Mains · American
Cincinnati Chili
A thin, warmly spiced meat sauce with cinnamon and allspice, piled on spaghetti the Ohio way.
- Hands-on
- 30 min
- Hands-off
- 1 h 30 min
- Total
- 2 h
- Makes
- 8 servings
- Serves
- 8
2 h total: 20 min chopping and measuring, about 10 min of hands-on browning, then a 1 h 30 min simmer that only needs a stir now and then. The spaghetti cooks during the last 15 minutes of the simmer. Total = 30 min active + 90 min simmering.
- easy
- game-day
- regional
- make-ahead
Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means
Scaling? The full batch serves 8. Halving works in a smaller pot, but a shallower layer of sauce thickens faster, so start checking at about 1 hour instead of 1 h 30 min. Some items (like eggs) don’t halve neatly: beat them, then measure out half.
Ingredients
You need: large heavy-bottomed pot · wooden spoon · medium bowl · plate · large pot for the pasta · colander · chopping board and knife · instant-read thermometer (optional)
Contains: wheat · milk
Method
Mix the sauce base
In a bowl, stir together the 425 g (15 oz) can of tomato sauce, the 2 diced tomatoes, 60 ml (1/4 cup) cider vinegar, 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) chili powder, 2 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp cloves and 1/4 tsp cayenne. Set it aside.
Soften the onions
Heat the 60 ml (4 tbsp) olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the 2 chopped sweet onions and stir for about 5 minutes. Lift them out onto a plate.
Ready when: The onions are soft and see-through but not browned.
Brown the beef
Put the 907 g (2 lb) ground chuck into the same pot, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper, and cook for about 4 minutes, breaking the meat into small crumbs with a wooden spoon.
Ready when: No pink is left anywhere in the meat. It still has a long simmer ahead.
Otto tried this firstOtto leaves the beef in big lumps. Cincinnati chili is a fine, saucy chili, so keep breaking it up while it browns.Add onions and garlic off the heat
Take the pot off the heat. Return the onions to the pot and stir in the 4 minced garlic cloves; the heat of the pot is enough to cook them briefly.
Ready when: The garlic smells fragrant within a few seconds. It shouldn't brown.
Simmer until slightly thick
Pour the sauce base and 240 ml (1 cup) water into the pot and stir. Bring it to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and cook for about 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring now and then so nothing catches on the bottom.
Ready when: Small bubbles break the surface slowly and the chili has thickened slightly but is still a loose, spoonable sauce. Ground beef is safe at 71°C (160°F); after this long simmer it is well past that, and a thermometer in the centre of the pot will confirm it.
Cook the spaghetti
About 15 minutes before the chili is ready, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the 454 g (1 lb) spaghetti, stirring now and then, for 8 to 10 minutes or as the package says. Drain it.
Ready when: The strands are tender but still have a little bite in the centre when you taste one.
Warm the beans
Put the drained, rinsed pinto beans in a microwave-safe bowl, cover and heat on high for about 3 minutes.
Ready when: The beans are hot all the way through when you stir them.
Build your 'way'
Spoon the chili over the spaghetti. That is a 2-way. Add grated cheddar for a 3-way, chopped raw onion for a 4-way, and the warm beans for a 5-way. Serve oyster crackers on the side if you like.
Swaps
- Instead of pinto beans (topping): red kidney beans, rinsed and warmed Kidney beans are the classic topping for a 5-way.
Make ahead, store & reheat
- Make ahead
- A classic way to make it is a day ahead: chill it overnight and reheat it; it thickens and the flavour deepens. Cool it quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours (see storage), and cook the spaghetti fresh.
- Storage
- Refrigerate within 2 hours in smaller covered containers so it cools quickly. Eat within 3 to 4 days (the strictest food-safety guidance says 48 hours). Freeze for up to 3 to 4 months and thaw in the fridge.
- Reheat
- Reheat in a pot, stirring, until it bubbles and is hot all the way through, at least 74°C (165°F). Reheat only once.
If something goes wrong
- Too thin Why: Not simmered long enough.
Keep simmering, uncovered, until slightly thickened. Chilling it overnight also thickens it. - Greasy layer on top Why: Fat from the beef.
After browning the beef, tilt the pot and spoon off any pooled fat before adding the sauce.
Good to know
- Keep the bowls in this order: spaghetti, chili, then cheese, onions and beans.
- Grate the cheddar finely so it drapes over the hot chili and melts.
Safety
- Raw ground beef can carry harmful bacteria. Wash your hands, board and knife after touching it, and keep it away from the raw onion topping.
- Cook the beef until no pink remains; the finished chili must reach 71°C (160°F), which a long simmer easily does.
- Simmering chili and boiling pasta water can scald. Use a long spoon, pour the pasta into the colander away from you, and kids should let an adult drain the pot.
- Oyster crackers and spaghetti contain wheat; cheddar contains milk. Check labels if you cook for someone with allergies.