Cincinnati-Style Chili

I just made this and I have to admit that I thought it was horrible. I followed the recipe to the tee, so I guess it just wasn't my style!

A great chili recipe! I've tried to find a good vegetarian version and this one is the best so far. The addition of atypical chili spices may make you skeptical, but the finished product is worth the risk! I added two medium vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped, when the canned tomatoes were added to increase the flavor. Next time I will halve the water, as ours was too watery and we had to simmer it uncovered for about 10 minutes extra. However, that 10 minutes made the beans just tender enough, and I would add them half-way through the simmering time to make sure they are tender enough for the next time. Another suggestion would be to halve or leave out the brown sugar, it was a bit too sweet for my taste, but will definitely make it again!

Taste just like Skyline! Very yummy.

GREAT!! Very tangy and spicy. For non-vegetarians, it works with 1/2 lb ground beef too.

This was great. We loved it. We used to live in Cincinnati and this tasted just like the chili there. To make it "5-way" top with chopped raw onion.

This recipe was a big hit with the whole family--even the 2 year old. He enjoyed scooping the chili with tortilla chips rather than having it on spaghetti.

Loved it! Nothing else to say, except don't be put off by the seemingly weird combination of cocoa powder and cinnamon in your chili--it is really good. Discovered that many southerners have never heard of Cincinnati, much less tried their famous chili!

excellent chili...I did not add the spahetti, rather just served with bread...everyone loved it

This was a nice alternative to traditional chili (if there is such thing). I did add 1 TBL cornstarch as a thickener.

Well, I have to say that reading the other reviews has been really funny! Seems there is a different version of this from everyone that considers themselves an expert on the subject. Bottom line is that this is a good recipe regardless. The fact that it has chocolate in it makes it a non-traditional chili, so not everyone will like it! I fixed it for a big family get together and we all thought it was very good! I think it would be better to stop hearing how authentic it is and just plain old "do we like the recipe?" What is good about this recipe or not good based on our preferences. There are a zillion "skyline" recipes on this site and no two are the same! Will the real Skyline Chili please stand up! Sorry could not resist.

This tastes just like Skyline! Meat eaters will not know the difference! Must top w/onions and cheddar.

Good change if you like chili. You can taste the cocoa and cinnamon if you think about it; I did not find it was too sweet. Do add all the hot pepper sauce; I looked at 1 tsp and thought WOW, too much, but even those without much taste for heat will be fine. I've made this several times and now heavily modify it to reduce the number of half-used cans of vegetables & sauce it creates: After frying the garlic/onions and hamburger meat (I use ordinary ground beef, 1 pound) add a 29-ounce can of diced tomatoes (undrained) and all the spices/flavourings, omit the tomato sauce and water, cook 15 minutes; add a whole 19-ounce can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed, and cook another 15 minutes. The cheddar is nice but you won't miss it if you want to avoid the fat (of course you could use low fat or something).

Anyone was has lived in Cincinnati or eaten at Skyline knows there are NO kidney beans in Skyline chili-but my family enjoyed the chili! I left out the beans and hot sauce!

this was perfectly delicious. Hubby had a craving for it and I could not find a pre-mixed anything at the stores. Highly recommend!!!

OK, but not as good as some recipes I have had for Cinci style chili. And a true Skyline lover would know... you don't mix the beans in! Instead, you cook the chili, ladle the beans on top of the spaghetti, and follow it up with the cheese. You wouldn't be making a true Skyline-tasting chili by mixing the beans in. Also, and this is probably a matter of personal preference, I like to use red pinto beans instead of kidney beans. Kidney beans make it taste too much like a Texas style chili. One other tip: To make it more authentic-tasting, use a hand blender to grind up the meat very fine. It's much better finely ground than in a chunky form.

This recipe tastes just like the chili they serve in our fav. chili restaurant. Excellent! I used turkey meat, rather than vegetarian, but it was delicious! Made great chili spaghetti!

I make this recipe often, especially for my veggie friends. I usually serve it with the beans (along with chopped red onions) as an optional topping. Doubles very well.

As a Buckeye transplant and relatively new vegetarian here in Texas, I followed this recipe to a tee (only adjustment was I used half kidney beans and half pinto) and I must say it tasted just like Skyline. I made it 4-way with spaghetti, cheese, and red onions (with my bottle of hot sauce at hand!) and I was in nostalgic heaven. Absolutely delicious on a cold winter night like tonight. Thank you for this great recipe. Now I don't have to go back to Columbus to get the taste of Skyline....I only need to go to my kitchen and get my dutch oven ready!!!!!!

I served this over brown rice. I left out the hot sauce, as we don't like hot food that much. It turned out great. Delicious!!!

