Chilli Beef Orzo

Chilli Con Carne reinvented!

If chilli con carne is a regular dinner in your house, you need to try this! It uses half the amount of beef as a normal chilli and it’s ready in 20 minutes! You can alter the amount of heat depending on your taste and increase the paprika if you prefer it more smokey than hot!

If you want to batch cook this, just make twice as much of the chilli and freeze half without the orzo. Then finish it off once it’s defrosted, A x

Tips & Tricks

• If you have leftovers, heat them up the next day and have them in a wrap with salad and a little mayo.

• If you’re after more beef mince recipe ideas, have a look at my Sweet Chilli Beef Flatbread

Swaps:

• This is easily made vegetarian by using veggie mince (Quorn would work well in this)

• Gluten free orzo is almost impossible to find (If you have found any, please add it to the comments!) To make this gluten free, swap the orzo for 2 packets of microwaved basmati rice (cooked through before adding)

• You can use reduced fat soft cheese and 5% beef mince to lower the fat in this

Feeds 4

• 300g (10.5oz) dried orzo

• 1 onion finely chopped

• 250g (9oz) beef mince

• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 1-2 tsp chilli powder (depending on how hot you want it)

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 350g (12.5oz) passata

• 150g (5.5oz) garlic and herb soft cheese

• 50g (2oz) of fresh spinach

• 400g (14oz) of kidney beans (drained)

1. Place the orzo in a saucepan and cover with boiling, salted water and bring back to the boil. Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until cooked. Reserve 100ml of the starchy cooking water before you drain the pasta.

2. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the onion and fry on a medium heat for 5 minutes.

3. Add the beef mince and garlic and fry for around 5 minutes, stirring regularly until the beef is browned.

4. Add the cumin, chilli powder and paprika for the final minute.

5. Stir in the passata until thoroughly combined and season with salt and pepper.

6. Add the garlic and herb soft cheese, spinach and drained kidney beans with a little of the starchy pasta water. Stir until the spinach has wilted.

7. Keep adding the pasta water a little at a time, stirring until combined before adding more until all 100ml is used up.

8. Add the drained orzo and give it a really good stir before serving