It might sound odd not putting any chilli in a chilli! But there is method to the madness. Some people are highly aggravated by chilli when it comes to digestion and then there are those who just don't love heat, like my kids! We have both in our house.

 

But they need not miss out. You can get the same chilli taste without the hot after burn by using cumin and paprika instead. With the addition of a good beef stock or bone broth and some dark chocolate, this is a rich, comforting eat, liked by kids and grown ups alike. We make it stretch over several days too which means it's a great budget make and goes a long way. 

Ingredients: 500g Beef Mince (Don't be tempted to get the low fat 5% kind, the fat will help with the flavour), 2 Small Onions, 4 Cloves of Garlic, 50g Salted Butter, 1 Heaped tsp Paprika, 1 Heaped tsp Ground Cumin, 1 Flat tsp Garlic Granules, 1 Flat tsp Onion Salt, 1 Beef Liquid Stock Pot ( I had homemade Beef Bone Broth in the freezer so I used a couple of these also for more flavour.) 1 *Organic Beef Stock cube to crumble in, 400ml Water, 1 Carton of*Organic Tomato Passata, 1 tin of *Organic Kidney Beans. 1 tbsp chopped fresh Coriander ( I keep it chopped and frozen so I've got a supply at short notice.) 2 Squares of good quality Dark Chocolate (70% minimum Cocoa Solids), good quality Salt (I use Celtic Salt.) and Black Pepper to season. 

* Although we have to budget, I do try and incorporate a few Organic ingredients where we can. Obviously, if you don't have or use Organic, use whatever you have. 

Method: Dice the onions and crush the garlic. Add both to a pan with butter (and a splash of water to prevent sticking.) Season with salt and pepper. Once softened, around 5 minutes, add the beef. Break up and cook until browned, around a further 5 minutes. Add the cumin, paprika, garlic granules and onion salt. Stir and cook for a few more minutes. Crumble in a dry beef stock cube. Mix and cook for a further few minutes. Add in the carton of passata. Stir everything and simmer for a few minutes over the heat. Drop in your beef stock pot along with the water and stir everything, continuing to cook for another 5 minutes. Taste and season again at this point if necessary. Add coriander and any additional bone broth if you have it (not essential, but adds depth and flavour.) Drain and rinse the kidney beans and stir into the pan. Add in 2 squares of dark chocolate. These will just melt in and add colour and depth of flavour. I never cook a chilli without it now. 

Extras: Don't be scared of the chocolate. If it's dark with a high cocoa content, it will be a beneficial addition.

A good quality salt (not table salt!) again makes all the difference to the flavour and is full of unprocessed minerals our bodies need.

You can use whatever herbs you like, I find coriander goes well, especially as I often serve it with lime.

It's super flexible for serving options, as shown above. My personal favourite is with jacket potatoes or we often do it with a big bowl of wedges and dip.

It's a proper bulk make and will last for days in the fridge or you can portion it up for the freezer. 

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