Cincinnati-Style Chili

Anyone watch cooking shows? I rarely do, but my husband used to love them when we still had cable (that’s a whole different story…). One day he watched someone making Cincinnati-Style Chili and got me interested, too. I did a quick online search for a recipe (since we’d missed the details) and said, “Hey, I think we have everything the recipe calls for!” I proceeded to make it that very evening, and it immediately became a household favorite.

When I started Trim Healthy Mama over two years ago, I spent some time digging through my recipe box and assorted files to see what favorites still worked as written, or with minor modifications. Cincinnati-Style Chili fit the bill, much to my husband’s relief. And mine, I have to say.

You may see pasta lurking under the sauce. Dreamfields has a coating that prevents the carbs from being absorbed by your bloodstream (or so it is claimed). I’m not a purist, so we enjoy Dreamfields on occasion. I sometimes use konjac noodles in this recipe, but I’m most likely to serve it over sautéed thinly sliced cabbage. Check out your options!

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So, let’s get started!

Recipe: Cincinnati-Style Chili

(serves 4-6)

(And here’s my obligatory disclosure that any product links might be affiliate links. Clicking on them doesn’t cost you a penny more, and I get a small percentage of any sales.)

• 1.5 pounds ground beef
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1.5 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• a few drops Tabasco sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon salt

Sauté the above together until the meat is no longer pink.

Then add:

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 1 can tomato paste (6 ounce)
• 1 can tomato sauce (14 ounce) (or a home-canned pint jar of roasted tomato sauce)
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

If you like a bit more heat, add a bit more chili powder or Tabasco. Once this is simmering, start heating the water for pasta. The timing came out very well this way.

To serve: ladle over cooked spaghetti or linguine. As mentioned above, to keep this on plan for Trim Healthy Mama, use Dreamfields pasta, konjac noodles, or thinly sliced cabbage, sautéed.

Now the fun thing is that (apparently) if you order this in Cincinnati, you can order it in different ways!

3-Way: Sprinkle grated cheddar cheese over the top
4-Way: A couple tablespoons of raw chopped onions, then the cheddar
5-Way: Kidney beans, raw chopped onions, then cheddar

Yes, in THM, you can have up to 1/4 cup canned beans in an S (moderate fat, low carb) meal. Jim loves his Cincinnati-Style Chili 4-Way. I like onions just fine, but not raw, so I serve mine a modified 5-Way with kidney beans and cheddar but no raw onions. And definitely add veggies or a salad to your meal! I usually have my salad with Glory Be Dressing. Yum.