I have to weigh in as well as a former Cincinnatian. Very yummy! Not quite Skyline but I think that would be difficult! It did satisfy the craving! I made it with ground beef as the only change and my husband and I loved it!

Followed this recipe exactly. Chili with cinnamon, cocoa power and allspice is not for me.

I had a few reservations about this recipe. When it was cooking, it smelled cinnamony, which was just odd. When I tasted it though, it had an interesting and rich flavor. My husband loved it, and ate all the leftovers. The color of this dish is great, and looks like you spent hours simmering and cooking. I added ground turkey instead of the soy crumbles, since I can't have soy products. It was great!

I made it for a potluck and everyone loved it. I made it with more beans, and served it with corn tortillas chips.

I lived in Cincinnati before I was vegetarian. This is the real thing! Even my meat-eating husband loved it!

This is a wonderful recipe! I changed a couple of things, I used extra crumbels 6oz, half the sugar, and no water. And a little extra hot sauce, it was so good. Even the meat eaters had seconds! I served it over pasta with cheese.

I used ground beef, doubled the liquid ingredients, but only increased the spices by another half, and every one loved it. I served it with spagetti and lots of shredded cheese on top...YUM!! It's a "keeper" in our household. Thanks

This was amazing! The only thing I did was used canned beans instead of soaking them myself - cut down on prep time.

Delicious! I used crumbled (frozen then thawed crumbles better) tofu in place of the burger crumbles and I assure you it worked great! Better the next day, my boyfriend loved it also.

I've tried several kinds of vegetarian chili and this is the first "keeper." I absolutely love the combination of spicy with a hint of sweetness, and the texture of the spaghetti feels just right. One thing I would recommend is letting it simmer (with beans) longer than suggested because I noticed I enjoyed it much more when I reheated it the next day because the flavors had been given more time to blend.

Tasted like I was in Cincinnati, yummo

Love the sauce for this one!

loved it, followed recipe exactly. served both on its own and with nachos ... 2 of us devoured the whole pot in 24 hours, with non-stop raving that we couldn't believe how delicious it was!

Man was this good, no, great! We left out the pasta and just had the chili with Homestead Cornbread (Also available from allrecipes.com) This the BEST adaptation of a normal meat oriented dish to a vegitarian dish I have ever had. Will definitely make again

I used a lb of lean ground beef. I also left out the beans because Cincinnati style usually doesn't have them. I also blended half of the batch to get the right consistency. Tastes just like skyline.

My teenaged son and two of his friends yummed their way through big bowls of this chili. Excellent recipe.

The true taste of home. Its not easy finding Cincinnati chili when one lives 2000 miles from the Ohio Valley.

Wonderful recipe! This tastes just like the version I have had in several restaurants. Great with shredded cheese and onion on top!

I absolutly loved it!

So easy, and absolutely delicious! I let it sit all day in the slow cooker and we are now enjoying the leftovers.

I replaced beef with tofu, added red, yellow & orange peppers, one whole jalepeno, mushrooms & tumeric. I also added a can of garbanzo beans.

Very good. People, if you don't understand the taste of Cincinatti chili, don't try this. It's totally different than Texas style chili, but equally delicious!

I love Cincinnati Style Chili, but this was my first time trying to make it myself. I was skeptical about the cocoa powder and after making it, I know that I should have trusted myself and left it out. If it weren't for the cocoa powder, this would have been great.... It gave it a bitterness that could not be overcome. No matter how long I left it to simmer, it didn't blend with the other flavors. So, next time, I'll just leave that out and I am sure it will be great!

I've never had real Cincinnati Chili, but this was very good! I followed the recipe exactly - my hubby loved it! :)

I made this yesterday but I had no Coaco powder. So I'm calling it my Watertown Chili lol. I was raised on Cincinnati 3 way chili so I know the good stuff when I taste it.

I've never had this style of chili before. I really loved this. The flavor was quite surprising and delightful. I know the spaghetti is traditional for this kind of chili, but...I just don't like it over spaghetti. Later I had a second bowl with oyster crackers instead of spaghetti, and I preferred that much more. I would worry about cooking this for other people because it's not your normal chili. My dad liked it, but my mom couldn't stand it.

Wonderful! It is just like I remember from years ago! A family favorite

I made this receipe with hot sausage, and it was a hit with my family..delicious....

Fantastic! Easy, quick, and inexpensive. I always use mine for cheese coneys. A good veggie hot dog (I prefer Field Roast brand), a little yellow mustard, a couple big spoonfuls of chili, topped with finely shredded cheddar cheese and a dash (or three) of Tabasco. Nothin better!

