Sometimes the best dinner ideas begin with looking at what you already have and wondering what on earth you can turn it into.
After making the Family Favorite Meatloaf from Dolly Parton’s Good Lookin’ Cookin’, I had some of the beef and pork mince left over. There wasn’t enough for another full meatloaf, but there was far too much to waste, so I popped it into the freezer until inspiration struck.
Then came the important question…
What could I make with it?
Chilli was the first idea that came to mind, but instead of serving it in a bowl with rice, I decided to use it for something a little more fun:
Homemade chilli dogs!
The Saved Recipe
The recipe I’m reviewing was originally called Ground Beef Chili and came from a website named The Cabin Diary.
When I returned to the original link, I discovered that it wasn’t only the recipe page that had disappeared—the entire website was gone. Thankfully, I’d saved a copy of the recipe and converted the original American cup measurements into UK-friendly measurements.
This recipe is entirely credited to The Cabin Diary. I’m sharing the version I saved for reference, along with the changes I made and our honest verdict.
The original recipe claimed to make approximately five servings, with five minutes of preparation and 35 minutes of cooking time.
What the Original Recipe Called For
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 455g beef mince
- 240ml tomato passata
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tin red kidney beans
- 1 tin black beans
- 354ml beef stock
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 4 tbsp American-style chilli powder
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, optional
A Quick Note About the Chilli Powder
This was originally an American recipe, where “chili powder” usually refers to a fairly mild blend of chilli, cumin, garlic and other seasonings.
British chilli powder can be considerably hotter, so adding four full tablespoons could produce something capable of removing several layers from your tongue!
Rather than adding it all at once, I added the chilli powder ½ teaspoon at a time, stirring and checking the flavour as I went. I eventually used 6½ teaspoons of chilli powder in total, along with the original ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
This gave me much more control over the spice level than blindly tipping four tablespoons into the pan and hoping for the best!
My Changes
The most obvious change was replacing the recipe’s 455g of beef mince with 592g of the leftover beef and pork mince mixture from my meatloaf dinner.
I also left out both the red kidney beans and black beans. I already knew that the moment the boys spotted beans in the chilli, I’d be met with cries of “I don’t like beans!” and they’d probably decide they didn’t like the entire dinner before even tasting it.
Sometimes you have to choose your battles…and stopping the bean-related moaning before it could begin felt like the sensible option!
The chopped tomatoes needed a little disguise too. I blended them until smooth before adding them because visible tomato pieces would have caused exactly the same reaction as the beans.
Onion pieces, however, are apparently perfectly acceptable.
Honestly, make it make sense!
I’d also run out of ground black pepper, so that was left out completely.
My version used:
- 592g beef and pork mince
- No red kidney beans
- No black beans
- One 400g tin of chopped tomatoes, blended until smooth
- 6½ tsp chilli powder, added ½ tsp at a time
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- No ground black pepper
The mince had been frozen after the meatloaf meal, so I defrosted it fully before cooking.
Making the Chilli
The original method began by cooking the chopped onion in olive oil for two to three minutes.
The beef and pork mince was then added and cooked with the onion for approximately five to seven minutes, or until completely browned. The original recipe instructed you to drain away any excess grease before continuing.
Before adding the chopped tomatoes, I blended them until completely smooth. The boys will happily eat a tomato-based sauce, but spotting actual pieces of tomato is apparently an entirely different matter.
The browned mince and onion were then combined with the passata, tomato purée, blended chopped tomatoes, beef stock, sugar and seasonings.
The original recipe would also have added the red kidney beans and black beans at this stage, but I left both out to make the chilli far more likely to pass the boys’ inspection.
I added the chilli powder gradually, using just ½ teaspoon at a time until I reached a total of 6½ teaspoons. I also added the full ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper listed as optional in the original recipe.
This allowed me to build up the flavour and heat without accidentally making the entire pan too spicy to eat.
The chilli was brought to the boil before the heat was reduced to medium-low and it was left to simmer uncovered.
How It Went
While the chilli was simmering, the kitchen smelled amazing. All the spices were blending into the tomato sauce and mince, creating one of those smells that makes you increasingly impatient for dinner.
It must have been good because even Big Boy came into the kitchen and announced:
“It smells really good!”
Always a promising sign!
The original recipe said to simmer the chilli uncovered for 20–25 minutes, but mine needed a little longer to thicken properly.
I left it simmering for over 30 minutes, stirring it occasionally, until it reached a thicker consistency that would sit on top of the sausages rather than immediately running everywhere.
I’m not complaining about the extra cooking time, though, because I used those additional minutes to cook the Cumberland sausages. By the time the chilli had thickened, the sausages were ready too, so the timing actually worked out rather nicely.
Making a Milder Portion for Big Boy
Before assembling the chilli dogs, I recruited both boys to check the spice level.
My Spud tasted the sauce and declared that it was fine, but Big Boy found it a little too spicy. Rather than making the entire batch milder when the rest of us were happy with it, I scooped his portion into a smaller saucepan and added some extra tomato passata and tomato purée.
I heated it through until the additional tomato had blended into the sauce and softened the spice level.
It was such a simple adjustment, but it meant Big Boy could still enjoy the same dinner as everyone else without finding his chilli dogs too hot.
You don’t always need to cook two completely different meals to accommodate different tastes—sometimes separating and adjusting one portion is enough.
The Finished Chilli
After simmering for over 30 minutes, the chilli had thickened enough to use on the chilli dogs.
