Cincinnati Chili – Spaghetti with Cinnamon Beef Chili Recipe
Cincinnati chili is a very unusual chili from Ohio – served not in a bowl but over spaghetti, often topped with a mountain of cheese. Besides tomatoes and meat, the sauce includes spices usually associated with desserts, like cinnamon and cocoa, which give it a surprisingly pleasant, spiced aroma. It’s the kind of dish people order in local diners late at night, a bit like a post-party kebab, only in pasta form.
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
60 min
Total Time
80 min
Servings
4
Ingredients
- ground beef - 500 g
- spaghetti pasta - 350 g
- onion (medium) - 2 piece
- garlic - 3 clove
- canned tomatoes (chopped) - 400 g
- tomato paste - 2 tablespoon
- beef stock - 400 ml
- unsweetened cocoa powder (without sugar) - 1 tablespoon
- ground cinnamon - 0.5 teaspoon
- ground cumin - 1 teaspoon
- sweet paprika - 1 teaspoon
- hot paprika (or less, to taste) - 0.5 teaspoon
- apple cider vinegar - 1 tablespoon
- sugar - 1 teaspoon
- vegetable oil (for frying) - 1 tablespoon
- yellow cheese (grated, e.g. cheddar, for serving) - 120 g
- salt (or to taste) - 1 teaspoon
Main Ingredient:
ground beef
Preparation
- Peel the onions and dice them finely. Chop the garlic.
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until it softens and turns slightly translucent but does not brown.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until it becomes very fragrant.
- Add the ground beef. Break it up with a spatula and cook for 6–8 minutes, until it turns completely brown and there are no raw bits left.
- Add the sweet paprika, hot paprika, cumin, cinnamon and cocoa. Stir for 1–2 minutes so the spices toast slightly and release their aroma.
- Add the tomato paste, canned tomatoes, stock, vinegar and sugar. Mix well and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 40–45 minutes, stirring every few minutes. The sauce should thicken noticeably but still be slightly pourable – like a thick pasta sauce.
- Towards the end of cooking, taste and season with salt and, if needed, additional hot paprika or sugar if the sauce is too sour.
- Near the end of the sauce’s cooking time, cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted water according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain.
- Place a portion of spaghetti on each plate, spoon a generous amount of chili on top, then sprinkle with a large handful of grated cheese. Serve immediately, while the cheese is just starting to melt from the hot sauce.
Storage
In fridge:
4 days
Freezing:
Yes
Store the chili and pasta separately in the fridge in airtight containers. Reheat the sauce gently on the stove, adding a splash of water if it has thickened too much, and warm the pasta briefly in hot water or in the microwave.
Recipe submitted by
Marek, Site owner
Published:
Updated:
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