan just before it's ready and stir through
- If you are making this for your children for the first time, just add a little chilli powder and cumin, serve their portion and then spice the rest of the mixture up for the adults
- Replace the beef with Quorn mince for a vegan alternative
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Reviews
★ ★ ★ ★ ★★ 15 ratingsRate this recipe
louise d(358)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4
Just to continue from yesterday's comment.. Today we had the leftover chilli with baked potatoes. I added a tin of beans to the chilli when heating it up, as suggested in the budget plan. Served with sour cream, salsa, jalapenos and grated cheese. Clean plates all round again. Was tasty and budget friendly too. Looking forward to tomorrows dinner now!
louise d(358)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4
We are following the budget meal planner on here, and this was for dinner tonight. Really easy recipe, and I turned it into a pasta bake as per the plan. So pleased, kids ate it all with no fuss, which was a lovely change. Plenty to go around all 5 of us, even once I'd removed half for tomorrows dinner. I probably would add a bit more spice to it next time, though that's obviously personal taste.
Claire B(2732)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5
An all round family favourite! My 21 month old loves it even with all the spices added!
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4
Easy to follow recipe & tastes nice, although I'm slightly confused to why the photo of it contains celery & it's not in the recipe!!
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5
This was delicious!who would have thought such a simple recipe with non-fancy ingredients can taste so good?!I added one extra can of plum tomatoes to make it a little bit juicier and so glad i did!i cant stop myself from eating it!next time i will make double the size !
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4
Made with turkey mince and added the kidney beans. Went down well with all in the family.
Trudi W(42)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5
I swapped the kidney beans for baked beans as the kids wouldn't eat it, however I loved it.
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4
Adding the kidney beans is a great way to get extra fibre if you're on a Gluten Free diet.
Corinne F(16)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5
NIce and easy but very tasty dinner that went down a treat with the family (and any leftovers can be frozen for another night).
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4
I have found it cheaper and healthier to buy a joint of beef when the supermarket has a special offer - i.e. every other week :-). Then I mince it up after removing all the fat. Then you have a meal with much less fat.
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4
It's a great recipe, we like it a bit spicier so I add some chilli flakes and a dash of barbecue sauce for more taste.
Isabelle P(30)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4
Chilli is a great dish to make and very versatile. I have made it in the slow cooker too, great if I have to work late and hubby is picking the children up, all he has to do is cook some rice. I just brown the mince first, drain the fat and then add all the ingredients to the pot. I always use two tins of tomatos, add two table spoons of balsamic vinegar and also extra beans, usually a can of butter beans or chickpeas, I like to add a heaped teaspoon of cinnamon along with the chilli and cumin. I also always add veg, especially carrots, celery and sometimes sweetcorn. Chilli freezes well too, so don't waste any left overs if you have cooked a big batch, heat it up for lunch or to have over a jacket potato. Veggie chilli is also great, just add any veg you like, maybe even some red lentils and take out the mince. Easy peasy!
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5
this is on my to do list
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5
This is a good recipe for children who are not used to spicy food...my daughter isn't keen on spicy food but loves this...my son and husband add Tabasco sauce to theirs to give it a kick.
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5
Great chilli recipe for all the family. We tried one with baked beans and that really worked. I'm vegetarian, so I did a separate one with quorn mince and that worked really well too. Ideal for batch cooking and freezing down the leftovers for an easy meal another night.
Guest
For anyone that shops at asda they sell kidney beans in a chilli sauce.. I always use these they make a great difference to the taste and aren't too hot. I find they thicken it up a little too :)
Guest
I add Heinz baked beans to our chilli, kids love it. This will add more moisture as well!
Guest
I just made this & was lovely however I fried off the onion, garlic & mince then put it all in my slowcooker with a tablespoon of tomato puree on high for 3 hours & it was the perfect consistency. I would add more chilli next time as it was too mild for me.
Guest
I saw someone had found this a little dry - depending on your budget, you can add some passata if you like it tomato tasting, perhaps water it down if not, or bit of beef or veg stock or some people I know even make up a bit of gravy to mix in with it.