Because I’d left out both tins of beans, I initially wondered whether there would be noticeably less chilli than the original recipe produced. However, I’d also used 592g of mince instead of the stated 455g, so there was still plenty of chunky beef and pork running throughout the sauce.
There was definitely enough chilli for the original five servings—possibly even six—so leaving out the beans didn’t leave us short at all.
The original 20–25-minute cooking time wouldn’t have given me quite the thickness I wanted, but those extra minutes made all the difference.
There was still some chilli left after making the chilli dogs, so I spooned it into a freezer bag and froze it ready for a quick meal another night. I’m thinking it could be served with rice or Mexican-style rice, or warmed through and spooned over tortilla chips to make homemade nachos.
One batch of chilli, several possible dinners…I love it!
Turning It into Chilli Dogs
Once the chilli was ready, it was time for the part I’d been looking forward to—turning it into proper oven-baked chilli dogs.
For the chilli dogs, I used:
- Eight ASDA Cumberland pork sausages
- Iceland sliced hot dog rolls
- ASDA medium grated Cheddar
- Iceland Southern fried chips
- Iceland onion rings
I chose Cumberland pork sausages rather than traditional frankfurter-style hot dogs, making these a little chunkier and much more substantial.
I placed the sausages into the sliced hot dog rolls and arranged them together in one baking dish.
Because Big Boy’s chilli had been made milder, I added a little baking-paper barrier between his chilli dogs and the others to keep the two versions separate. I only have one usable shelf in the oven, so fitting two baking dishes inside wasn’t an option.
Sometimes you’ve just got to get creative!
I spooned Big Boy’s milder chilli over his sausages and added the original chilli to the remaining ones before covering everything with grated medium Cheddar.
The baking dish went into the oven for ten minutes, giving the cheese enough time to melt over the chilli.
When they came out, the cheese had melted into a beautifully golden layer over the chilli and sausages.
Ohhh, they looked good!
I served them with Iceland Southern fried chips and onion rings, turning what began as a way to use up leftover mince into a proper loaded comfort-food dinner.
The Taste Test
Ohhh, the taste…
To die for!
The herby Cumberland sausages paired so well with the rich, spiced chilli, while the melted Cheddar brought everything together. Using proper pork sausages rather than traditional frankfurter-style hot dogs made the meal feel even more substantial.
The chilli had plenty of flavour from all those spices, and simmering it for longer gave it the thicker consistency it needed. It sat beautifully on top of the sausages instead of disappearing into the bottom of the dish.
I didn’t miss the beans at all. There was still plenty of beef and pork mince in the sauce, and leaving them out meant there was no immediate “I don’t like beans!” drama from the boys.
The Southern fried chips and onion rings made perfect sides, although two loaded chilli dogs each were already a very filling dinner!
The Family Verdict
My Verdict
These chilli dogs were absolutely delicious. The combination of herby Cumberland sausages, thick homemade chilli and melted Cheddar was proper comfort food—and definitely worth the extra simmering time.
What started as a way to use up leftover beef and pork mince became a completely different dinner that didn’t feel like leftovers in the slightest.
Big Boy’s Verdict
Big Boy declared that it:
“Was good.”
He then practically licked his plate clean.
Considering he’d originally found the chilli a little too spicy, adding extra passata and tomato purée to his separate portion clearly did the trick!
Spud’s Verdict
My Spud also gave the chilli dogs a simple but approving:
“Good.”
He left his chips, but after eating two fully loaded chilli dogs, I’m not surprised he was full!
Would I Make It Again?
Absolutely!
The chilli was packed with flavour, made enough for five or possibly six servings and worked brilliantly with the herby Cumberland sausages.
I’d continue adding the chilli powder gradually rather than using the full American measurement, and I’d happily leave the beans out again to avoid the complaints.
Separating Big Boy’s portion and making it milder was simple too. Using a baking-paper barrier meant I could keep his chilli dogs apart from the spicier ones while still fitting everything into a single baking dish.
These would definitely be worth making again, whether I had leftover mince to use or bought it especially.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Final Thoughts
This dinner began with a portion of leftover beef and pork mince that I didn’t want to waste, but it ended up becoming something completely different from the meatloaf it had originally been bought for.
The chilli smelled incredible while it cooked, tasted even better and paired perfectly with the herby Cumberland sausages and melted Cheddar. Even Big Boy, who needed a slightly milder version, practically cleared every trace from his plate.
Leaving out the beans might not have followed the original recipe exactly, but it removed the risk of the boys spotting them and immediately deciding they hated the entire dinner. Sometimes adapting a recipe to suit the people actually eating it is more important than following every ingredient word for word!
I’m also very glad I saved a copy of The Cabin Diary’s recipe before the website disappeared. It’s a reminder that saving a recipe you genuinely want to try can sometimes be worthwhile—especially when the entire website unexpectedly vanishes.
Most importantly, that leftover mince didn’t go to waste. It was frozen, given a completely new purpose and transformed into a very loaded—and very delicious—plate of oven-baked chilli dogs, Southern fried chips and onion rings.
Even the leftover chilli has now been bagged up and frozen, ready to become another easy dinner with rice, Mexican-style rice or tortilla chips. Not bad at all for a meal that began with me wondering what to do with some leftover mince!
Come and Chat
What are your favourite ways to use up leftover mince? And what belongs on the perfect chilli dog—cheese, onions, jalapeños, mustard…or absolutely everything?
Let me know in the comments!
Chapters and Cravings 
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