Easy Beef Chilli con Carne (Classic Family Recipe)

Beef Chilli Recipe

This chilli con carne is an easy mid‑week dinner and a real crowd‑pleaser — perfect for cosy evenings or entertaining friends.

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Post updated September 2026

Over the years I've perfected my recipe, and I'm sure you'll love it as much as we do. Once it's made, you can reheat it as long as it's piping hot before serving.

If you have any leftover chilli, you might like my Chilli Pasta Bake. And if you fancy trying a different twist, my Beef Chilli with Dark Beer and Chocolate is another favourite.

This post was originally written back in 2010, so it was definitely time for an update!

Ingredients

🫑 Veg & aromatics

🧅 Onion
🧄 Garlic
🌶️ Red chilli
🌶️ Green chilli
🫑 Red pepper
🫑 Green pepper

🍅 Beef, spices & tins

🥩 Minced beef
🌿 Cumin
🌿 Paprika
🌿 Oregano
🌿 Cinnamon
🍅 Chopped tomatoes
🥣 Chicken stock
🍅 Tomato purée
🍃 Bay leaf
🫘 Mixed beans / kidney beans
🍶 Balsamic vinegar
🧂 Salt & pepper
🌶️ Chilli flakes (optional)

Can I freeze it?

Yes, it freezes really well, so it’s worth making the full batch even if you’re only cooking for yourself. With energy prices being what they are, batch cooking makes this a genuinely economical meal.

Once defrosted, you can turn leftover chilli into Beef Enchiladas, just wrap the chilli in soft flour tortillas, sprinkle with grated cheese, cover with foil and bake at 200°C/400°F for about 25 minutes.

What to serve with chilli

Serve with a dollop of sour cream, jalapeño peppers from a jar, salad, rice, wedges, or whatever you fancy.

Can I make it vegetarian?

Absolutely — replace the minced beef with soya mince and use vegetable stock instead of chicken. Or try my Vegetable Chilli recipe.

A quick word on tinned tomatoes

Good quality tinned tomatoes make a huge difference. Some cheaper brands can be watery and lack flavour.

If you've never tried Cirio, you're missing out — their tomatoes are bright, juicy and the ‘juice’ is so thick there’s hardly any of it. You can find Cirio at Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose and Ocado, and they’re often on offer.

Another good brand is Napolina — not quite as thick, but still reliable.

Top Tips

Don’t rush cooking your chilli — it needs time for the flavours to develop. A splash of balsamic vinegar can add a touch of sweetness, but only use it if it’s thick and good quality; otherwise, a tablespoon of tomato ketchup works perfectly.

Slow Cooker Chilli

Brown the mince first, then soften the onions for 10 minutes before adding everything to the slow cooker. Because the liquid doesn’t evaporate, you’ll likely need less stock.

I always keep McDougalls Thickening Granules on hand — they’re excellent for slow cooker recipes.

A mix of wild and long‑grain rice works beautifully with chilli.

Have you tried this recipe?
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Beef, Chilli, Main Course, Easy Recipes, Batch Cooking

Mexican-style

Yield: 4

Author: Jan Bennett

Best Chilli con Carne Recipe

A rich and easy beef chilli con carne made with minced beef, peppers, tomatoes and spices. Perfect for cosy dinners, batch cooking and freezing.

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 50 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

Ingredients

• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 red chilli
• 1 green chilli
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• vegetable or olive oil (for frying)
• 500g good‑quality low‑fat (5%) minced beef
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 150ml chicken stock (made from half a Knorr stock cube)
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• 1 bay leaf
• 400g kidney beans in chilli sauce
• a splash of balsamic vinegar (to taste)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
• optional: a pinch of dried red chilli flakes

Instructions

1. Prepare the vegetables: Chop the onion, finely chop the garlic, and keep the seeds in while finely chopping the red and green chillies. Dice the red and green peppers.
2. In a large frying pan, brown the minced beef in a little oil, then remove and set aside.
3. Without washing the pan, add a tablespoon of oil and cook the onion, garlic, peppers and chillies over low heat for 10–15 minutes until softened but not coloured.
4. Add the ground cumin, sweet paprika, dried oregano and cinnamon. Cook for 2 minutes until fragrant, then stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute more.
5. Return the browned beef to the pan and stir well. Add the chopped tomatoes (including the juice) and the bay leaf. Cook for about 10 minutes to let it reduce slightly.
6. Pour in the chicken stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken.
7. Add the beans, including their chilli sauce and a splash of balsamic vinegar (or tomato ketchup if using). Taste and season with black pepper; add salt only if needed. Adjust the heat level with dried chilli flakes if you like.
8. Remove and discard the bay leaf, then simmer gently for a further 15 minutes.
9. Serve with rice — a mix of wild and long‑grain rice works beautifully.

Notes

If your mixed beans or kidney beans aren’t in chilli sauce, rinse and drain them well before adding to the pan.

Use good‑quality tinned tomatoes for the best flavour — cheaper brands can be watery.

Add balsamic vinegar only if it’s thick and good quality; otherwise, a tablespoon of tomato ketchup works perfectly.

Adjust the heat level with dried chilli flakes or extra fresh chilli if you prefer it spicier.

Chilli tastes even better the next day, and it freezes really well — perfect for batch cooking.

A mix of wild and long‑grain rice works beautifully with this recipe.

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