Mexican Beef Chilli

This recipe may look a bit daunting as it takes a while to cook; however, it’s actually very easy to prepare and, once in the oven, can basically be left to bubble away until it’s perfect. The smells coming out of the kitchen while it’s cooking are incredible. This would be a great meal for a dinner party as everything can just be whacked in the middle of the table with lots of it prepared in advance. The calories below are just for the chilli as there is such a variety of accompaniments you could try. I like to serve it with the fresh salsa, a dollop of guacamole, light sour cream and a small portion of rice and that’s usually enough for me. Alternatively, for a few extra calories you could have it with a wrap (à la burrito) or with taco shells and a nice green salad. If you do add to the recipe, be sure to include the extra calories

Serving Suggestions

I serve with 0 point salsa, a dollop of guacamole, a tbsp of half fat sour cream and a very small portion of rice (40g) and that was enough for me. My hubbie had it with both rice and a wrap and made himself what can only be described as’ the nicest burrito he has ever tasted’. You could also have it with taco shells  and a nice green salad. Just be sure to adjust the points/calories depending on what you add.

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POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 8 – per serving

without accompaniments = 8 points or 238 cals, 6.7g fat, 15.4g carbs, 26.8g protein

with accompaniments = 10 points or 315 cals, 13.4g fat, 18.7g carbs, 27.9g protein

Ingredients

2 onions, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 red chillies, finely chopped

2 red/yellow peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped

30g fresh coriander, stalks removed and separated, everything chopped

2 tsp each smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander and chilli powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp each cayenne pepper and chilli flakes

2 fresh bay leaves

2 x 400 g tins of chopped tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 beef stock cube, crumbled

800g beef brisket, raw

400g tin of cannellini or kidney beans in water

2 limes, quartered

Low calorie cooking spray

Salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan).
  2. Spray a large ovenproof pan with low-calorie cooking spray. Add the onion, garlic, chilli, peppers and coriander stalks and fry over a medium heat for 5 minutes.
  3. Add all the spices and the bay leaves and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly and adding a splash or two of water to stop it sticking, if needed.
  4. Next, add the tomatoes and two tins’ worth of water, the tomato purée and crumbled stock cube and bring to the boil.
  5. Add the meat to the pan, cover with the liquid and then a lid (or foil if you don’t have a lid), and then transfer to the oven to cook for 4 hours, stirring halfway and adding a good splash of water to loosen, if needed.
  6. Thirty minutes before the end of cooking, remove the pan from the oven. Take two forks and shred the meat apart in the pan.
  7. Drain the cannellini beans and stir through the chilli, adding a little more water if the chilli looks a bit dry, and pop back into the oven for the final half hour.
  8. To make the salsa, combine all the ingredients with some seasoning in a large bowl and voilà!
  9. To make the guacamole, tip all the ingredients into a large bowl, add some seasoning and use a fork to roughly mash everything together. If not serving straight away, sit the avocado stones in the guacamole (this helps to stop it going brown), cover with cling film and chill until needed.
  10. Remove the chilli from the oven, season if needed, and then stir through the coriander leaves. Serve with a slice of lime and the salsa and guacamole, if making.

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For the salsa – makes 8 portions (0 points per serving)

1 pepper, deseeded finely diced

3 spring onions, finely chopped

400g tomatoes, mashed

1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

30g fresh coriander leaves, chopped

2 tsp white wine vinegar

Juice of half a lime

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For the guacamole – makes 8 portions ( 2 points per serving)

1 large ripe tomato, chopped to a pulp

2 ripe avocados (300g flesh)

Juice 1 large lime

15g fresh coriander, leaves and stalks chopped, plus a few leaves, roughly chopped, to serve

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

1 chilli, red or green, deseeded and finely chopped

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2 thoughts on “Mexican Beef Chilli”

  • This is a really easy meal to make & turns out so yummy I loved it. My partner has said after having 2nds “that is simply delicious “. That’s definitely a winner. Great as always.

    • Ah glad to here you both liked it, I love this one!

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