Totally Tinned Chilli

My recipe for Totally Tinned Chilli is exactly that, a delicious, spicy and easy to make family recipe that is made mainly with tinned or long life ingredients.

Today’s recipe for Totally Tinned Chilli con Carne is exactly that, a delicious, spicy and easy to make family recipe that is made mainly with tinned or long life store cupboard and pantry ingredients.

The only added fresh ingredient is an onion, and the OPTIONAL serving ingredients of cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips. It’s made with just one tin each of stewed steak, chopped tomatoes and kidney beans.

Then all that’s needed are the dried, powdered spices and a dollop of tomato puree. Serve this hearty chilli with rice, or if supplies allow, some grated cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips. Another added bonus, is that this recipe is made in one pot and is on the table in 30 minutes.

I think lots of people are struggling right now to get fresh ingredients, and if you do manage to buy them, they have a shorter shelf life than tins. I have a well-stocked store cupboard, mainly because I live in the countryside, and the nearest shops are 5 or 6 miles away.

So, I always have a good selection of tinned vegetables, beans and pulses, as well as tinned meat. I love tinned stewed steak, as it’s a real boon for busy days when time is short. It also has a high meat content with no “preservative nasties” in it, if you buy a reputable brand.

I am known for my large store cupboard, larder, pantry and multiple freezers. When you live in a rural location, it’s so important to have back-up stores – something that people who live in towns tend to forget.

Whilst many people are embracing a minimalist lifestyle, and are madly de-cluttering their homes, as is the new trend, I am firmly resisting such a measure.

It’s just that I live in a rural location, as I said before, with the nearest shops and post office being several miles away, which are mainly small local news agents shops, not large supermarkets.

My Top Ten Tinned Items are:

• Tinned chopped tomatoes
• Tinned beans, assorted such as Kidney Beans, Cannellini Beans etc
• Tinned sweetcorn
• Tinned tuna
• Tinned salmon
• Baked beans
• Tinned fruit
• Tinned meat such as Corned Beef, Steak, Chicken etc
• Tinned pulses
• Condensed milk & evaporated milk

And my Top Ten Dried Pantry Ingredients are:

• Dried mixed fruit
• Dried Pulses such as Lentils and Split Peas
• Rice
• Flour
• Sugar
• Cocoa
• Tea and Coffee
• Pasta
• Herbs and Spices
• Nuts, seeds and grains

The list is by no means definitive, but with a back-up store like that, you can cook and bake all manner of tasty family meals such as: cakes, biscuits, pies, tarts, casseroles, Spag Bol, curries, breakfasts, on toast supper dishes, and today’s recipe for Totally Tinned Chilli.

To make Totally Tinned Chilli veggie, omit the stewed steak and add an extra tin of beans, or a chopped red pepper and an extra onion.

To make Totally Tinned Chilli vegan, make it as the veggie version above, but don’t serve with cheese or sour cream.

There are also a vast selection of beans on offer, such as Black Beans and Mixed Bean Salad that you can add to all versions of this chilli.

Cooking note: If the chilli has too much liquid, take the lid off for the last 5 minutes of cooking and add 1 tablespoon of cornflour mixed with a little water, and cook until thickened. Serve as before.

Today’s recipe is shared at the end of this post, along with some easy step-by-step instructions.

I hope enjoy my lasted store cupboard recipe for Totally Tinned Chilli of you make, and please DO let me know, Karen

You’ll find the full and printable recipe at the end of this post.

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan that has a lid. Add the diced onion and saute for 5 minutes until they are soft, light brown and translucent.
• Add the tinned steak, chopped tomatoes and drained kidney beans to the cooked onions, and mix together gently with a wooden spoon

• Add all of the spices, the oregano and the tomato puree, and mix well.
• Add one tin of water to the chilli, using an empty tin such as the stewed steak and mix one more time.
• Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes over a low to medium heat with the lid on.

• Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve straight away with rice, and/or sour cream, grated cheese and tortilla chips.

PS: I always have a chilli plant on my kitchen windowsill, as well as an assortment of living herbs!