This healthy chilli con carne is a simple, nourishing and flavour-packed family meal that is sure to become a regular in your weeknight dinner rotation. Ready in just 20 minutes, it is an easy one-pot meal that can be customised with your favourite protein and toppings. Keep it mild for the kids or spice it up to suit your tastes!
This chilli con carne recipe is a wonderfully rich and hearty dinner that can be on the table – fast! Made in one pot with easy fridge and pantry staples, it is perfect for busy weeknights when time gets away from you.
As well as being healthy, chilli is high in protein, filling and also makes a good budget meal; make a double batch and freeze half for a nutritious grab-and-go meal or lunch.
Like my vegetarian chilli, this version tastes even better the next day, making it perfect for meal-prepping ahead of time for the week ahead. Add your favourite toppings like Mexican cheese, sour cream or crumbled tortilla chips for a kid-friendly meal that everyone will love.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick and easy – all you need is one pot and around 20 minutes to prepare. Perfect for busy weeknights!
- Dietary restriction friendly – this recipe is gluten-free, nut-free, low-fat and dairy-free (depending on added toppings).
- Customise to suit – choose from your favourite protein; beef mince, chicken mince, turkey mince or even add quorn or vegetarian mince for a vegetarian version. You can also bulk it out with additional veggies and beans and adjust the heat level to suit your tastes.
- Pantry staples – made with familiar pantry items like black beans, canned tomatoes, spices, onion and garlic.
Ingredients you will need
** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. The photo above is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!
- Lean or extra lean beef mince – is my protein of choice, as I usually have some in the freezer. But you can also use chicken or turkey mince for an even leaner option. Or swap for quorn/vegetarian mince if you want to make it vegetarian.
- Spices – you’ll need cumin, paprika and oregano as well as chilli and cayenne powder. Adjust the amount of chilli to suit your tastes. I love chilli, but two of my kids don’t, so I start with minimum heat and add more chilli powder or flakes to mine at the end.
- Canned diced tomatoes – any canned tomatoes will work, but I recommend organic tomatoes with no extra additives or fillers.
- Black beans – canned black beans are packed with antioxidants, fibre and protein. You can swap them for a can of lentils, chickpeas or kidney beans.
- Liquid chicken stock adds flavour and adds to the richness of the sauce. You can swap for beef stock, if preferred.
Step by step instructions
Step 1. Brown the onion and garlic;
In a large wok or frying pan, sautée the onions and garlic in the oil until soft and fragrant.
Step 2. Brown the beef mince;
Add your ground meat of choice, along with the spices and cook until browned.
Step 3. Combine everything in the pan;
Throw in all of the other ingredients, stir and bring to a simmer. Allow it to bubble on the stove top for 10 minutes.
Step 4. Serve;
Serve over steamed rice or with your choice of toppings.
Full recipe quantities and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
What to serve with chilli con carne
The fun part is, you can serve this chilli with so many different add-ins! Serve individual bowls of chilli with your favourite toppings, or place a large pot in the centre of the table for everyone to make their own.
Serve chili con carne with;
- Mexican cheese – while you can use any type of all-purpose cheese, I highly recommend a shredded Mexican cheese blend. It takes the flavour of the chilli to a whole new level! Containing a blend of cheeses such as cheddar, Monterey Jack, Asadero and/or Queso quesadilla, they may also contain paprika, spices or chilli for extra flavour and make the chilli taste amazing. I use Woolworths Mexican inspired cheese, but any will work.
- Chopped avocado
- Sour cream or low-fat Greek yoghurt
- Fresh coriander
- Crumble some corn or tortilla chips over the top. You’ll thank me later 😉
- Jalapenos
- Steamed white or brown rice, pasta or quinoa
- Spooned over baked potatoes with cheese and sour cream. This is a favourite way to use leftover chilli in my house!
Expert tips
- For even more vitamins, add 1-2 cups of your favourite veggies. Some great options are corn, red capsicum and spinach leaves.
- If you’re budget conscious, add an extra can of lentils or beans. It will bulk the chilli out and make it stretch further for minimal extra cost. If you’re making a double batch of chilli, you can halve the meat and bulk it out with beans and veggies instead.
- Slow cooker option; while this makes a speedy dinner on the stove top, the ingredients can also be added to a slow cooker for even more richness, tenderness and flavour. To make in a slow cooker, brown the onion, garlic and meat in a pan, then add all of the ingredients into the slow-cooker bowl. Cook for 6 hours on low.
