Chilli Con Carne
Bursting with comforting, fiery flavours, our slimming-friendly version of classic Chilli Con Carne never gets old. It's the best midweek warmer for the colder months, or perfect for the centre of a Mexican-inspired fakeaway feast. Grab your favourite toppings and tuck in!
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories259
- Carbs22g
- Protein26g
- Fat5.3g
- Saturates2.2g
- Sugars13g
Your dishes
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For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know in the blurb!
Inspired by the classic fiery dish, our slimming-friendly version of Chilli Con Carne doesn’t compromise on the hearty flavours you know and love. It’s spot on for a weeknight dinner, and you can top it with lots of different tasty ingredients – leafy coriander, reduced-fat cheese, guacamole, sour cream…there’s loads of options!
We love the comforting Mexican flavours, and the beauty of this dish is that it’s a total crowd-pleaser. You can vary the spice as much as you like, and if you’re feeling brave enough you can up the hot sauce and chilli powder for more of a kick!
There’s also a reason why it’s left to simmer for 45 minutes; it may seem like a long time, but the longer you cook a chilli, the deeper the flavours mix together. We promise, it’s well worth the wait!
Our favourite thing about Chilli Con Carne is that it’s so versatile. Serve it over a fluffy portion of basmati rice, or branch out by enjoying it with pasta or potatoes. You can even enjoy leftovers on a baked potato, or inside an oven-baked tortilla wrap.
Take a look through all of our Chilli Con Carne inspired ideas by visiting our blog: Different Ways to Serve Chilli Con Carne.
What diets is this Chilli Con Carne suitable for?
This recipe is suitable for dairy-free diets. If you’re gluten-free, this recipe is suitable as long as you swap out the following ingredients for gluten-free versions:
- Beef stock cubes
- Beef stock pot
- Worcestershire sauce
As always, make sure to double or triple-check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Chilli Con Carne?
Most of the ingredients in this recipe are store cupboard essentials – tins of tomatoes, kidney beans and some vegetables from the fridge.
As for the hot sauce, we generally use Frank’s as it adds a bit of heat without overdoing it. It also brings a nice bit of acidity. If you don’t have any though, you can leave it out without any problems. You can use whichever hot chilli sauce you like to give this chilli a kick!
You can make this as mild or as hot as you like; add a bit more or less chilli powder, or stir in more fresh chillies.
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We like it hot! Frank’s Hot Sauce does the job.
You’ll need a good-sized casserole dish to cook up this recipe.
How many calories are in this Chilli Con Carne?
There are 259 calories in each portion of our slimming-friendly Chilli Con Carne. This means it falls into our Everyday Light recipe category.
This recipe is perfect if you’re following a calorie-controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Spray a casserole dish with low-calorie cooking spray and set on a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, chillies, carrots and peppers. Fry for 5 minutes until softening.
Step 2
Add the mince and cook for 4 minutes until it starts to brown.
Step 3
Stir in the chilli powder, Worcestershire sauce, Italian herbs and cook for another minute or so.
Step 4
Add the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes, stir well. Add the mushrooms and courgette.
Step 5
Add the stock cubes to the water and mix until dissolved. Pour into the pan.
Step 6
Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat. Cover and allow to simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 7
After 45 minutes add a few drops of hot sauce and beef stock pot. Add the kidney beans and allow to simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
Step 8
Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with your choice of accompaniment.
What should you should serve with Chilli Con Carne?
Any of the following go really well with Chilli Con Carne. It’s one of those dishes that goes with pretty much anything. It’s so hearty it can of course be eaten on its own!
Whatever accompaniment you choose, don’t forget to account for the extra calories, and adjust the nutritional values.
How do you know when Chilli Con Carne is cooked?
You should cook this Chilli Con Carne until the meat is tender and the sauce is rich and reduced.
This should take approx 1 hour on the hob.
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
Can you cook this Chilli Con Carne any other way?
Yes, you can! We’ve cooked ours on the hob for around an hour, but if you’re in no rush, you could leave this one to bubble away in your slow cooker for around 4 hours. Click here to try our Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne method.
How long can you keep Chilli Con Carne in the fridge?
Once you’ve served it, ideally you should eat this dish within 4 hours.
If you allow any left overs to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Chilli Con Carne in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.
Can I freeze Chilli Con Carne?
Yes, you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label telling you the name of the recipe, and the date you’re putting it in the freezer.
How do I reheat Chilli Con Carne?
From chilled: Place in a microwave-proof container with loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.
From frozen: Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes then stir. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes until piping hot.
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Chilli Con Carne
This slimming-friendly version of Chilli Con Carne is the best warming meal if you're counting calories without compromising on flavour.
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Prep Time
10 MINS
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Cook Time
1 HR
- KCals 259
- Carbs 22G
Instructions
- Spray a casserole dish with low-calorie cooking spray and set on a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, chillies, carrots and peppers. Fry for 5 minutes until softening.
- Add the mince and cook for 4 minutes until it starts to brown.
- Stir in the chilli powder, Worcestershire sauce, Italian herbs and cook for another minute or so.
- Add the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes, stir well. Add the mushrooms and courgette.
- Add the stock cubes to the water and mix until dissolved. Pour into the pan.
- Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat, cover and allow to simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 45 minutes, add a few drops of hot sauce and beef stock pot. Add the kidney beans and allow to simmer for another 10–15 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with your choice of accompaniment.
Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?
With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.
