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gram's chili con carne my way!

cyrene avatar
Recipe by
Linda Kauppinen
@cyrene
Greenwood, FL

When I was growing up, my grandmother would make this recipe using stewed tomatoes, tomato soup, no chili spices, plain kidney beans and served mixed with elbow macaroni. Making this same recipe now adays just tastes too sweet and is totally not the same flavor at all due to the changes they have made with our foods. This Chili Con Carne recipe came out totally awesome and is better than grams old time favorite in my son's opinion! He said its the bomb!!

yield 4 to 5
prep time 30 Min
cook time 1 Hr 30 Min
method Stove Top

Ingredients For gram's chili con carne my way!

  • 1 lb
    lean ground beef or chuck
  • 1 md
    onion, diced
  • 2 clove
    fresh garlic, minced
  • 1/4 c
    chili powder
  • 2 tsp
    cumin, ground
  • 1/8 tsp
    cayenne pepper, adjust to taste
  • 1 tsp
    fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 can
    hunts low sodium diced tomatoes, or 5 fresh ripe plum tomatoes, diced
  • 1 can
    hunts low sodium tomato sauce or 1 1/2 c homemade sauce if you have it
  • 1 can
    bush''s best chili beans, in mild or medium chili sauce. i use low sodium kidney beans when i can find them!
  • 1 1/2 c
    elbow macaroni
  • 1 bag
    mexican taco mix shredded cheese
  • NOTE: IF USING FRESH INGREDIENTS, YOU MAY NEED TO ADD WATER TO YOUR MIXTURE. ADD ABOUT 1/4 CUP AT A TIME UNTIL YOU REACH THE RIGHT CHILI CONSISTENCY

How To Make gram's chili con carne my way!

  • 1
    In large skillet, add your diced onion and beef. Brown the beef and onion together until there is no pink left in the meat. DO NOT allow the onion to burn.
  • 2
    Drain the grease from the pan if there is any.
  • 3
    Moving the meat and onions to the side of the pan, add in this order, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Stir and cook allowing them to bloom about 30 seconds. And then stir into the meat and onion mix.
  • 4
    Add Tomato sauce, Diced Tomatoes, and kidney beans. Mix together well and bring to a boil. Turn the pan down to simmer and allow to cook and reduce for about an hour.
  • 5
    In a large saucepan, cook your elbow macaroni until tender. Rinse in cold water. Put aside in a mixing bowl awaiting chili.
  • 6
    When chili is ready, mix it into the cooked elbow macaroni. Get a good sized cassarole dish out and making layers, you will put a layer of chili macaroni on the bottom, top with some cheese, add another layer of chili macaroni and cheese until topped only with cheese. Put in a hot oven at 325 degrees and cook until bubbles about 15 to 20 minutes. Allow dish to sit for a good 5 to 10 minutes before serving to allow flavors to mingle well. Enjoy!!
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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