Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili

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Choose dinner your way! Cincinnati chili makes dinner completely customizable. It’s made in the slow cooker for an easy crowd favorite.

Things can get a little heated when chili is discussed. Families have gone to war over the contents of chili, factions set along the beans-no-beans line. Holidays and football games have been ruined over many a bowl brawl.

We have our family’s go-to ground beef chili we make every Christmas Eve, but once I learned how to cook and looked at other varieties, it was a new world opened up to me.

One variety our whole family really enjoys is Cincinnati chili. While it might not be what your family considers “true” chili, it’s a hearty meal that’s perfect for families who have a variety of taste buds at the table.

Cincinnati Chili is usually prefaced by how many ways it’s served: 3, 4, or 5-way. Five-way is going all in, with spaghetti, chili, beans, diced raw onion, and cheese. No matter which option you choose, you’ve got a great meal ahead!

Ingredients for Cincinnati chili

Full list of ingredients including quantities is located in the recipe card.

You’ll need:

• Ground beef
• Spaghetti
• Tomato sauce
• Onion
• Garlic
• Unsweetened chocolate
• Chili powder
• Ground cayenne
• Ground cumin
• Ground cinnamon
• Whole cloves
• Whole allspice
• Bay leaf
• Salt
• Kidney beans
• Cheddar cheese
• Water, or beef broth

Cinnamon and chocolate might be unexpected in chili, but they are key to this recipe. Make sure the chocolate is unsweetened; look for Baker’s or Ghirardelli in the baking aisle.

The beans are often served on the side to make them optional, but you can always add the beans during cooking if you know everyone is going to eat them (or you like forcing them on your children).

Don’t want to use spaghetti? This chili is great spooned over hot dogs!

How to make this recipe

You will need to create a bouquet garni with the whole spices. You can use either cheesecloth, a small muslin bag, or a tea filter. Place the bay leaf, allspice, and cloves inside and tie closed with kitchen string.

In a large skillet, brown the beef over medium heat, breaking it up into small pieces. (If your slow cooker has a sauté setting, use that.) Drain the excess fat, then transfer the meat to the slow cooker.

Add half the diced onions along with the tomato sauce, water (or broth), chili powder, garlic, Worcestershire, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne. Mix well, then nestle the spice bag into the mixture.

Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours, or on HIGH for 4-5 hours.

In the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in the chocolate. Cook the spaghetti according the package directions and warm the kidney beans in a separate pot, or add to the chili directly.

You can also make this chili on the stove using a dutch oven or other large pot. Make sure to simmer it for at least 1 hour for the best flavor and stir occasionally up from the bottom of the pot. so nothing scorches.

Remove the spice packet. Serve with a pile of spaghetti on the bottom, then topped with chili and the eater’s choice of toppings. Sometimes we add oyster crackers too!

Storage tips

For leftovers, I recommend storing the components separately. The chili itself will keep very well in the refrigerator or freezer and the flavor is even better the next day!

Cooked spaghetti does not store as well, so if you can plan ahead and make only the amount of spaghetti you’ll eat on the first day, that works best! Then, make extra spaghetti as needed to enjoy the leftovers.

If you do have some spaghetti remaining, toss it with a small amount of olive oil before transferring to an airtight container. This will help prevent it from sticking together too much once chilled.

Make sure to eat any leftovers within 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

This is a great recipe for busy days because it can just be tossed in the slow cooker, and then at the end of the day the pasta can cook while you get the table set and shred the cheese.

It’s warm, hearty, and just feels like home—no matter where you live.

Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili

Served 3, 4, or 5-way, Cincinnati chili makes dinner completely customizable.

Author : Megan Myers

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Recipe Review

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 hours hrs

Total Time 8 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Servings 6 servings

Calories per serving 685 kcal

Ingredients

  

1/2x1x2x3x

• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 2 cups chopped onions, divided use
• 15 ounces tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups water, or beef broth
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 12 ounces dried spaghetti
• 15 ounces canned dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

• Place bay leaf, allspice, and cloves in the center of a cheesecloth square. Bring up corners of cheesecloth, tie closed with kitchen string, and set aside.
  1 bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice, 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
• In a large skillet (or using the saute function on your slow cooker) cook ground beef over medium heat until browned, using a wooden spoon to break up meat as it cooks. Drain off fat.
  2 pounds lean ground beef
• Transfer meat to a 4-quart slow cooker. Stir 1 cup onions, tomato sauce, the water, chili powder, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne pepper into meat in cooker. Stir in spice bag.
  1 cups chopped onions, 15 ounces tomato sauce, 1 1/2 cups water, 3 tablespoons chili powder, 4 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.
• In the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in the chocolate. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Warm kidney beans in a separate pot, or, if everyone wants beans, stir them into the chili with the chocolate.
  1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, 12 ounces dried spaghetti, 15 ounces canned dark red kidney beans
• To serve, remove spice bag. Spoon chili over hot cooked spaghetti. Sprinkle each serving with beans, chopped onions, and/or cheese, as desired
  1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1 cups chopped onions

Notes

• Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

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Nutrition

Calories: 685 kcalCarbohydrates: 50 gProtein: 60 gFat: 28 gSaturated Fat: 12 gCholesterol: 153 mgSodium: 929 mgFiber: 10 gSugar: 8 g

Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate based on online calculators. Any nutritional information found on Stetted should be used as a general guideline only.

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