Cincinnati Chili 5-way
intro
Beloved regional American comfort food: spiced, fine-crumbled chili layered over spaghetti with beans, raw onion, and a tall mound of sharp cheddar, served with oyster crackers.
Ingredients
Steps
Cook the beef base
Place 450 grams 80/20 ground beef in a large Dutch oven with 960 ml cold low-sodium beef broth. Set heat to medium-high, bring to a gentle simmer (93°C/200°F), stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to break beef into very fine, even crumbles, for 5 minutes until no pink remains. Do not brown the beef or drain the cooking liquid.
Simmer the spiced chili
Stir in 50 grams (1/4 cup) diced yellow onion, 9 grams minced garlic, 32 grams tomato paste, 14 grams chili powder, 5 grams cocoa powder, 2.6 grams cinnamon, 1 gram allspice, 2 grams cumin, 5 grams kosher salt, 1 gram black pepper, 30 ml Worcestershire sauce, and 15 ml apple cider vinegar. Stir until fully combined, then adjust heat to maintain a low, steady simmer (82°C/180°F, small occasional bubbles). Partially cover the pot with a lid, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent sticking, until the chili is thin but deeply flavored with no clumps of spice or meat.
Cook spaghetti al dente
While the chili simmers, bring a large stockpot of heavily salted water (15 grams kosher salt per 4 liters water) to a rolling boil (100°C/212°F) over high heat. Add 225 grams dried spaghetti, stir once to prevent sticking, and cook for 9-10 minutes until al dente (tender with a slight firm bite at the center of each strand). Drain fully, do not rinse the pasta (rinsing removes starch that helps the chili cling), and keep warm until serving.
Prep serving toppings
While the chili and spaghetti cook, place 425 grams rinsed, drained kidney beans in a small saucepan over low heat (60°C/140°F) for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. Arrange the remaining 150 grams (3/4 cup) diced raw yellow onion, 226 grams finely shredded sharp cheddar, and 60 grams oyster crackers in separate small serving bowls for easy assembly.
Layer 5-way components
For each of the 4 servings, layer ingredients in strict traditional order on a wide pasta plate: start with 1 cup of cooked spaghetti as the base, top with 1 generous cup (240 ml) of hot chili, add 1/3 cup warmed kidney beans, sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of raw diced onion, then pile 1/2 cup of finely shredded cheddar in a tall, loose mound over the top so the heat of the chili gently melts the bottom layer of cheese.
Plate and serve
Serve each assembled plate immediately, with 1/4 cup oyster crackers per person placed on the side or sprinkled lightly over the cheese. Do not pre-mix the layers before serving; the traditional experience is to cut through the cheese mound into the warm layers below, letting cheese melt gradually as you eat. Offer extra hot sauce on the side for guests who prefer more heat.
Tips
2.Do not brown the ground beef first: cooking beef in cold broth creates the unique fine, non-clumpy texture of Cincinnati chili, unlike the large seared chunks in Texas-style chili.
3.Avoid thickeners like flour or cornstarch: authentic Cincinnati chili is thin enough to lightly coat spaghetti strands, not thick and pasty like standard chili.
OMG, I grew up outside Cincinnati eating Skyline every other weekend after soccer games and I swear this recipe tastes EXACTLY like what I remember! Made the full 5-way for my husband’s football watch party last Sunday and every single person asked for the recipe. The spice blend is perfect, no weird bitter aftertaste some copycats have. SO good I already made a second batch for meal prep this week!
Total game changer for weeknight family dinners! I was worried the cook time would be too long for a school night but most of it is simmer time where I could help the kids with homework while it cooked. My 7 and 9 year old went back for seconds, which never happens with new recipes. Skipped the onions for the kids but loaded mine up, 10/10.
Made a huge batch of this on Sunday for meal prep and it held up perfectly all week in the fridge! I portioned out the chili separately from the spaghetti and toppings so nothing got soggy, and it reheated like a dream. Already added this to my regular monthly rotation, it’s way cheaper than grabbing takeout chili on lunch breaks.
Really solid copycat recipe! I’ve been missing proper 5-way since I moved to Seattle 4 years ago, and this hit 90% of the spot for me. I added a tiny extra dash of cinnamon and a pinch of cocoa powder to get it even closer to what I remember from my favorite local spot, but even without those tweaks it’s way better than any other recipe I’ve tried online.
I was so nervous to make this because my kid is the pickiest eater on the planet and turns his nose up at anything with ‘weird spices’ but he ate THREE bowls! I didn’t tell him there was cinnamon in it until after he finished, and he said it’s his new favorite dinner. Win for mom!
Great flavor, super easy to pull off even for someone who usually only cooks over charcoal! I will say I wish I’d shredded my own cheddar instead of buying the pre-shredded stuff, the pre-shredded didn’t melt as nicely over the hot chili. Still turned out delicious, though, my roommates destroyed the whole pot in 20 minutes.
Made this in my tiny dorm kitchen with a single hot plate and it came out insane! I didn’t have all the exact spices so I used a pre-mixed chili powder and added a little extra cinnamon, and it still slapped. Fed me and my three roommates for under $15 total, way better than the dining hall chili. Will be making this every other week for sure.
Brought this to my office potluck today and people were literally lined up to get a serving! I set out all the toppings separately (shredded cheese, diced onions, kidney beans, oyster crackers, hot sauce) so people could build their own 3-way, 4-way, or 5-way however they liked, and it was such a hit. The pan was completely empty by the end of lunch, I didn’t even get leftovers!
Wait why did no one tell me Cincinnati chili was this good??? I’ve lived in upstate New York my whole life and never had it before, I saw this recipe pop up on my feed and decided to give it a shot on a whim. The sweet-savory spice combo is unreal, I added a dollop of sour cream on top too and it was chef’s kiss. 10/10, no notes.
Made this for our Sunday family dinner last night and even my super traditional midwestern dad who swears ‘Cincinnati chili isn’t real chili’ went back for a third helping. I served it with a side of cheese coney dogs too for the full Cincy experience, and everyone left stuffed and happy. Easy recipe, zero fancy ingredients, will absolutely be making this again soon.