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We agreed with Slimming World to remove their trademarked terms from our website
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46 comments
See what others have to say
JoWednesday 15th February 2023
Can this be done in a slow cooker?
SharonWednesday 15th February 2023
Hi Jo, we have a recipe for Slow Cooker Chilli here that you may find useful: Slow Cooker Chilli Hope you enjoy the recipe!
TonyMonday 26th July 2021
Lovely recipe nice and rich and generous 4 servings (mind you we did add rice). I added coriander on top a good addition too 🙂
HollyTuesday 27th July 2021
Hey Tony, thanks so much for your message we are so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
SHARON WARRENThursday 15th July 2021
Hi
Don’t know what i did wrong but it was really salty. I am not a lover of salt.
Any ideas.
HollyMonday 26th July 2021
Hey Sharon, you may find it’s best to use a low sodium stock cube and stock pot if you found this recipe to be to salty for your taste. Hope that helps!
LaurenWednesday 7th April 2021
Can you tell me how many grams per serving is 307kcal please
HollyThursday 8th April 2021
Hi Lauren, We work out our recipes on the serving size not by weight. To work out your own weight of a serving you would need to make the finished dish and divide servings, as the weight will vary due to variation of ingredients and water content it’s not something we can do as an exact measure. If you scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page on the website there is a little arrow by servings and you can alter up or down to serve more or less people. Hope that helps!
Nichola DempsterSaturday 13th March 2021
This was amazing not only me and the hubby enjoyed it the kids loved it too yummy
HollyMonday 15th March 2021
Hi Nichola, so glad to hear you and your family enjoyed this recipe!
Sweet Baby CheesesTuesday 9th March 2021
Hi. Could you check the macros please as they seem a bit off. Thanks
HollyFriday 12th March 2021
Hey, I have double checked this recipe and made a few adjustments to the nutritional information on the page, thanks very much for your message.
Stacey fosterMonday 22nd February 2021
Is the protein definitely correct? 100g mince alone is more than 9g protein can you please confirm thank you
HollyFriday 12th March 2021
Hi Stacey, I have double checked this recipe and made a few adjustments to the nutritional information on the page, thanks very much for your message.
Joanne WebsterSaturday 6th February 2021
Hello
Which book can this be found in please?
HollyMonday 8th February 2021
Hi Joanne, the Chilli Con Carne recipe is exclusive to our website so doesn’t appear in any books. Hope that helps!
AshleyThursday 22nd October 2020
it says 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, so you put 800g of chopped tomatoes? other recipes are 400g, so just want to be sure. thanks
HollyThursday 22nd October 2020
Hi Ashley, yep that is right 2 cans of chopped tomatoes or 800g. Hope that helps!
MichelleWednesday 1st July 2020
Do you add the stockpot straight into the chill or into water then add
HollyWednesday 1st July 2020
Hi Michelle, the stockpot goes in as it is in step 8 with the kidney beans and hot sauce no need for any extra water. Hope that helps!
GemmaThursday 9th April 2020
Beautiful recipe and really rich but I added cumin, coriander and a touch of paprika and left out the hot sauce as my children don’t like it too spicy. We added chili’s afterwards for anyone who wanted some extra spice.
Sharon FitzpatrickFriday 8th May 2020
Hi Gemma, really pleased you enjoyed this recipe and were able to adjust it to suit your family.Thanks for taking the time to let us know.
Barbara KingTuesday 11th February 2020
Hi, not sure if the WW points include the rice?
Holly LevellThursday 21st May 2020
Hi Barbara, the calories and WW points don’t include the accompaniments but any of the following go really well with Chilli Con Carne Creamy. You could try Mashed Potatoes, Rustic Potato Wedges or Savoury Rice. Hope that helps!
AmyWednesday 29th January 2020
How much is a serving?
Holly LevellMonday 18th May 2020
Hello Amy, this recipe makes 4 equal portions at 307 kcal. Hope that helps!
EmmaTuesday 24th October 2023
But how many grams is one serving?
SharonTuesday 24th October 2023
Hi Amy, we make our calorie calculations based on serving size and not by weight, as the weight of a portion may vary due to variation of ingredients and water content so isn’t something we can do as an exact measure. If you want to find the weight of one portion yourself, simply divide the finished dish into 4 portions and the calories stated will be correct for one portion. Hope this helps.
AimeeSaturday 25th January 2020
The ingredients list 2 stock cubes and 1 stock pot but I can see the stock pot in the recipe?!
Sharon FitzpatrickFriday 8th May 2020
Hi Aimee, thanks for your question. The stockpot is added in step 8 with the kidney beans and the hot sauce, hope this helps.
SophieTuesday 28th May 2019
Hello can I make this recipe without the hot sauce and Knorr stock cube
CateFriday 31st May 2019
Yes you could leave out the hot sauce. It doesn’t have to be a Knorr stock cube, any brand will do 🙂
ClaireTuesday 22nd January 2019
Nice recipe but a little confusing. It has a Knorr stock pot and Franks Hot sauce in the ingredients but never mentions them in the method.
Lee HollinsMonday 14th January 2019
Superb recipe, agree with the other review, add cumin & coriander for the extra con carne kick, love it with all the different veg
Daniel GibbsFriday 4th May 2018
If you want the smell of chilli con carne add a little cumin and ground coriander
Tracey ballSunday 14th January 2018
Do this every week in our house we all love it I add pasta to it mix it all together and top with cheese which is my a allowance yummy
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