- Storage. This chilli tastes even better the next day and can be frozen in a batch or individual portions for easy grab-and-go lunches or weeknight dinners.
- If your kids are fussy with spices and heat, simply reduce the amount of chilli and cayenne pepper used to adjust the heat levels. The chilli can be left out until the kids are served and then added at the end to taste for those who like a little spice kick.
FAQs
Leftover chilli con carne can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. It can also be frozen whole, or in individual serves for up to 3 months and re-heated as required. To thaw, leave the chilli container in the fridge overnight, or set individual serves out at room temperature for 1-2 hours. It can also be thawed and re-heated in the microwave.
This recipe is packed with nutrients and uses lean meat, protein-packed beans, tomatoes and a host of other healthy ingredients that make it a great choice for lunch or dinner. Chilli can be part of a healthy diet and lifestyle, of course the choice of toppings added can affect this! Some healthier sides include some light sour cream or yoghurt, low-fat cheese, toasted wholemeal pita bread or brown rice.
Chilli con carne can be made healthier by choosing extra lean mince rather than regular (which contains a lot more fat). You can also choose organic canned tomatoes with no extra flavours or additives and load the chilli with 1-2 cups of added veggies or an extra can of lentils. Choose your sides and toppings carefully and consider swapping full fat sour cream or cheese for low-fat cheese or yoghurt and brown rice or quinoa instead of white rice.
Related recipes
If you love speedy and nutritious family-friendly dinners like this healthy chilli con carne, then check out these other recipes!
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating or leave a review below and let you know how you went!
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for the latest recipes and news.
Healthy Chilli Con Carne
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic crushed or finely chopped
- 600 grams extra lean ground beef or use turkey or chicken mince instead!
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3 teaspoons paprika
- ½ – 1 teaspoons chilli powder Or to taste. This ingredient optional and can be skipped if a milder chilli is required.
- ½ teaspoons Cayenne powder Or to taste. This ingredient optional and can be skipped if a milder chilli is required.
- ½-3/4 teaspoon salt optional
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 cups canned diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup liquid chicken stock
- 1 ½ cups black beans
Serving suggestions…
- 3-4 cups steamed brown or white rice optional
- light sour cream
- Mexican cheese, shredded
- fresh coriander
- chopped avocado
- tortilla chips to crumble over the top
Instructions
- In a large frying pan or wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat and sautee the onion and garlic until fragrant and soft.
- Add your preferred meat of choice (ground beef, turkey or chicken) and the spices (cumin, paprika, oregano and chilli/cayenne and salt) and stir until the meat has browned.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. During this time, the liquid will reduce slightly.
- Serve hot over steamed rice and add your favourite toppings of choice. Enjoy!
Notes
- Lean beef mince – is my protein of choice, as I usually have some in the freezer. But you can also use chicken or turkey mince for an even leaner option. Or swap for quorn mince if you want to make it vegetarian.
- Black beans –canned black beans are packed with antioxidants, fibre and protein. You can swap them for a can of lentils, chickpeas or kidney beans.
- See the post above for serving suggestions and topping ideas.
- For even more vitamins, add 1-2 cups of your favourite veggies. Some great options are corn, red capsicum and spinach leaves.
- If you’re budget conscious, add an extra can of lentils or beans. It will bulk out the chilli and make it stretch further for minimal extra cost. If you’re making a double batch, you can halve the meat and bulk it out with beans and veggies instead.
- Slow cooker option; while this makes a speedy dinner on the stove top, the ingredients can also be added to a slow cooker for even more richness and flavour. To make in a slow cooker, brown the onion, garlic and meat in a pan, then add all of the ingredients into the slow-cooker bowl. Cook for 6 hours on low.
- This chilli tastes even better the next day and can be frozen in a batch or individual portions for easy grab-and-go lunches or weeknight dinners. Leftover chilli con carne can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. It can also be frozen whole, or in individual serves for up to 3 months and re-heated as required. To thaw, leave the chilli container in the fridge overnight, or set individual serves out at room temperature for 1-2 hours. It can also be thawed and re-heated in the microwave.
- If your kids are fussy with spices and heat, simply reduce the amount of chilli and cayenne powder used to adjust the heat. The chilli can be left out until the kids are served and then added at the end to taste for those who like a little spice kick.
- Please note that the nutrition information is based on the chilli being served into 5 bowls, with one bowl being one serve. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional rice or toppings served with the chilli.
- This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.
Nutrition
Update notes: this recipe was first published in July 2020, but was re-published with new information and photos in January 2022.
Leave a Reply