This was a good base for Cincinnati style chili. All in all I liked it. I made a few tweaks. First I left out the beans. Cinti chili doesn't have beans in it. If you want them you cook them on the side and add them at service,otherwise they get to soggy. I also added a bay leaf while cooking. This is a trick that my brother told me from his experience making Cinti chili in the past. It adds a lot to the chili. I did not have allspice so I used a pew dashes of nutmeg. I need allspice for next time. Other then that next time I will use 1 1/2 tbs coco instead of 2. Like I said, great base for a recipe. I can't wait to try it again.

My MIL was from Cincinnati and I'm from Texas. She made me Cincinnati Chili years ago and I was in love! It was a wonderful change and now that some of us are veggie only, this version has been a pure comfort! Like with any recipe, you add more of something if you like it, and less if you don't. I have been making this chili for the past three years and we all love it! thank you KDCG!

The cinnamon and allspice were too overwhelming. It was just weird.

I liked it, although my husband wasn't really excited about the spaghetti. That's not the recipe's fault. I found the recipe a bit weird until I added cumin and chipotle peppers. I guess I'm just not a Cincinnati style gal :) I rather liked the spaghetti spin on the usual chili, personally. If my husband were more keen on the idea of the spaghetti part, I'd make it again--it's good.

Used chili beef instead of the ground beef crumbles (what IS that; sounds gruesome). Added a few more spices (coriander; cardamom; ancho chili powder) and salt. Also added a can of drained chili beans (for non-purists). Served without the spaghetti as we prefer our carbs with chili in the form of jalapeno corn muffins. Overall, this is a really nice version of Cincinnati chili. Will definitely make again.

I've been making this chili for about 9 years now, newly married then, searching for a chili recipe, and this was the winner. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this chili, whenever I make it I NEVER HAVE LEFTOVERS!!!

Very good. I substituted black beans for kidney beans and added two teaspoons of cumin.

I made this as my vegan option for a topping at the potato bar I was hosting at work. I doubled the recipe except for the beans and left out the cheese. I was really great over the potatoes and I got so many requests for the recipe from both vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

Loved this. Family ate it right up.

Really good! I followed the recipe as written except I used whole wheat spaghetti. I boiled the pasta till almost done, then stirred it into the chili and finished cooking it in the sauce. I will make this again!

Just because I didn't have the right ingredients, I modified this a little. We used pre-cooked meatballs instead of beef crumbles and Cajun seasoning instead of chili powder. I think the Cajun seasoning gave it a nice mellow "kick" instead of the usual chili kick.

I haven't made this particular recipe, but Cincinnati Style Chili is my absolute favorite food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To me, it is better than lobster, and I'm a big seafood lover! Try this recipe out. It is really great on hot dogs with shreaded mild cheddar cheese. I am from Cincinnati, but we don't live there anymore so this is a delicacy to my family. It's always a big deal for our family when we get together and make this. Yummy yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!

So this recipe was sitting in my box on here for awhile. I have a friend from Cincinnati Ohio and he said you have to make this. So I followed the directions to a point. Except I didn't have allspice and I used broth instead of water. This dish is crazy good. It is like things you won't think would work they work . I love this. Thank you for this .

Best vegetarian chili ever! Only thing I did differently was to use chili beans instead of kidney beans because that's what I had in the pantry. So glad I found this recipe!

I grew up at Tahoe in California in the 50's. When I was in high school we had no cafeteria (only 60 students). We 'd go across the street to a local Mom & Pops (called Ma & Pa's) and spend 60 cents and get a foot long hot dog with mustard and a ladle full of this chili with a good sprinkle of chopped onions. I had no idea it was called Cincinnati Chili. I made this recipe and it is exactly what the cafe used, thanks for the memories! As you get older the sense of taste is probably the last sense to go, I still have a couple left. :-)

This is the best vegetarian chili I've made! My husband can't get enough every time I make this !!Thanks for the great recipe!

I just made this and didn't change anything, except using ground meat. It was good, but the flavor isn't like any of the Cincinnati chili parlor recipes. I don't know what's missing, but something is.

I thought this recipe would have good, complex, rich flavor, and it lived up to my expectations. My husband and I both liked it very much. I did not change anything. Next time, I might try replacing the water with more tomato sauce to make it more tomatoey because I love tomatoes. It seems kind of soupy, so if you want it thicker, allow more time for it to cook down or cut down on the liquid. Thank you!

This vegetarian version reminded me a lot of Cincinnati's famous chili that I used to love when I used to eat meat. Next time I will halve the sugar. It was too sweet.

This will be my go-to chili recipe from now on. I LOVE the distinctive blend of spices. The only changes I made: I didn't measure the spices carefully & erred on the side of heaping spoonfuls. Also, I used a blend of beans. I'm not a vegetarian and I did not miss the ground cow at all!

One of my favourite recipes. A staple at my home.

Delicious! Even my picky hubby loved it!!!!!

I was a bit nervous. I grew up near Cincinnati so Im a bit picky. It is delicious!