Published: · Updated: by Marianne · This post may contain affiliate links ·
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This Chili Con Carne is a Weight Watcher friendly version of the spicy classic.
At 4 SmartPoints per portion on the Blue & Purple plan & 9 SmartPoints on the Green plan it is the perfect meal for anyone following the Weight Watchers program.
To find out how many Personal Points this recipe will be for you & to track it in the WW App, click on the blue button in recipe card below!
By making just a couple of changes to my old 'go to' Chili Con Carne recipe, I've created a WW friendly recipe that's low in SmartPoints but high in flavour.
Please be aware that this post was written prior to Weight Watchers changing to the WW Personal Points Plan! You can discover exactly how many Personal Points this recipe will be for you by clicking on the blue ‘WW Personal Points’ button in the recipe card below.
Swapping 'full fat' ground (mince) beef for extra lean beef reduces the SmartPoints by 6 Points per portion.
That's quite a few SmartPoints to use on something else that you fancy!
The red kidney beans and chopped bell pepper add bulk to the chili for no extra points if you are on the Blue & Purple plans.
If you are following the Green plan, kidney beans now have to be pointed but they are so filling meaning they are not just 'empty' points.
All this means you get a big portion of chili for your points!
Tips for making Chili Con Carne:
- Chop all of the vegetables prior to starting the recipe. Believe me, this makes things so much easier!
- I use 1 tablespoon of mild chili powder in this recipe (with a little bit of added dried chili flakes).
- If you like your chili with real punch, use 1 - 1 ½ teaspoons of hot chili powder instead.
- My old (non WW friendly) recipe for Chili Con Carne used 1 tablespoon of olive oil. I was able to reduce the amount of oil used in this recipe, but you do need to keep an eye on the onions when they are frying as they are more likely to stick to the pan. Make sure you stir them continuously to prevent them from sticking.
- After frying off the onion and adding and cooking the garlic, peppers and spices, use a couple of spoonfuls of water to de-glaze the pan. This just means that you scrape off any bits of spice, onion etc that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Stirring these browned bits in to the mixture adds to the overall flavour of the chili whilst also preventing it from sticking further and burning when the meat is added.
- Turn up the heat before you add the meat. You want the meat to fry and brown, rather than stew in the juices that are released from the beef.
Serving Suggestions:
- Serve with a medium portion of white rice for an extra 6 SmartPoints (all plans).
- If you are following the Purple plan you could serve the chili with a portion of brown rice for no extra SmartPoints.
- Serve with a portion of cauliflower rice for no extra SmartPoints.
- Spoon onto a small jacket/baked potato for an extra 4 SmartPoints (Green & Blue plan) or for no extra points if you are following the Purple plan.
- Serve on top of some Easy Butternut Squash mash for no extra SmartPoints.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Visit this page to see what that means.
What I used:
I used a garlic press, like this one, to crush the garlic for this recipe.
More Weight Watchers Dinner Recipes
These Swedish Meatballs are a firm favourite of mine, especially when I am looking for proper comfort food!
This is tasty, easy to make and low in SmartPoints.
If you are looking for a zero point dinner recipe then you can't go wrong with the Zero Point Chili! It is tasty, filling and can be batch cooked and frozen!
wp-recipe-maker/recipe {"id":3060
Chili Con Carne | Weight Watchers
Marianne
This Chili Con Carne is a Weight Watchers version of the spicy classic. At 4 SmartPoints per portion (Blue & Purple plans) & 9 SmartPoints on the Green plan it is a tasty and filling evening meal.
4.55 from 20 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Course dinner
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 4 people
Calories 343 kcal
Ingredients
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- 1 red pepper / bell pepper finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tbsp mild chili powder 1 tsp if using hot chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp chili flakes optional
- ½ tsp garlic granules
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 17.5 oz extra lean ground beef / mince beef 5% fat
- 1¼ cups beef stock (300ml) made with bouillon / beef stock cube
- 1 can chopped tomatoes 1 x 400g can
- 1 can kidney beans 1 x 410g can
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- salt & pepper to taste
- 4 tbsp fat free natural yogurt optional
- fresh coriander / cilantro optional
Instructions
Place a large pan over a medium heat and add the oil. Once the oil is hot add the chopped onion and cook for 4 - 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until it has become soft and translucent.
Add the crushed garlic and chopped peppers to the mix and stir. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, chili flakes and garlic granules and stir again. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the pan and using a wooden spoon scrape any stuck on bits off the bottom of the pan, incorporating them into the mixture, before moving on to the next step. This will stop them from continuing to cook to the bottom of the pan and it will add to the flavour!
Turn up the heat to medium/high and add the mince beef / ground beef. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat and stir and cook until all the meat has browned and there are no pink bits left.
Make the stock by adding 1 stock cube to 300ml boiling water and add it to the mince. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir. Add the dried oregano and tomato puree and stir.
Bring the mix to the boil, stir then turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling. Put a lid on the pan and leave for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened.
Add the drained kidney beans, stir and bring to the boil again. Reduce the heat till the mixture is simmering and cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Turn off the heat, add some salt and pepper to taste and leave to sit for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with rice (or cauliflower rice for a really low point meal) and garnish with a spoonful of fat free natural yogurt and some fresh coriander / cilantro.
Notes
Please be aware that the nutritional information below has been automatically generated and does not account for variations in product brands and types, weights of individual ingredients etc. It should therefore be considered as an estimate.
PointedKitchen.com has calculated Weight Watchers Smart Points based on the individual ingredients used to make this recipe and not from the following nutritional information.
PointedKitchen.com is not responsible for any loss or damage relating to your reliance on this nutritional information.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Chili Con Carne | Weight Watchers
Serving Size
1
Amount per Serving
Calories
343
% Daily Value*
Fat
10
g
15
%
Saturated Fat
3
g
19
%
Trans Fat
1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
Cholesterol
77
mg
26
%
Sodium
589
mg
26
%
Potassium
1028
mg
29
%
Carbohydrates
28
g
9
%
Fiber
7
g
29
%
Sugar
10
g
11
%
Protein
37
g
74
%
Vitamin A
2019
IU
40
%
Vitamin C
51
mg
62
%
Calcium
119
mg
12
%
Iron
5
mg
28
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword easy weight watchers recipes, weight watchers chili con carne, Weight watchers dinner recipes
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