Healthy Chilli

As I mentioned in a previous post I like Mexican food and our chilli is no exception. It is a hearty meal and packed full of spicy flavour. Like my recipe for spaghetti bolognaise, its a great choice for emergency food as it freezes well and can be defrosted and reheated in the microwave really quickly. It can also be used to make a variety of other Mexican dishes with a few extra ingredients, such as chilli burritos and chimichangas.


Ingredients:

500g Lean minced beef
3 finely chopped, large onions
3 finely chopped peppers (I find red, yellow and orange taste best)
1 grated cougette
3 grated carrots
3 stalks of finely chopped celery
500g passata
2 tins chopped tomatoes
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 400g tin of beans (kidney or haricot beans, drained)
5 beef Oxo cubes

1 tbsp dried mixed herbs
1/2 tsp cumin
 2 tsp hot chilli powder
1 tsp chilli flakes
(Add the spices to your own taste and preference for heat)


How to:

1. In a large non stick pot over a medium high heat, sweat off the onion, garlic carrot and celery. Once the onions have turned translucent throw in the peppers and courgette and turn the heat down to medium.
2. In a non stick frying pan cook the mince over a medium high heat. You really don't need any oil to fry food. The secret is to keep the heat a bit lower than when you cook with oil and pay attention to the food, stirring it frequently. Once the meat is almost cooked crumble in the Oxo cubes, turn the heat down to medium and finish cooking the mince.
3. Add the cooked mince to the big veggie pot and pour in the passata, chopped tomatoes, beans and spices. Bring the pot back to the boil and then turn the heat down to low and simmer for at least two hours. We cook ours for 2-3 hours when we have the time. Stir occasionally and after an hour check the taste. We like a medium hot chilli, but feel free to add more heat if you feel the need.
4. Serve with rice.
5. Divide the remaining sauce into portions and freeze. 

Serves 6-8