Cooking made practical: portions, clear steps and useful tips.
Chilli con carne is rich, savoury and a little hot, so the best things to serve with it either soak up the sauce or cut through it. The simplest way to plan the plate is in three parts: something starchy, something fresh and one or two toppings. Here is how to choose each, whether you are feeding two on a Tuesday or twenty at a party.
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A good chili con carne seasoning mix should give you earthy warmth, gentle smokiness and enough heat to suit your table, without hiding the beef, tomatoes or beans. You can make it with ordinary supermarket spices, but knowing which chilli powder you have and when to add it makes a bigger difference than a long ingredients list.
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A serving of chilli con carne can vary considerably in calories, depending on the mince, beans, oil and portion size. As a useful starting point, a bowl without rice or toppings often comes to around 350–550 calories; the complete plate can be higher once you add rice, cheese or sour cream.
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Chilli con carne freezes well, making it handy to cook a larger batch and save portions for another day. Cool it promptly, pack it in freezer-safe portions and thaw or reheat it safely to keep the flavour and texture at their best.
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Chilli con carne is closely associated with Texas, where it developed as a hearty, boldly seasoned meat dish. Its story is more complicated than a single inventor or a neat date: the food grew out of regional cooking, migration and changing tastes, and it is not a traditional Mexican dish.
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