A tasty and mild Chilli Con Carne recipe for kids that’s packed full of vegetables too!
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Family meal times can be a struggle, I totally get that.
Getting enough veggies into kids on a daily basis is difficult and so I’m a big fan of packing as much as possible into their normal every day meals.
This Chilli Con Carne is a classic example.
This recipe contains FOUR different veggies – the carrots and courgettes are hidden within the sauce and the red pepper and sweetcorn are left whole.
This is a great approach to fussy eating as it’s still giving some exposure to children of vegetables in their whole form.
The recipe is really simple to make.
The list of ingredients might look a bit long but don’t let that put you off! You probably have most of the spices at home in your cupboard anyway.
I’ve kept this dish really mild so it’s perfect for kids but if you prefer your chilli with a bit more of a kick then double the quantities.
Chilli Con Carne for Fussy Eaters
The first step is to lightly fry the grated carrot and courgette with onions, garlic and oil. This means they cook down into the sauce and your fussy eaters won’t even know that they are there.
The grated veggies not only help boost the nutritional value of this chilli, but they also help to bulk out the whole dish, making it go a little further and make the meal more budget-friendly.
Next, fry the spices and beef mince until browned and then simmer with a tin of chopped tomatoes and stock.
The final step is to add chopped red peppers, sweetcorn and kidney beans and cook for a few minutes.
I like to add a squeeze of lime juice at the end but this is totally optional and feel free to leave this out.
I serve my chilli with boiled rice, sour cream and a few tortilla chips on the side. The kids absolutely love this as they see having “crisps” for dinner as such a treat!
If you liked this recipe you may also enjoy my 10 Minute Smoky Bean Chilli
Product Recommendation
I’m a big fan of investing in a good shallow cast iron casserole dish. It’s brilliant for cooking big meals in bulk and can be used on the hob and in the oven too.
There are lots of expensive brands out there but in my opinion the cheaper brands work just as well.
If you try this recipe please do let me know what you think. Or tag me in a picture on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. I’ve really been enjoying seeing all your creations.
Looking for ways to get your fussy eater to eat a better variety of food? Try Pick Plates. These round divided plates have five compartments to be filled with a wide selection of food groups and choices of ingredients. Perfect for making food fun, interesting and appealing to picky eaters.
Chilli Con Carne for Kids
Prep Time: 4 minutes- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 29 minutes
Yield: 6 1x
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
A tasty and mild Chilli Con Carne recipe for kids that’s packed full lots of vegetables too!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 small white onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 1 small courgette, grated
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp mild chilli powder
- 500g / 18oz beef mince
- 400g / 14oz (1 tin) chopped tomatoes
- 300ml beef stock / 1 & ¼ cups (use a gluten free stock cube if necessary)
- 240g / 8oz (1 tin) cooked kidney beans, drained
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 100g / ½ cup corn (can be tinned or frozen)
- 1 fresh lime
To serve: boiled rice, sour cream and tortilla chips
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large dish on the hob. Add the onion and fry over a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the garlic, grated carrot and grated courgette and fry for another 2 minutes.
- Add the spices – smoked paprika, ground coriander, ground cumin and chilli powder and mix well.
- Add in the beef mince and fry for another 4 minutes or until the meat has browned.
- Pour in the tinned tomatoes and beef stock and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add in the kidney beans, red pepper and corn and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add in some fresh lime juice to taste.
- Serve immediately with rice, sour cream and tortilla chips.
Notes
This is a great family meal to make in bulk. It can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for 48 hours or frozen and kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Naz says
Love this recipe always use it! But just realised the ingredients says onion died 😂
Vicky says
Good spot!😂🤣 we will get that changed. Glad you love this recipe.
Anonymous says
My kids both cleaned their plate. For my four year old this is a big deal!
I added tomato paste and passata and let it reduce for a while longer as we prefer a more red sauce, but it was delicious.
We will definitely make this again.
★★★★★
Vicky says
Wow! this is so good the hear. Adding the tomato pasta and passata is a great idea too. Thank you.
Linsey says
This Chilli is amazing! It’s my kids favourite dinner and my very fussy hubby loves it too!! We have it with rice and some nachos for scooping 😋 devine!
Just wondering if you could pop everything into the slow cooker and cook it that way over a few hours??
Thanks for this recipe! Xx
Vicky says
Hi Linsey, so good to hear this is a favorite with your whole family, nachos for scooping sound amazing.
As for the slow cooker recipe ideas, maybe give this a try https://satisfysmiles.store/slow-cooker-ragu-for-kids/%3C/a%3E and let us know what you think. Thank you for your great comments. xx
Gemma Corbett says
My toddler gobbled this down when I made-thanks so much for this delicious and healthy dinner!
★★★★★
Vicky says
Yay! this makes us so happy to hear this, thank you for coming back to us 😊
Marie says
Onion, garlic, sweetcorn, pepper, tomatoes, courgette, carrots…. I count a whopping 7 veggies, not 4! Well done!
Also, we’re loving the “crisps” for dinner too!
H says
My 9 month is currently wolfing this down, i just used a low salt stock cube and squished the beans a bit to adjust for his age and he is just loving it. Sadly my very fussy 2 year old didn’t touch his but he currently doesn’t do sauces, or meat, or veg 😂 he did however tolerate it on his plate and ate some cheese off it so that’s a start! It smells divine so I will make this with veggie mince next time so I can try some too 😊
Vicky says
Fantastic news we love hearing feed back like yours. please feel free to join our very supportive group on facebook called ‘My fussy eater family food group’. hope you enjoy making more of our recipes. Have a good day.
Sarah says
I’ve been using this recipe for the past year. I am not a fan of a lot of vegetables as an adult and hate courgette so it’s also a good way for me to up my five a day, nevermind my 2 year old.
★★★★★
Bianca Carey Spencer says
Sarah, so glad you are enjoying the recipe! x
Jess says
First time making a chilli. Super simple, absolutely delicious. I feel amazing right now after making that.
★★★★★
Gillian Connolly says
My kids are a nightmare but love this!
★★★★★
Amy says
Really good and my son (6) liked it!
★★★★★
Vashti says
I love this recipe! Myself , husband s as and two boys (5 &7) LOVE this!!! One of our family favourites! I cook it once a week.
Sarah Joiner says
Struggling to find dishes that both of my kids like. This was a hit. Thanks so much!
★★★★★
Gill says
Delicious! We had this last night and my 14 month old loved it so much she wasn’t waiting for the spoon, she was picking it up with her fingers! Thank you! X
★★★★★
Tiffany says
Could you do this in a slow cooker? Thank you! X
Natalie says
My husband and I had this with tacos last night. Very tasty and we were quite happy with it. Unfortunately Miss Fussy Two and a Half refused to try it. We are having it again tomorrow night so here is hoping she will try it. For tacos or burritos (two tacos each and a tablespoon for Miss Fussy Two and a Half) the mixture will last us four nights which is extremely awesome.
★★★
Dionne says
Love how many veggies are in this. It’s much better than my normal recipe for chilli that I’ve been making for years so will use this one every time now!
★★★★★
Amy says
I make this recipe every week! My partner and three kids all love it!
★★★★★
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