Photographers: Nic Gossage, Benito Martin. Stylist: Kate Brown.
This slow cooker chilli con carne will fill your home with deliciously warm, spicy aromas and will have your family racing to the dinner table. Combining budget-friendly beef mince and nutritious kidney beans, it makes six serves for an easy dinner – and it’s gluten-free and dairy-free too.
Ingredients
Method
Heat oil in a 4.5-litre (18-cup) slow cooker on sear (high) setting. Cook onion and garlic, stirring, until onion softens. Add beef, cumin and chilli; cook, stirring, until browned. Stir in stock, tomato paste, tomatoes and oregano; season. Cook, covered, on low for 7½ hours.
Add beans to cooker. Cook, covered, for 1 hour. Season to taste.
Top chilli with coriander sprigs. Serve with corn chips and lime wedges.
Can you freeze chilli con carne?
This chilli con carne is suitable to freeze at the end of step two for up to three months.
What to serve with chilli con carne
Serve chilli with corn chips or spoon onto baked potatoes and top with sour cream.
Slow cooker tips
Although this slow cooker chilli con carne recipe is straightforward, it is best not to just throw all your ingredients in. Cooking the onion and garlic and browning the meat first enhances the flavour and gives the meat a beautiful rich colour.
Do this in your slow cooker on the sear (high) setting, or a heated, oiled large frying pan. Make sure there is a sufficient amount of oil in the pan so that the meat caramelises rather than scorches. Be sure to have the pan heated before adding the meat.
It is also important to maintain the heat during the browning process; if the pan is not hot enough, the meat will stew rather than brown.
