When the evenings start drawing in, chilli con carne is a great winter warmer.  It's a great party food and ideal as a hot Halloween food offering.  Bonfire Night food, or a great family meal, I'm sure you'll love this quick and easy chilli con carne recipe

Quick & Easy Chilli con Carne on a Budget (serves 4)

• 500g beef mince.
• 2 small onions, chopped.
• 400g tin of kidney beans in chilli sauce.
• 400g tin of tomatoes.
• Splash of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce (or any sauce you have to hand that you normally use to "pep things up" a bit).
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder.
• extra chilli sauces of your choosing if you like it HOT.

1. Chop the onions and fry. Fry the mince.
2. Combine the mince and onions, add the kidney beans, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, chilli powder and any other chilli sauces if required.
3. Mix thoroughly in a large saucepan, put the lid on and bring to the boil.
4. Keeping the lid on, turn down the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring often. Keep tasting it too in case you want to add a bit more chilli :)

Once cooked, you can either serve immediately or you can cool it and keep it in the fridge for a few days. Freezing is an option, although it never makes it that far in my house!

Chilli con carne is a very versatile dish and can be served with many other foods.

Chilli Con Carne With Rice

You can serve your chilli con carne with plain rice, or even a packet of flavoured rice. Personally I like to use a plain Basmati rice. Although Basmati rice is usually thought of to accompany Indian food, I love it so use it for everything.

Alternatively, any long grain rice or patna rice ... hey, you don't need me to chat about rice, just use what you've got/like!

Chilli Con Carne With Tortilla Chips

If you server your chilli con carne with tortilla chips then you could make this into a party bowl. Pour your chilli into a shallow dish and slide the tortilla chips in round the edges; if you place the bowl on a plate you can also put a pile of tortilla chips round the base of the bowl. This makes a great and easy party dip.

Chilli Con Carne With Garlic Bread

I love it when chilli con carne is served with garlic bread. You can either make your own or buy a frozen one in to reheat. Garlic bread's easy to make ... heck I should write that up for you! I'll do it later.

Update: Hey, I wrote my Easy Garlic Bread Recipe down for you, here it is: http://hubpages.com/hub/Easy-Garlic-Bread-on-a-Budget-Recipe

Chilli Con Carne With Hot Home Made Bread

If you've got some home made bread, then a big chunk of that can go down a treat with chilli con carne. I often make a lovely herby bread, which is just a standard loaf with some oregano, margjoram and thyme in.

Alternatively, why not try my Easy Peasy Cheesy Bread in an Hour: http://hubpages.com/_morehubs/hub/Easy-Peasy-Cheesy-Bread-in-an-Hour - it costs under US$1 to make and you can be eating it just one hour from no. What's great about this bread is there's no yeast, no rising, no kneading!

Chili Con Carne With French Fries/Chips/Potato Wedges

It doesn't matter if you call them french fries or chips, the bottom line is that chilli con carne is a great accompaniment to a portion of chips! Potato wedges are also a great idea to have as a side dish to your chilli.

On a diet?

If you're on a diet, then chilli con carne can be a great low calorie option if you serve it just on a bed of crispy lettuce or you can even throw in some mixed peppers and grated carrot. The natural shape of a good lettuce leaf makes an ideal container for your chilli.

Notes

This is an affordable, quick & easy chilli con carne. With no garlic, peppers and no red wine added it cuts down the cost and the time to prepare. Ideal for students as it is tasty, goes a long way and without these extra ingredients it's ideal for a student budget.

Enjoy!

Photos by:

Garlic Bread: Steven_Vance
Boiled Rice: Wikimedia Commons
Chilli: Wikimedia Commons