A Whole New Breed of Chili

I've made a huge pot of chili with a pan of corn bread for dinner at least 100 times. I've made versions with turkey, chicken and beef and with add in's from diced potatoes to carrots to corn. Last week I was in the mood for something completely different... Cincinnati Chili.


Cincinnati Chili is served over pasta, so it needs to have a thinner consistency than my usual brand and I really wanted to kick up the flavor to make it something absolutely different and special.


I went back to the drawing board and changed everything from ingredients to cooking methods. The outcome... pretty incredible. The chili was excellent over pasta, but I would welcome it on hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos... whatever!

So Good Cincinnati Chili

Serves 4

1 1/4 lb. ground beef (85/15 fat content)

4 cups water

1 large white onion, diced (1/4 onion reserved)

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

1 1/2 tbsp. salt

2 tbsp. cumin

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. Worcestershire 

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Shredded cheddar for garnish

1. Combine beef and water in a large pot over high heat. Stir to break apart beef. Bring to a boil. Once mixture boils, reduce heat to low. Add onion and tomato paste. Stir to combine, cover and let simmer for 1 hour.

2. After an hour, uncover. Stir in salt, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, Worcestershire and cinnamon. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

3. Serve over spaghetti. Top with remaining diced onion and shredded cheddar cheese.

Enjoy!