I had never heard of this before some friends introduced us to it...and I'm a big chili lover. I love to make chili since it's so easy to substitute leaner meats, fill it with veggies and beans, and make a nice warm dinner. Last year we went over a friend's house and her husband made this dish. He had eaten it at an airport and we had heard him mention it before and tell us how much he enjoyed it. Cincinnati chili is basically a smokey chili served over pasta...and we loved it just as much as he did!
I was excited to open this month's Clean Eating Magazine and see a slimmed down "cleaned" up version. I thought it would be the perfect meal to accompany a day of football watching.
this month's Clean Eating..love this magazine!
Here's the Cincinnati Chili over about 1 cup of whole wheat spaghetti
this month's Clean Eating..love this magazine!
Then I remembered I forgot the cheese...this was a perfect cold January meal and would be easy to make for a crowd. This recipe made dinner for myself and Mr. Allan, one night of leftovers, and then we froze the a container of chili to have on hand for later this winter.
Cincinnati Chili
from Clean Eating Magazine
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 lb extra lean (93%) turkey or beef
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
2 cups low sodium tomato sauce
2 cups low sodium beef broth
1 cup canned solid pumpkin
1 15 oz can of kidney beans
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
14 oz Whole Wheat Spaghetti
low fat shredded cheddar
Directions
Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium. Add onion and cook until softened. Add meat and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, chili powder, oregano, cinnamon, and allspice. Cook for an additional minute. Transfer mixture to a large dutch oven or stockpot.
Add cocoa, tomato sauce, broth, pumpkin, beans, vinegar and honey. Cook for about 30 minutes.
Cook pasta according to package directions and top with a scoop of chili and cheddar cheese.
Just a couple notes...the original recipe called for a slow cooker. Instead of transferring the meat mixture to a dutch oven, you could put it in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Enjoy!
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I'll have to add this recipe to my collection! Sounds yummy and easy!
ReplyDeleteThis was yummy. Next time though, we will put in more onion and add some peppers which Mike felt were missing. I didn't have canned pumpkin so I cooked up some butternut squash which added too much sweetness for Mike's tastes. I still thought it was yummy.
ReplyDeleteFor freezing, I freeze individual servings in Ziploc freezer bags (you know they make pint sizes now!). A serving of anything is usually about 1 1/2 cups. I use a quart size freezer bag, squeeze all the air out, lay them flat one on top of the other in the freezer. When it's frozen I put them in a cheapie gallon size storage bag and store them vertically in our deep freeze. It takes up a lot less space and they thaw out a lot more quickly and easily too if you want to take for work. I do wash and reuse the freezer bags if they are not damaged.