Guest
I made this mostly for the kids but my husband will have it too. My 4 year old loved it. Only thing is that it wasn't very saucy. I drained the kidney beans, was that correct? Anyone any suggestions on how to make it a bit saucier. Bit dry.
Guest
Jar of uncle bens with mince ....much easier than faffing around with kidney beans
Mrs S(48)
i've never made this before but thinking of trying it tomorrow night - for those of you using slow cookers - how long did you do it for and did you add the kidney beans at the start as well?
Guest
this is great on nachos. very tasty. Also if you add a little bit of smoked paprika then it give it a really nice smokey taste. I also use half a teaspoon of balti paste (sounds mad I know) which gives it a real depth to the flavour.
Guest
This is the first time I ever made chilli, let alone for the kids... I used kidney beans in chilli sauce and omitted the chilli powder, and it was amazing... full of flavour with no heat - ideal for me and my boys as we dont really like spicy food!! And plenty to freeze for another time too.... One happy mummy, two full up kids! :-)
Guest
Really really tasty. A great recipe and plenty to go round. Definitely a recipe I will be using often.
Guest
Made this recipe in the slow cooker with turkey mince which I fried off with the onion first. Really lovely flavour, everyone loved it. My 23 month old loved it, especially the kidney beans! It served two adults and a toddler. I'd make double next time and freeze some portions.
Guest
REALLY NICE RECIPE, EASY TO MAKE AND VERY POPULAR XX
Guest
This was the first recipe DP and I made in our housewarming present (slow cooker) and it was so amazing we're having a chilli party as a housewarming do :)
Guest
yummy I loved it as did my hubby and 2 year old son. I had it with tacos and chease and will deffo be making again. Thank you x
Guest
just made this for my 18 month old and he must have loved it as ate it all - didnt eat his rice wee monkey but at a big plate of chilli - hope im not gonna regret that later pmsl. xx
Guest
i made this just to use up leftover beef mince and wasn't really bothered but i was pleasantly surprised, it was delicious! I guess these things never look great but with some persuasion my 2 year old let me feed him (won't feed himself except finger food) and he really liked it. Hurrah! Will definitely made this again. x
Guest
haha, im sure the netmums coordinators must have read my yesterday post!! xx
Guest
Had this tonight and was lovely. as there is only two of us i only used a small packet of mince. I like hot food so i put in 2 table spoons of chilli and it was perfect, i also added half a red onion and come button mushrooms thanks again. will def be having again x
Guest
Really nice recipe, however, I did think there was something 'missing'. Maybe next time I will chuck in an extra garlic clove or some oregano. I shall definately be using this recipe as the basis for all future Chillis as this is by far the best I have made!
Guest
great recipe never made chilli before really tasty and everything is in the cupboard denise
Sooz
I love this! As a previous poster said, I split it into two, and leave the chilli out of one half. Unlike the previous poster, the mild half is for my husband and our 6 year old - and the hot half is for me and our two year old!
Guest
made this for myself and my husband and we loved it, the kids even tried it to and they are a fussy eaters so thanks very much will make this again very soon.
Guest
Tried this the other day and it was lovely even my very fussy 1 year old ate some (without the spices and blended up) we had it on jacket spuds will definately be making it again!
Guest
My fussy three-year-old likes this and so do I (i've never been fussed on ready-meal chilli,or chilli when eating out they're too hot for me so i've never bothered to try making my own). So quick & easy, too. I make double the quantity in two pans, one with less chilli for the little one & one for the adults. I freeze it into portions so I can just defrost one kid-portion for my son & and two adult-portions for us when we want a quick home-made meal. Making it with steak mince will cut down on fat content as well.
Guest
Tried this recipe today, my four year old loved it and even had seconds of chilli or as she calls it 'Chilli con careee' will definatly be cooking again!! Thank you.
Guest
This chilli is great - my 16 month old absolutley loves it and its cheap to make too! Definitely one I will be making on a regular basis - it freezes well which makes it even better.
Guest
this is so yummy .It is the first time i have made chilli and it was yummy . I will def make it again thank you . ruby
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