Spicy chili con carne with beans
This stew with ground beef and beans is perfect for days and nights when you need a bit of warmth and a portion of genuine comfort food. Made with tangy tomatoes, meaty kidney beans, pungent onion, garlic, and ground beef it is an incredibly hearty meal.
It is flavored with fresh red chili peppers and warming cumin for heat and flavor. The chilis provide most of the spicy flavor, and they can also bring sweet or smoky undertones to the dish, depending on which variety you go for. The cumin adds depth and a slight bitterness and brings a lovely earthiness to the stew that rounds it off beautifully.
The classic version with ground beef
We all know the look and taste of the stew, but what does chili con carne mean? The Spanish name of this popular dish simply means 'chili with meat'. While chili sin carne, that is, ‘chili without meat’, has also gained popularity in recent years, a ground beef chili con carne is packed with a meaty umami flavor that is hard to achieve without this, the main ingredient, ground beef.
Browning the beef before adding any additional ingredients brings forth these deep, rich flavors, and these, alongside the kidney beans, are the backbone of this popular stew.
Served with sour cream and flatbread
Because the chili con carne sauce is quite spicy, serving it with cold sour cream is a great way to reduce its spiciness a bit. The combination of the warming stew and the cooling, slightly tangy sour cream is wonderful, and it will even make the dish creamier.
The stew is also great with a side of bread. Try dipping pieces of soft and fluffy flatbread into the sauce and let them soak up the spicy goodness. If you would like to make flatbread yourself, we direct your attention to our quick and easy flatbread recipe.
Add your own touch
You can mix up our recipe by trying out different chili con carne spices. If you enjoy smoky flavors, you might like to add some paprika. Depending on which type of paprika you choose, the spice will also either give the stew sweet undertones or add more heat.
To enhance the dish's warming qualities, you can also add ground cinnamon. This aromatic spice will give your ground beef chili con carne wonderful, sweet, woody, and earthy notes.
You can also experiment with adding ground coriander. This citrusy spice is often paired with ground cumin to balance the pungent spice with its fresh, floral flavor, making it a delightful, contrasted spice for chili con carne.
No matter what seasonings you decide to go for, you can also experiment with adding dark chocolate (around 60-70 % cocoa) to the stew. Though it may sound strange to add chocolate to a savory meal, the intense and slightly bitter dark chocolate gives it a wonderful depth that enriches its flavors.
