When you first hear the words chili dogs, nutritious and delicious are probably not the accompanying images, are they? But, last night I healthified them a bit and I think we’re good to go.
I filled Homemade Hot Dog Buns, made with whole wheat flour, with kosher hot dogs and homemade chili. The chili was, in fact, an easy throw together affair since the beans and the ground beef were already cooked and seasoned as part of my freezer meal components from earlier in the month. Accompanied by fresh veggies and homemade ranch dip, I think it scored pretty high on the good factor.
As for the frugal element, the hot dogs were completely free. I used a free product coupon when hot dogs were already “buy one, get one free”. That meant that both packages were free. The hot dog buns cost about $.75, the chili ingredients ran up to $1.26, cheese was $.25, and the veggies and dip put us back about $1. Grand total to feed 8 people? $3.26 I realize that free hot dogs are not the norm. But, on sale, I might have bought them for $5, which would still make our dinner about $8.26 to feed 8 people. That’s one good cheap eat.
Chili Dogs
Ingredients
- 1/4 lb ground beef
- 1 15-ounce can pinto beans rinsed and drained
- 4 oz tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp chile powder or ground chile
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper optional
- 8 hot dog buns
- 8 hot dogs cooked according to package directions
- 2 oz cheddar cheese (shredded) (1/2 cup)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, brown the ground beef.
- Add the beans, tomato sauce, water, chili powder, garlic, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Stir well and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes.
- Serve the hot dogs in the buns. Divide the chili among the hot dogs and top with the cheese. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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