Chili con carne a la Erica

Chili con carne is such a perfect comfort food dish. This recipe is easy, doesn't require a lot of time and will satisfy you so badly you'll just want to have another bowl!

Ingredients 👜 (±3 servings)

• 1 red bell pepper (“paprika” in Dutch)
• 1 small can of red kidney beans (about 160 grams)
• 1 small can of corn (probably also about 160 grams)
• Ground beef (200 grams, I think?)
• 1 can of tomato cubes  (400 grams)  (I used canned tomatoes with garlic instead of using fresh garlic)
• 1 medium-large onion
• 1 small clove of garlic (it will definitely enhance the taste, but I tend to leave it out if I don’t happen to have garlic)
• oil
• Spices: paprika, chilli/cayenne pepper, cajun , salt. You can combine and decide the amount of the spices however you wish, but it’s preferabe that cajun plays the major part.
•  To serve with : rice of your choice, coriander (optional) and cheese or sour cream (optional)

Instructions 🍴:

1. Chop up the onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cut them into tiny cubes but don’t overcut them, as they will shrink while cooking.
2. Put some oil in the pan and add the onion. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes on medium high heat and add the bell pepper and garlic. Here’s a nutrition tip: for a healthy meal, use only 1 tbsp of oil per person while cooking.
3. After having stir-fried the vegetables for about another 2 minutes, add about half the spices you want to use and add meat. Cook until slightly browned.
4. Add the canned tomatoes. Rinse the can with a tiny bit of water. Mix it with the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 2 minutes. Then add the corn and kidney beans. Let simmer on low heat. Stir from time to time to make sure it doesn’t burn.
5. This would also be a good time to start up the rice. If you know how to cook rice: off you go! If not, you can follow the instructions on the package. Over the years, I have developed my way of cooking rice and it works just fine for me:Put 1 part of rice along with 1,5 parts of water in a pan and then add just a extra splash of water. Bring it to the boil and reduce the heat. Leave it for about 10 minutes? Not sure exactly how long, just keep an eye on it.
6. You want the chilli to have a medium thick consistency, not too watery but you don’t want gravy either. Add the rest of the spices and taste! Learn to play with spices!
7. Serving time! Top it off with some coriander and if wished, cheese and/or sour cream.
8. Enjoy!

L💡 Handy tip: this dish can perfectly be frozen, so if you have too much and don't plan on consuming it in the following days, chuck it in a freezer bag or container and freeze! So whenever you've had a busy day and don't feel like cooking, you'll always have this to cheer you up!