Cincinnatians have been eating chili over spaghetti for 102 years, ever since Tom and John Kiradjieff, brothers from Macedonia, first served the dish at Empress Chili. Now you can find it all over Ohio, in these classic forms: three-way (cheese on top), four-way (cheese and onions) and five-way (cheese, onions and beans).
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 55 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
- Kosher salt
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 cup canned diced tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped unsweetened chocolate
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Cooked spaghetti, kidney beans, chopped white onion, grated cheddar cheese, and/or oyster crackers, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a medium dutch oven over medium heat; add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, coriander, cayenne and cloves and cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking it up, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes; season with 1 tablespoon salt. If needed, spoon off any excess fat, leaving a thin film at the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, bay leaf and 1 1/2 cups water and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thicker, about 10 minutes. Add the chocolate, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce and cook, stirring, until thickened but slightly soupy, about 15 more minutes.
- Discard the bay leaf and season the chili with black pepper. Serve over spaghetti and top with beans, white onion and cheese. Serve with oyster crackers.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 186 |
| Total Fat | 10 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Protein | 20 g |
| Cholesterol | 54 mg |
| Sodium | 378 mg |