Middle Eastern Inspired Chilli Con Carne
We all have our favourite Chilli Con Carne recipe, but sometimes we need warming spices and a little twist, to add excitement to our midweek meals and this Middle Eastern Chilli Con Carne does just that. My family aren’t huge Chilli Con Carne fans, but they absolutely loved this recipe. The middle eastern spices add a delicious flavour to the dish and the healthy vegetables add sweetness and thicken the sauce.
This versatile Middle Eastern Chilli Con Carne recipe is great to serve as bowl food, with couscous or rice, in a wrap or over a baked potato.
The lamb mince can be substituted for beef, chicken or turkey mince, Quorn mince for vegetarians. For a plant-based or vegan recipe add a variety of beans 3 or more tins depending how thick you prefer the chilli to be.
- 1 onion, white or red
- 2 peppers, green or red
- 2 carrots
- 2 stalks of celery
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 1 fresh green chilli
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes (omit or increase for a spicier chilli)
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- Small bunch fresh parsley
- 200g lamb mince
- 1 concentrated vegetable stock cube
- water to just cover the mince (+-250 ml)
- 2 x 400g tins of kidney beans or 250g dried beans soaked for 1 day with 3 water changes
- Season to taste
- Optional thickener: 2 tablespoons cornflour diluted in a ¼ cup of water
- 2 T olive oil for Quorn or bean only chilli
- Blend all the vegetables, fresh chilli and garlic finely in a food processor.
- Or
- Finely chop the vegetables, garlic and fresh chilli by hand.
- Soften the vegetables in a large pot without oil, the lamb mince is fatty you won't need oil.
- Add the lamb mince and fry until browned.
- Stir in the extra chilli flakes, if using.
- For Quorn or a bean only chilli add a couple of tablespoon of olive oil.
- Then add the spices and the pomegranate molasses to the pot and stir.
- Stir in the stock, water and tomato puree until incorporated.
- Fresh Kidney Beans
- Simmer the meat and fresh kidney beans for 1-2 hours, until the beans have softened.
- Tinned Kidney Beans
- Simmer the mince for 30-40 minutes, then add the tinned beans and simmer for a further 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened to your liking.
- If you prefer a thicker sauce or are short of time, add the diluted cornflour to the pot and cook until the sauce amalgamates and thickens.
- Season to taste.
Quorn mince for vegetarians cook according to the instructions on the packet, usually the Quorn mince takes 20-30 minutes to cook.
For a plant-based or vegan recipe add a variety of beans 3 or more tins depending how thick you prefer the chilli to be.
Cook the sauce ingredinents on its own first for 20 minutes, then add the beans, simmer until the beans have heated through and the sauce has reduced. Thicken with cornflour for a thicker sauce.
I have made this recipe with 400g mince and a tin of beans, you can increase or decrease the ratio to suite what you have indoors.
