Money-saving chilli con carne recipe

“This is a versatile dish that you can pair with many different things; have it with rice, smother it over fries, put it on a hot dog, pour it over a jacket spud or just use it as a dip for tortilla chips,” says Mitch Lane, author of Feed Your Family For Under A Fiver.

Chilli con carne

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

1tsp vegetable or olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 green chillies, finely chopped, plus 1 to serve

500g minced beef

41g packet of chilli con carne seasoning

400g tin chopped tomatoes

130g tin kidney beans, drained

300ml beef stock (made with a stock cube)

Method:

1. Put a pan on a medium heat and add the oil and the onion and soften for three to four minutes. Add the garlic and chillies and continue to cook for a further two minutes. If you’re not keen on a lot of spice just use one chilli and remove the seeds.

2. Add the mince and break it up with the back of a spoon, ensuring that there’s no big lumps. Cook the meat until it’s nice and brown. Be generous with the salt and pepper and then add the chilli con carne seasoning. Mix well.

3. Add the tomatoes and kidney beans and stir. Then pour in the beef stock and simmer for 30 minutes. The simmering is very important (it’s like a fine wine that gets better with age).

Feed Your Family For Under A Fiver by Mitch Lane is published by Thorsons, priced £16.99. Photography by Tom Regester. Available now.