Best Ever Chilli Con Carne | Slimming Eats Recipe (2024)

The Slimming Eats Cookbook

Calories in Chilli Con Carne

This recipe makes 6 hearty filling servings of Chilli at 264 calories per serving

If you're looking for more recipes within the same calorie range, you'll find an abundance of options in my dedicated collection of200+ calorie recipes

If you're following a calorie-controlled diet or a healthy eating plan, it's important to calculate your daily calorie intake using a reliable calorie calculator. Please note that the calorie counts provided are estimates and can vary based on specific ingredients and serving sizes. Personalizing your calculations is essential to meet your individual needs. By using a calorie calculator, you can make informed choices and stay on track with your dietary goals.

Toppings for Chilli

Here are some of my favorite chili toppings:

• Avocado slices or homemade guacamole
• Sour cream, or for a lighter version, mix fat-free yogurt with lemon juice and a pinch of salt
• Freshly chopped tomatoes
• Chopped spring onions or regular onions
• Cilantro (also known as coriander)
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• A handful of tortilla chips for crunch
• Sliced jalapeños for those who enjoy an extra spicy kick

And there are plenty more options to explore!

Chilli Con Carne Pasta Bake

That's right – if you're a chilli con carne enthusiast with leftovers, you're in luck! This mouthwatering pasta dish is an absolute must-try.

Mexican Pasta Bake

Spice things up with this delectable Mexican Pasta Bake - a scrumptious twist you won't resist saying "yum" to!

Get the recipe →

Pasta, chili, and cheese – a trio the whole family will adore. What's there not to love?

The choice of vegetables to enhance your chili is yours to make. I often opt for peppers, carrots, and jalapeños. The jalapeños add a vibrant, fresh kick that you just don't get from chili powder. Occasionally, I'll toss in some zucchini (courgette) as well.

Dealing with picky eaters? Finely chop the veggies in a food processor. The kids won't detect them, making it a victory for the whole family.

Adding butternut squash or sweet potato is also a fantastic idea, especially if you're looking to use up what you have on hand. There are no strict rules about what goes into your chili, aside from the spice blend that brings the classic flavors of chilli con carne to life.

Moreover, butternut squash or sweet potato contributes a delightful natural sweetness that complements the spices beautifully—simply delicious!

Favourite Chilli Recipes

Traditionally in chilli con carne, most use ground beef (extra lean being the choice of course for slimming), but don't stop just there, lean stewing beef or beef chunks can produce a really hearty meal or if you want to make a really healthy version use ground chicken or turkey, like this delicious Turkey Chilli.

You can even mix up the beans - instead of kidney beans, try some black beans or even a 6 bean medley, like in this Beef and Six Bean Chilli.

Love Chocolate? Then this Chocolate Chilli is also deliciously rich and flavoursome

I love this with rice and topped with fat free yoghur or sour cream, cheddar and fresh chopped cilantro (coriander)

and my absolute favourite for any kind of leftover chilli is these amazingLayered Chilli Cheese Fries - perfect for sharing or not!!

Slow Cooker & Instant Pot Guide

You can make this Chilli Con Carne in a slow cooker or an Instant Pot (pressure cooker).

• Slow Cooker Method: Reduce the stock to approximately 300ml, brown as instructed in the recipe, and then let it cook on low for 6-8 hours. If necessary, you can add a bit more stock.
• Instant Pot Method: Utilize the sauté function to brown, then cook under high pressure for 15 minutes with a natural pressure release. Given that liquid doesn't evaporate as much in the Instant Pot as it does on the stove, it's advised to use 400ml of stock (about 2 cups). If needed, switch to sauté mode after cooking to reduce the sauce further.

Curious about the Instant Pot? It's essentially a versatile 7-in-1 appliance that can slow cook, pressure cook, sauté, and has settings for soup, chili, rice, porridge, and it can even make yogurt (which I've yet to try).

It's one of my best purchases, and I find myself using it almost daily for various tasks. It's fantastic for boiling eggs too – they peel so easily.

For more, explore my collection of Instant Pot Recipes

(As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

More Ground Beef (Mince) Recipes

looking for some more ground beef recipes to try? check out some of these:

• Sloppy Joes
• Mini Cottage Pies
• Nasi Goreng – Indonesian Rice
• Pastitsio
• Keema Curry
• Crispy Potato Topped Meat Pie
• Best Ever Bolognese Pasta Bake
• Best Ever Spaghetti Bolognese
• Beef Lasagne
• Mustard Beef with Mushrooms

or if you would like more recipe ideas or sides to make with this recipe - head on over to theFULL RECIPE INDEXwhere you will find over 900 delicious recipes with caloriesand you can search by meal type, ingredients, course, diet and more.

All recipes on Slimming Eats have estimated nutritional information for your convenience.

FAQ for Chilli Con Carne

Recipe Card

Best Ever Slimming Friendly Chilli Con Carne

Yield: SERVES 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Best Ever Chilli Con Carne!!! – an all time classic family friendly recipe. Pure comfort in a bowl!!

Ingredients

• 500g (17.5oz) of extra lean beef mince
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 jalapeno’s, deseeded and chopped (if your jalapenos are small you may want to use a few more)
• 400g can of kidney beans, drained
• 800g (28oz) of chopped tomatoes, canned
• 10.5 tablespoons (156ml) of tomato paste (puree)
• 3 cups (720ml) of beef stock
• 2 teaspoons of paprika
• 2 teaspoons of cumin
• ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper - optional (omit if you don't like too spicy)
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
• olive oil spray

Instructions

1. Spray a large casserole dish over a medium high heat with some olive oil spray.
2. Add the mince, onion and garlic and fry until browned.
3. Add the carrots and fry for a further few mins
4. Add the spices, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, red pepper, jalapenos, balsamic vinegar and stock and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to about medium low add in kidney beans, cover and cook for 45 mins -1 hour until sauce has reduced and thickened. (you still want it to lightly bubble so that the sauce reduces, so don't have the heat too low)
6. Serve topped with your choice of toppings
7. Enjoy!!

Notes

Please see below for full nutritional info and additional details about recipe:

• Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
• WW Points and other Slimming or Weight Loss programs - due to plans regularly changing and updating, we recommend calculating with the official tools you get as a member to those plans to ensure accuracy of values.
• Gluten Free Friendly - use gluten free stock
• Dairy Free Friendly
• Slow Cooker- reduce stock to about 300ml and brown as per recipe and then cook on low for 6-8 hours. You can always add a little more stock if needed.
• Instant Pot- brown using saute function and then cook on high pressure for 15 minutes with a natural pressure release. (as the liquid doesn't tend to reduce down in the instant as it does on the stove I recommend using 400ml of stock (2 cups). Switch to saute mode after cooking to reduce down further if needed)
• Freezer Friendly ❄️

Tip- ensure you use a large casserole pan/pot for this recipe, so that the sauce can reduce properly. If the pan is too small, the heat won't be even.

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Nutritional information etc are an estimate and are to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary in values from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. It is always advised that you calculate values yourself by the ingredients you use and the tools provided to you as a member of the programme you are following.

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Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Nutrition Information

Yield 6Serving Size 1 SERVING
Amount Per ServingCalories 288Total Fat 5.7gSaturated Fat 1.9gCholesterol 0mgSodium 1105mgCarbohydrates 37gFiber 9.8gSugar 12.7gProtein 27.1g

Nutritional information is an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information.

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