Budget Busting (and Healthy) Chili

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 red onion, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 1 eggplant, finely chopped
• 2 celery ribs, finely sliced
• 1 (425 g) can lentils, drained (or 1 cup cooked lentils)
• 350 g beef mince
• 1 (425 g) can tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 1 beef stock cube

Recipe

• 1 sauté the onion and garlic in the oil until fragrant. add spices and stir.
• 2 add the carrots, eggplant and celery. sauté until the vegetables are just starting to soften.
• 3 add lentils and mince. stir well, breaking up the meat, until the mince is well browned. you can drain off remaining fat at this point by pouring the mix into a sieve and pressing with the back of the spoon you were stirring with, but don't bother with this if you're not worried about calories too much.
• 4 add all remaining ingredients, mushing up the stock cube against the side of the pan. reduce heat and simmer for about 30-40 minutes.
• 5 serve alongside steamed greens, cornbread, on top of corn chips, as a pasta sauce, over rice, topped with guacamole - or just in a bowl!