Cincinnati Chili
Growing up I was never a fan of chili…I think it might have been the beans. I actually like it now, beans and all, but when I went to college in Ohio I got my first taste of how Cincinnati does chili (beanless, topped with cheddar and served over spaghetti) and I was hooked. Now that I could get on board with! I had a roommate who used to make it, and even though I’ve since tried Skyline Chili, I will always think hers was the best.
When I found this recipe on the Weight Watchers site I was pretty excited to try my hand at making it myself and as soon as I tasted it I knew WW got it right. I ended up making it with lean ground beef instead of ground chicken like the recipe originally called for and I omitted adding water because I wanted it thick. I was a tiny bit worried about putting in 6 whole Tbsp of chili powder but it turned out perfect. It’s got just the right amount of heat to it and the flavors all come together really well. I already can’t wait to make this again!
Cincinnati Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium green pepper, seeded and chopped
- 3 medium garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 oz can chopped green chilies
- 6 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 1 pound uncooked 95% lean ground beef
- 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1 cup salsa, mild, chunky
- 8 oz canned tomato sauce
- 4 cups cooked wheat spaghetti
- 1/2 cups 2% shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes. Add in the chiles, chili powder, cocoa, cumin, cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine and cook about 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned, about 8 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes with their liquid, salsa and tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the flavors blend and the chili thickens slightly, about 1 hour.
- Serve layered with ½ cup of spaghetti at the bottom, a scant cup of chili over it and 1T of shredded cheddar cheese on top for each serving.
Notes
Green: 6 SmartPoints/ Blue: 6 SmartPoints/ Purple: 3 SmartPoints Weight Watchers Points Plus:
6 per serving (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com) Slightly adapted from weightwatchers.com