Description
Cincinnati chili is a Mediterranean-spiced meat sauce used as a topping for spaghetti. There are many ways to make it but in this recipe we’re going five way: spaghetti, chili with beans, shredded cheese and diced red onions. You can make the chili that starts with dried beans in the Instant Pot or the slow cooker, it’s your choice.
Ingredients
For soaking:
- 8 cups water
- 1 (15.5 oz) package Hurst’s Slow Cooker Chili
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
For the chili:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp Better than Bouillon Beef Base
- 5 cups water
- Seasoning packet
- 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 1 tsp cinnamon
For serving:
- Hot cooked spaghetti
- Grated cheddar cheese (I used medium cheddar)
- Diced red onion
- Optional: sour cream
Instructions
For the Instant Pot:
- Soak the beans in 8 cups of water and 1 1/2 tsp salt overnight. If you forget to soak the beans you can do the quick soak method (look in the notes below for instructions).
- Turn the Instant Pot to the saute function (on the middle setting). When it’s hot add in the ground beef. Break the beef up with a wooden spoon. Add in the salt, yellow onion and minced garlic. Brown the ground beef and saute the onions. Drain off any extra grease.
- Add the soaked, rinsed and drained beans to the Instant Pot. Add in the beef base, water and half of the seasoning packet. Cover the Instant Pot and secure the lid. Set the valve to “sealing.” Set the timer on manual high pressure to 20 minutes. When the timer beeps let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes then release any remaining pressure by moving the valve to “venting.” Remove the lid.
- Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, cinnamon, and the rest of the seasoning packet. Stir.
- Serve the chili over hot spaghetti and top with cheese and onions and sour cream (if desired).
For the Slow Cooker:
- Soak the beans in 8 cups of water and 1 1/2 tsp salt overnight. If you forget to soak the beans you can do the quick soak method (look in the notes below for instructions).
- Brown the beef in a pan on the stove–Break the beef up with a wooden spoon. Add in the salt, yellow onion and minced garlic. Brown the ground beef and saute the onions. Drain off any extra grease. Add beef to the slow cooker.
- Add the soaked, rinsed and drained beans to the slow cooker. Add in the beef base, water and half of the seasoning packet. Cover the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
- When beans are tender, add in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, cinnamon, and the rest of the seasoning packet. Stir.
- Serve the chili over hot spaghetti and top with cheese and onions and sour cream (if desired).
Notes
How to quick soak dried beans on the stovetop: Use a colander to rinse the beans. Place the beans in a colander and run cool water over the top of the beans. Discard any dirt or stones. Add the beans to a saucepan. Cover the beans completely with water. Sprinkle in the salt. They will soak up a lot of the water so make sure to get about 2 inches of water over the top of the beans. Bring the beans to a boil over high heat. Let the beans boil for one minute and then remove the pot from the heat. Cover the beans with a lid and let them soak in the hot water for one hour. Use a colander to drain the water off of the beans. Now they are ready to be used in your recipe!
Quick Soak Method in the Instant Pot: First just pour the beans into a colander and rinse them off. Sometimes dried beans have a little dirt and debris in them. Once they have been rinsed you can add the beans to the Instant Pot. Next you’ll cover the beans with water. Now you’ll add in salt. The salty solution is essential to getting the beans the right consistency. Now you’ll bring the pot to a boil by using the the “sauté” function on your Instant Pot. Once the water comes to a boil you will cover the pot with the lid and set the valve to “sealing.” Then you’ll set the manual pressure cooker button to 2 minutes. When the timer beeps you can open the valve very slowly. If foam begins to exit the valve stop releasing the pressure and wait for 30 seconds before you try again. Once the lid is removed go ahead and drain and rinse the beans in a colander under cool running water. Now you can proceed with the recipe that requires pre-soaked beans.