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Chili con Carne – The best recipes
Chili con Carne – The best recipes
Chili con carne – the main thing is spicy? That doesn’t have to be the case, because the spicy stew can be varied wonderfully. We’ll show you what variations of the classic recipe can look like.
Chili con Carne: Our favorite recipes
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Video recipe from Fabio Haebel: Chili con carne without beans
In our video cooking school, chef Fabio Haebel shows how to prepare a Texan chili con carne without beans – typical of the region. Click here for the recipe with a printable version.

Recipe for original chili con carne by Fabio Haebel
02:43 minutes
Chili sin carne – the vegetarian alternative
Chili sin carne has long been a classic in vegetarian cuisine: for the version without meat, you can use tofu or soy granules. In addition, a vegetarian chili is usually rich in beans and vegetables. Try it out: our recipes show variations with tofu, halloumi cheese or simply completely vegan.
Chili con Carne – The best tips and variations
Whether it’s a party, a buffet or an evening with friends, chili is a classic meal that is easy to prepare and quick to heat up. To do this, simply chill the pre-cooked stew in the refrigerator and slowly reheat it in the evening, stirring regularly. Freshly prepare the right dip and the meal is ready for a convivial evening.

Chili con carne with beans, corn and sour cream
© Matthias Haupt
The right chili for the perfect spiciness
A chili con carne can of course also be prepared with a lot of heat. But there are many Chili varieties, so the choice is not always easy. Suitable for the Texas stew Jalapeno, Ancho or Pasilla. Their spiciness is retained during cooking. The fruity, fiery habaneros, on the other hand, lose their aroma during the cooking process, which is why they are less suitable for chili con carne. In addition to the classic chili pepper, you can also add spices such as: oregano and cumin to. Mexican oregano goes particularly well. It is related to the European oregano, but has a much more intense aroma.
Chili con Carne: Variations on the classic
Minced meat is often used to prepare chili con carne. Because when fried until crumbly, it has the optimal consistency for the creamy dish. In Texas, where chili con carne is a traditional dish, small pieces of beef are often used. But pork and game are also suitable for preparing this classic recipe. Fry the meat with onions and garlic, which gives it a particularly delicate aroma.
Where the dish chili con carne originally comes from will probably never be conclusively clarified, but it is not Mexico that is considered the motherland of the spicy stew, but the south of the USA. Regardless of whether the first chili was cooked in Arizona, Texas or New Mexico, it cannot deny its connection to Mexican cuisine with the hot chili and hearty beans and meat.
Text-Mex cuisine is known for combining Mexican and American cuisine. Therefore, there are a wide variety of variations of the stew depending on how it is laid out. A Texan interpretation of chili con carne is prepared without beans. In other regions, pinto or kidney beans are often added to the dish. The filling beans are particularly suitable for a vegetarian chili sin carne because they are rich in protein and therefore an ideal meat substitute. New variants with beer, coffee and cocoa are also popular alternatives that complement and reinterpret the taste of chili.
More recipe ideas with chili con carne
If you want to vary the chili creatively, let our recipe ideas inspire you. With minced meat and chili you can create a lot of classics and your very own variations. We wish you bon appetit!
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