Cincinnati Turkey Chili

Being new to this chili thing, I had never heard of Cincinnati-style chili. I looked it up and learned that it's a regional style of chili characterized by the use of such spices as cinnamon, allspice, or cloves as well as chocolate and is typically served over spaghetti. It can also be made with a thin, sauce-like consistency to be used as a topping on hot dogs (sounds like the Michigan dogs I made, recipe here). Apparently, great quantities of it is consumed in Cincinnati--some 2,000,000 pounds topped by some 850,000 pounds of  shredded cheddar cheese. I decided to give it a try.

Serves 4 - 1/2 cup pasta; 1 1/2 cups chili; 3 tbs cheese; 2 tbs onion
(N.I.  fat 13.8 g; prot 24.5g; carb47.4 g; fiber 7.9g)



4 oz uncooked spaghetti
cooking spray (olive oil)
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 1/2 cups of chopped onion, divided
1 cup chopped green pepper (1 small pepper)
1 tbs minced garlic
1 tbs chili powder
2 tbs tomato paste
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
3/4 cup lower sodium chicken broth
1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sharp shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to package instructions; Drain.

Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat and coat pan with cooking spray. Add turkey and cook 3-5 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add 1 cup onion, green pepper, and garlic; saute 3 minutes. Add chili powder, tomato paste, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and allspice and cook 1 minute. Add broth, beans, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, add salt and stir well. Serve over pasta; top with onion and cheese.
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TASTE NOTES
I have become a convert. I enjoy chili, at least the chili I make at home. This one had a good balance of heat and sweetness. I wasn't sure I'd enjoy it over spaghetti, but I did. One of the advantages of using lean ground turkey is there's no oily residue floating on top of your chili. Given the short cooking time, the flavors had really melded together. Along with a kale Caesar salad--my latest craze--this was a substantial dinner, yet there are leftovers, a win-win.