Mini Chili Football Bread Bowls (Printable Version)
Crispy bread bowls filled with beef chili and cheese, decorated as footballs.
# What You Need:
→ Bread Bowls
01 - 12 small dinner rolls (unsliced)
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
→ Chili Filling
03 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
04 - 9 oz ground beef
05 - 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
06 - 1 small garlic clove, minced
07 - 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
08 - 7 oz canned diced tomatoes
09 - 5 oz canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
10 - 1 tablespoon tomato paste
11 - 1 teaspoon chili powder
12 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
13 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
14 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
15 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
→ Toppings & Decoration
16 - 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
17 - 2 tablespoons sour cream (for football laces)
18 - 1 green onion, thinly sliced (optional, for garnish)
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
02 - Slice a thin layer off the top of each dinner roll. Hollow out the center, leaving a 1/2 inch shell. Brush the insides with olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake for 5–7 minutes until lightly crisped. Set aside.
03 - Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned (about 5 minutes).
04 - Add onion, garlic, and bell pepper to the skillet; cook for 3–4 minutes until softened.
05 - Stir in diced tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Adjust seasoning if needed.
06 - Fill each bread bowl with warm chili. Sprinkle shredded cheddar on top.
07 - Return filled bread bowls to the oven for 5–7 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
08 - Remove from oven. Use a piping bag or zip-top bag with a small tip to pipe sour cream laces on each bread bowl to resemble footballs. Garnish with green onions if desired. Serve immediately while warm.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- Everything you love about chili and cheese, but somehow more fun to eat with your hands
- The bread bowls soak up all those spiced juices, so every bite is incredibly tender and rich
02 -
- Dont make the bread shells too thin or theyll collapse under the weight of the filling
- The chili needs to be thick enough to stay put, so let it reduce longer if it seems soupy
- Room temperature sour cream pipes much easier than cold from the fridge
03 -
- For extra heat, add finely chopped jalapeños directly into the chili mixture
- Use a small ice cream scoop for consistent, mess-free chili filling