Cincinnati-Style Chili

Wow!  What an interesting spin on traditional chili recipes.  The idea of serving the chili over spaghetti was new to me and I loved it, especially loading it with add-ons at serving time.

I was definitely intrigued by the use of chocolate and sweet spices in chili, but they were indistinguishable in the finished dish and provided a depth of flavor that was so good.

Grated chocolate and sweet spices are added to the mixture.

This recipe is low in sodium if that is a concern for you, and it is also flexible in that you can add red kidney beans to the chili, or use them as a topping along with the cheese and green onions.  So if there are folks who would prefer not to have  beans in their chili, it all works to everyone’s satisfaction.

The next time I make this I will add a little extra broth, so it is more “saucy” for the spaghetti.  Other than that I wouldn’t change a thing about this great recipe.   Oh, and did I mention it’s made in the slow-cooker,  so you can start this early in the day and let it simmer, filling your kitchen with an aroma of what’s for dinner.   At dinner time all you have to do is boil some water and cook the spaghetti.

The recipe makes 10 servings–a lot for two of us–so I cut the recipe in half, and there was enough for us to have it twice.  I also added the kidney beans to the slow cooker during the last hour of cooking time.

CINCINNATI-STYLE CHILI

Yield:  10 servings

Ingredients;

• 2 pounds lean ground turkey
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans (8-ounces each) no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 1 can (14.5 0z.) reduced sodium beef broth
• 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 package ( 16 oz.) whole wheat spaghetti

Toppings:

• 1 can ( 16-oz.) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  1/4 cups shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 2 green onion, chopped

Directions:

1.  In a nonstick skillet, coated with cooking spray, cook turkey, onions and garlic until turkey is no longer pink.  Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker.

Cooking the ground turkey with the onion and garlic.

2.  In a large bowl, combine tomato sauce, broth, vinegar, chocolate and seasonings; pour over turkey mixture.

Making the tomato sauce mixture.

Cook, covered, on low 6 – 8 hours.

Add kidney beans during last hour of cooking time, if desired.

3.  Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain.  Remove bay leaf from chili.  For each serving, place 3/4 cup spaghetti in a bowl.  Top with about 2/3 cup chili, 3 tablespoons kidney beans, 2 tablespoons cheese and 1 tablespoon chopped onion.

 My first bowl of Cincinnati-Style Chili, but certainly not my last!

SOURCE:    Taste of Home