Cincinnati Chili
Cincinnati Chili is a unique chili recipe made with pantry staple ingredients and is served on a giant bed of spaghetti!
A CLASSIC HEARTY COMFORTING CHILI RECIPE
If you like Cincinnati Chili then you know the cinnamon and allspice is what sets it apart from other chili recipes. You can meet 100 different folks from Cincinnati and each one will have a slightly different variation to this recipe and they will all argue with you that their way is the true way. This tends to be true for most regional recipes though. I am southern born and bred and people will still argue with me that a recipe my family has been making for generations isn’t southern (because they can somehow speak for the whole south? Ha!) But for those of you who have never tried to make it yourself, let me introduce you to how I was taught by a co-worker whose family ran a lunch counter in Cincinnati and were well known for their version of this famous chili!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
If you check out some of the pictures I’ve shared of my chili, you’ll see a few different toppings that are all optional. Generally you will see Cincinnati Chili served topped with shredded cheddar cheese and/or diced onions on top. Traditional Cincinnati Chili doesn’t have beans in the chili, but I’ve used them as an optional topping because I personally love kidney beans. If you want a little more crunch, you can throw on some oyster crackers.
You may have seen some people refer to this as “the ways to serve Cincinnati Chili”
Cincinnati chili can be served in a few different ways.
2- Way- Chili serve on a bed of spaghetti
3- Way- Chili serve on a bed of spaghetti, topped with shredded cheddar cheese
4- Way- Chili serve on a bed of spaghetti, topped with shredded cheddar cheese, and diced onion
5- Way- Chili serve on a bed of spaghetti, topped with shredded cheddar cheese, diced onion, and kidney beans.
But at the end of the day when you are making this at home, no one cares if you are making it authentically so you add what you like!
Yes. Cook and crumble ground beef with the onion. Drain excess grease. Put the cooked ground beef into the bottom of a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Add all the other ingredients and stir well. Cover and cook on low for about 4-6 hours.
Leftover chili can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 6 days.
Yes, but I would suggest freezing chili only- not the pasta. Pasta doesn’t always thaw and reheat great once frozen. Instead, just freeze the actual chili and make fresh pasta to serve with it when you’ve thawed and reheated the chili. Frozen chili should last about 6 months in the freezer.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- ground beef– Your preferred fat ratio ground beef can be used, just know that I used 80/20 ground chuck for this recipe.
- vegetable oil
- large onion – like a sweet onion but some people prefer a stronger yellow onion.
- garlic cloves– Garlic adds another depth of flavor to the chili, without being too overpowering.
- chili powder– Chili powder adds heat and smokiness to the chili. Three tablespoons make a mild heat level chili, add a couple extra teaspoons for extra heat if desired. Or throw a couple dashes of hot sauce.
- cocoa powder– Unsweetened cocoa powder adds more depth of flavor and complexity to the dish. It is another ingredient that sets Cincinnati Chili apart from other chilis.
- salt
- ground cinnamon– maybe not an ingredient you expected but this and allspice is what gives this specific chili its distinctive flavor.
- allspice – just like the cinnamon, it may not be expected, but this is what brings such a unique flavor to the Cincinnati Chili.
- cayenne pepper– Cayenne adds another level of heat to the chili, add more if you prefer extra spice. You can leave it out of you prefer.
- tomato sauce – Tomato sauce is the base for the chili’s sauce, crushed tomatoes or diced can be used in place of sauce if preferred.
- chicken broth– Broth adds additional flavor to the chili, vegetable broth or even water can be substituted for chicken if preferred. If you need to cut bacon on the sodium, just use a low or no sodium chicken broth.
- apple cider vinegar– A little vinegar helps to enhance and round out the flavors in the dish. You do not taste the vinegar, it just enhances the other flavors. The friend that shared this recipe with me said this was her grandfathers secret ingredient.
- brown sugar– Sugar adds a slight hint of sweetness and also cuts some of the acidity from the tomato sauce.
- Worcestershire sauce – Worcestershire adds a hint of umami flavor to the chili. It’s one of those ingredients you can’t quite put your finger on but enhances the overall flavor.
HOW TO MAKE CINCINNATI CHILI:
Brown the meat, drain using a colander to remove excess fat, set aside. Over medium heat, add vegetable oil and onions, cook until softened and translucent, 8-10 minutes. Add garlic, cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
Add the chili powder, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne, and black pepper, stir until thoroughly combined and fragrant, 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, broth, vinegar, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce, stirring to combine.
Add the cooked meat back to the pot, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring regularly. Recipe makes 6 cups of chili.
Serve chili with buttered spaghetti, shredded cheese, diced onion, and kidney beans.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Cincinnati Chili
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground chuck
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 Tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 28 ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or pot, brown and crumble 2 pounds ground chuck. Drain excess grease and set the cooked ground beef aside.
- To the pot, over medium heat, add 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil and 1 large onion, finely diced. Cook until softened and translucent, 8-10 minutes.
- Add 4 garlic cloves, minced and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds to 1 minute).
- Add 3 Tablespoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons cocoa powder, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon allspice, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper and ½ teaspoon black pepper, stir until thoroughly combined and fragrant, 1 minute.
- Add 28 ounce can tomato sauce, 2 cups chicken broth, 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoon brown sugar and 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, stirring to combine.
- Add the cooked meat back to the pot, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about an hour, stirring regularly. Recipe makes 6 cups of chili.
- Serve chili on top of cooked and buttered spaghetti. Optional toppings: shredded cheese, diced onion, kidney beans, and/or oyster crackers.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- This serves between 6-8 servings depending on your serving sizes.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Ooooh, never tried it with pasta! But, I am surely going to try it!
I too, received my Cincinnati Chili recipe from a native of Cincinnati. She uses a 1/2 ounce of unsweetened chocolate.
Cincinnati girl born & bred and this is exactly like my Grandma’s recipe! I wonder if she knew your friend’s family who owned the lunch counter in Cincy?!
It’s very possible! It is always a smaller world than we realize!
One of our favorites. Can’t wait to make this again.
Thanks so very much Bill!