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Bowl of chili con carne loaded with cheese, green onions and sour cream

Loaded Chili con Carne

We were a big chili family growing up. My mom made a lot of it and it was so good. She was big on toppings so we always had it with cheese, sour cream and onions like a loaded baked potato which is one of the most satisfying things you can eat. Her chili was silky smooth and the toppings were a really effective contrast of texture as well as adding even more flavor. One day, well after my childhood, we were talking recipes and she said something about kidney beans in her chili. I was like, excuse me, what?

She laughed and said she always put kidney beans in her chili and then blended it so we couldn’t pick them out. I felt betrayed. You couldn’t argue with the results though and it was a solid mom move. I tell this story because I think it is the subconscious reason why I prefer chunky, rustic style chile con carne now. I want to see everything that’s in it. I want to be able to identify things. Not because I’m going to pick them out from fussiness just so we’re all on the same page.

There are as many kinds of chili as there are people who make it. Not Mexican but there at the birth of the concept of Tex-Mex food, it encompasses the preferences of and ingredients local to the cook. They can be simple or as complicated as Kevin Foley’s winning entry in the Traditional Red category of the ICS World Champion Chili Cook Off which used three separate spice mixes added at three different times. Whatever chili means to you, this recipe is definitely on the basic side and doesn’t use anything you can’t find in any grocery store.

Of course you can have chili on its own but what you serve it over and what you serve on it opens up a world of interpretation. We ate it over pasta growing up, making it Chili Mac. When we make it now, it is over rice. It’s legitimate over a baked potato or sweet potato. In America you can even have it over a hot dog. You can top it with shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions, sliced chilis, guacamole, crushed tortillas chips. A squeeze of lime just before you eat it is divine. It’s really pretty endless and very flexible which is probably why everyone has a version of it that they love.

As with anything you’re going to make your own take the amounts below as a starting point and go from there. Taste, experiment, find the flavors that speak to you and let them shine. You can even keep some ingredients secret. Just don’t ever tell.

Making

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6 significant servings

90 minutes but you can let it simmer longer

Ingredients

500g lean beef mince

2 medium white onions, chopped

Half a head of garlic, chopped

1 red bell pepper (or red romano pepper), chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, sliced with seeds

1 red chili pepper, sliced with seeds

30g fresh coriander, chopped finely

1 Tbsp oregano (if you can find Mexican oregano, even better)

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp chili powder (this is where you have a lot of control over the heat. Use a mild chili powder if you’re not sure)

OPTIONAL: If it is available to you, adding 1 tsp of ancho chili powder will add depth without making it hot. If you can’t find it, don’t worry.

4 Tbsp tomato paste

Beef stock cube and water

400g can of crushed tomatoes

Juice of two limes

Juice from half an orange

400g can of black (or kidney) beans, drained and rinsed

For topping:

Shredded cheese (Red Leicester is my new fave)

Sour cream or creme fraiche or greek yogurt

Sliced onion – green or white or red, all are good

Squeeze of lime

If you’re really feeling the toppings you could even do crumbled bacon although I just looked at the list of ingredients and it’s starting to become intimidating

Instructions

JUST A NOTE: The timing above is the kind of quickest version on the hob but chili is great in a slow cooker. If you’re using the slow cooker just brown the meat, onions, garlic and peppers/chili first then throw everything in.

Start by chopping everything that needs to be chopped: the ONIONS, GARLIC, PEPPERS, CORIANDER. Keep the coriander off to the side but everything else will be put in the pan together. Make your BEEF STOCK CUBE.

Put a large skillet on medium heat and brown your LEAN BEEF MINCE. If you’ve gotten the lean version you’ll want to stay close and keep it moving in the pan because it won’t release as much of that liquid that you need to burn off. Whatever you ended up with fat content wise, just keep going until most of the moisture has cooked off.

Add your chopped ingredients (minus the coriander) to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until gently golden.

Turn the heat down to a low medium heat so nothing burns while you’re measuring out a bunch of spices. Now add the chopped CORIANDER, OREGANO, GROUND CUMIN, SMOKED PAPRIKA, and CHILI POWDER. Stir all together.

Squeeze the TOMATO PASTE over the seasoned meat and veggies and stir through so everything gets some of that color.

Pour the BEEF STOCK over and stir through.

Add the can of CRUSHED TOMATOES and stir through.

Add the LIME JUICE and the ORANGE JUICE.

Stop and taste it. There hasn’t been any salt or pepper added at this point so start there. When you get it to where you want it, turn the heat to the point your chili will simmer and put a lid on it.

If you can let it bubble away for an hour, that will be better. If you only have twenty minutes, that will work. Whatever amount of time you have, check it every once in awhile for a stir and a taste. About ten minutes before you are ready to serve, add in the BLACK BEANS to warm through.

Serve with whatever toppings take your fancy!

Tags:Easy Good for a group