Looking for a unique chili recipe? Try this Cincinnati-style chili with unexpected ingredients

Martha M. Henze, MPH, MS, RDN - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Global Public Health Epidemiologist

If you're looking for a weight-loss-friendly chili recipe, try this Slow Cooker Cincinnati Turkey Chili. It's cozy and unique, made with chocolate and cinnamon.

What makes this chili recipe so unique?

First of all, in Cincinnati, chili is not served in a soup bowl with cornbread on the side but rather in a shallow oval bowl and used as a topping for spaghetti or hotdogs. Second, even though Cincinnati chili contains traditional chili powder, it is also seasoned with a Mediterranean mixture of cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and allspice. Third, a small amount of dark 70-85% cacao chocolate is stirred in before serving. Although you don't taste the chocolate, it adds a rich depth to the flavor.

Not only is Cincinnati Turkey Chili delicious and flavorful, but it is weight-loss and diabetes-friendly, with 345 calories and 23 grams of protein per serving.

Health benefits of this unique chili recipe

Excellent source of protein

• If weight loss is your goal, eating foods high in protein can keep you satisfied longer.
• This unique chili recipe features lean ground turkey and pinto beans, two excellent protein sources.

Great source of fiber

• Fiber-rich foods can also keep you satisfied longer-a big help when striving to lose weight.
• One serving contains almost 8 grams of fiber!

Excellent source of the antioxidant lycopene

• Ironically, because the tomatoes in this recipe are from a can, they actually contain more lycopene than fresh tomatoes. The antioxidant lycopene is held tightly under the skin of a tomato. The high heat in the canning process makes the lycopene from canned vegetables more available to our bodies than fresh tomatoes.
• Antioxidants naturally occur in fruits and vegetables and help protect your body against cancer and heart disease.

Wait, there's more!

• Not only is chili pepper a wonderful source of antioxidants, but so are the spices of cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and allspice. Onions and garlic are rich in the antioxidant allicin, which is believed to play a role in decreasing blood pressure and cholesterol.
• In addition, each serving has over 20% of the daily value for vitamin C.

Upcoming chili cook-off?

Once dubbed one of the "20 Most Iconic Foods in America" by the Smithsonian and a James Beard Foundation America's Classics Award-winner, Cincinnati Chili makes a perfect prize-winner for anyone.

For a chili cook-off, tailgate party, potluck, or just want a warm evening meal, cook it in your slow cooker. Otherwise, use a big pot on the stove and enjoy the aroma permeating your house. The longer it cooks, the better it gets. Make extra because it's even better the next day and freezes well.

Slow Cooker Cincinnati Turkey Chili

Yield: 7 servings
Nutrition Facts per serving of chili (283 grams)
Calories: 345, 15g fat, 31g carbohydrate, 23g protein, 8g dietary fiber

Ingredients

• 2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, drained, no salt added
• 29 ounces canned diced tomatoes, no salt added
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup canned chicken broth, reduced-sodium
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin, ground or whole
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped sweet green peppers
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 16 ounces ground turkey, 93% lean 7% fat
• 2 ounces dark chocolate, 70-85% cacao
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Drain and rinse canned pinto beans.
2. Place pinto beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, and all spices including salt into a slow cooker.
3. Turn slow cooker on high and set for 4 hours.
4. In a large nonstick saute pan, add olive oil and heat to medium heat.
5. Add chopped onions and saute for about 4 minutes.
6. Add chopped green pepper and saute for another 3 minutes.
7. Add minced garlic and saute for another 30 seconds.
8. Add sauteed veggies to the slow cooker, and give it a stir.
9. Brown the ground turkey for about 6 minutes in the same saute pan, increasing heat to medium-high Add browned turkey to the slow cooker and stir.
10. After 4 hours, add dark chocolate to the slow cooker and stir until melted and well mixed.
11. Serve one cup of chili in a bowl and top with 1 1/2 tablespoons of shredded cheddar cheese.

Tips

• True Cincinnati-style: This chili is traditionally served with pasta, but it is so rich that it doesn't need it. Try it over low-carb pasta alternatives, like spaghetti squash or zoodles (spiralized zucchini).
• If you don't have a slow cooker, you can make this recipe in a large pot on the stove.
• Extra sharp cheddar cheese is great on this chili.
• You can substitute dark chocolate baking chips for high-cacao chocolate; the chips melt faster.

This is one of more than 700 dietitian-approved recipes available with Premium membership. With Premium, just type in "Slow Cooker Cincinnati Turkey Chili." You'll find it already entered and analyzed for you.

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Reviewed and updated by Brenda Braslow, MS, RDN, LDN, CDCES on November 3, 2022.

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Foods & Recipes->Chicken & Turkey Foods & Recipes->Soup

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