better homes and gardens chili con carne recipe

Servings: 4

Too much salt isn't good for you, but too little makes for a bland meal. This robust Chili Con Carne strikes the right balance. With high-impact flavor elements—pure ground chile, freshly toasted and ground coriander and cumin seeds—you get maximum flavor without overdosing on the salt that's often added to packaged chili powder blends. Aromatic herbs and citrus punch up the flavor as well, making this a new favorite dish for game night—or any night.

Ingredients

1 Tbs. whole cumin seeds
2 tsp. whole coriander seeds
1 Tbs. ground ancho chile
1 tsp. ground chipotle chile
1-1/2 tsp. dried oregano, preferably Mexican
2 lb. boneless beef chuck, trimmed of all visible fat and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Fine sea salt
2 Tbs. canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium poblano, seeded and chopped
1 large jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 (14-1/2-oz.) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 (15-oz.) can low-sodium pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 avocado, cut into medium dice
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Calories (kcal) : 610
Fat Calories (kcal): 270
Fat (g): 30
Saturated Fat (g): 8
Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 4
Monounsaturated Fat (g): 17
Cholesterol (mg): 120
Sodium (mg): 960
Carbohydrates (g): 33
Fiber (g): 13
Protein (g): 53

Preparation

Toast the cumin and coriander in a small dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a spice grinder and grind into a powder. Transfer to a small bowl and add the ancho, chipotle, and oregano.
Season the meat with 1/4 tsp. salt. Heat 2 tsp. of the oil in a 6-quart pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of the meat and cook until well browned on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer the meat to a plate. Repeat with another 2 tsp. oil and the remaining meat.

After transferring the second batch of meat to the plate, add the remaining 2 tsp. oil to the pot. Add the onion, poblano, and jalapeño and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add the spice mixture and cook until fragrant and well blended, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Return the beef to the pot, along with any accumulated juice. Add 2-1/2 cups water, the tomatoes and their juice, 1 Tbs. of the lime juice, and 1 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1-1/2 hours. Remove the lid and simmer until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes more. Add the beans, raise the heat to medium high, and stir until the beans are heated through, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1 Tbs. lime juice and season to taste with additional salt.

Serve the chili garnished with the avocado, red onion, and cilantro.

Make Ahead Tips

For the best flavor, plan to make this chili at least 1 day and up to 3 days ahead.

Make it a party; serve with Homemade Tortilla Chips and Guacamole with Roasted Chile, Cumin, and Feta.

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Reviews (14 reviews)

MartinKillips | 01/23/2019

A suggestion for all those chili con carne lovers (and something they commonly do in Mexico) - add some plain chocolate - either a heaped teaspoon of cocoa powder per pound of meat or one standard piece from a plain chocolate bar. But if you only have milk chocolate, use that instead, it will works almost as well. Whenever I have added chocolate to my con carnies my dinner guests wax lyrical about what they have eaten - and none of them have ever guessed what the secret ingredient is. I also think a con carne is better with minced beef with generous chunks of sliced belly pork (flash fried to caramelise first) cooked with the mince.
mgssts63 | 11/02/2018

Flavor was nice but beef chuck turned out tough.