This easy recipe for Cincinnati chili involves spaghetti, tons of cheese and some of the best chili in the world. And if you want, onions and beans!
So, those of you who follow me on Facebook know that I often I post what I am making for dinner as my Facebook status.
(This started when I first got my Facebook page one million years ago and I wasn’t posting any status at all. The Southern daughter was aghast, and told me I HAD to post my status and change it every day, and dinner was the only thing I could think of that changed radically every day.)
Anyway. Most days the Dinner Status gets a comment or two, or someone hits the “Like” button, especially if there is bacon involved. Then came the day that I changed my status to “making three-way Cincinnati Skyline Chili.”
Oh my goodness.
Everyone from my food writer and editor friends, to my friends who are from or who are married to Ohio natives and so have first-hand knowledge of Cincinnati chili, to various folks just want to know what it IS.
It was a Facebook/Cincinnanti Chili free-for-all, and I loved it. Who knew chili was such a conversation-starter? But obviously this one is, so let me break it down for you.
This famous chili recipe was created by Nicholas Lambrinides, who founded a popular chain of chili restaurants called Skyline Chili in Cincinnati, Ohio in the 1940s. And here are the rules.
- Cincinnati chili is served on spaghetti. Not rice, spaghetti, and very well-cooked spaghetti. This is not the time for al dente.
- Cincinnati chili does NOT have beans in it, unless you are having Five-Way chili. More on that later. It’s complicated.
- Cincinnati chili includes, among various other flavors and seasonings: CHOCOLATE. (I’m starting to understand the passion now.)
Now that we have covered that, let me explain the various ways you can have this particular chili.
THREE WAY: Chili, shredded cheese, spaghetti.
FOUR WAY: Chili, shredded cheese, spaghetti, chopped onions
FIVE WAY: Chili, shredded cheese, spaghetti, chopped onions, beans
I am not a beans person, but I did go for Four Way.
My Ohio sources tell me that there is a variation on the Four Way where you can swap out the beans for the onions. And that it is often served with oyster crackers.
That is the sum total of what I know about this variation of chili, other that the fact that it is flat-out scrumptious, and if you let it mellow in the fridge overnight and have some the next day, it is even better. Here’s a quick video to show you how easy this deliciousness is to make…
So there you have it, Cincinnati chili, and all you Ohioans out there? Let me know if I got anything wrong, okay?
PrintCincinnati Skyline Chili
This easy recipe for Cincinnati Skyline chili involves spaghetti, tons of cheese and some of the best chili in the world. And if you want, onions and beans!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large chopped onion
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
- Two cups beef broth
- 2 eight ounce cans tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 pound cooked spaghetti
- At least two cups shredded cheddar cheese…or more
- Chopped onions and/or cooked beans for garnish (optional!)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add ground beef and stir until browned.
- Add chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cloves, bay leaf, chocolate, beef broth, tomato sauce, cider vinegar and stir. Bring to a simmer, turn heat to low and cook for 90 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so. If you like your chili on the thicker side, keep simmering it until it is the consistency you want.
- Remove the bay leaf. Serve over spaghetti and top with LOTS of shredded cheddar cheese for three way, add some chopped onions for four way, add some drained heated kidney beans for five way.
Keywords: Cincinnati chili, Cincinnati chili recipe, chili with cheese, how to make Cincinnati chili, chili served with spaghetti, low-carb chili, kid friendly cincinnati chili
Updated with extra cheese from a previously published Framed Cooks post!
Theresa Murphy says
Cincinnati chili is new to me. Looks like a lot of pretty good stuff goes into it! I use cocoa powder in my chili recipe and I’m here to tell ya, it definitely adds to the flavor and complexity of the finished dish, so I know the chocolate in yours is not a strange addition. Looking forward to surprising my family with spaghetti topped with chili! Thanks, Kate!
Oh, you have to try it! Chili + Pasta = HAPPINESS!!