I’ve never bothered with chilli con carne because… I err thought it was full of chilli. So when one of the mums on the OneHandedCooks FB page mentioned her kids loved it, I thought I would give it a whirl. Surprise, surpise, Harry just loved this for dinner last night. I added some tomato salsa (tomato chopped with herbs), some oven crisped pita bread and some mushed avocado and he was in a very, very happy place.

Oh, and he had leftovers for lunch, I made a toasted cheese and chilli con carne sandwich, very nice.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 4 rashers bacon, fat removed roughly chopped
• 500g premium beef mince
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium red capsicum, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 x 400g cans diced tomatoes
• 400g can red kidney beans, drained, rinsed
• 1 tsp chilli powder (adults version)
• 1 avocado, cubed
• 2 tomatoes, diced (optional)
• 2 tbs fresh coriander, chopped (optional)
• Tortilla chips* to dip (adults version)
• Sour cream to serve (adults version)
• Note: The tortilla chips are not gluten free

Method

Step 1

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add bacon and cook for 5 minutes. Add mince and cook, stirring to break up the mince for around 15 minutes or until browned.  -

Step 2

Add onions, capsicums and garlic Cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until vegetables are soft.  -

Step 3

Add tomatoes and 1 cup of cold water. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes or until sauce has reduced slightly. -

Step 4

Add beans. Increase heat to medium. Cook for 15 minutes or until beans are heated through and sauce has thickened.  -

Step 5

(Adult version) Remove a portion for your children. For the adult version add as much chilli as you want. Top with a salad of diced tomato, coriander, and avocado. Serve with sour cream, grated cheese and tortilla or corn chips.  -

Step 6

(Child version) Blend or mash the mince with some avocado and serve with some lightly baked pita bread (optional if your child is old enough). -