Midwest Weekend Cincinnati Chili

Secret ingredients of cinnamon and unsweetened chocolate give this dark bean mix its original character. The addition of barbeque sauce with ground beef adds a sweet tang to this easy-to-prepare chili.

For Vegetarian Variation - Click Here

Cincinnati Chili Mix Ingredients:

Dehydrated Dark Red Kidney Beans, Unsweetened Dark Chocolate, Sliced Onion, Bay Leaf, Cinnamon, Garlic, Chili Spices, Mustard and Cayenne. No added Salt, Preservatives, or MSG. 

Allergen Information: Certified Gluten-Free

You Will Also Need:

• 2 pounds ground sirloin (or chuck or round)
• 1 26 to 30-ounce can tomato sauce
• ½ cup barbeque sauce (sweet rather than smoky)
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

Here's What You Do:

1. Crumble and brown ground meat in a 3 to 4-quart pot with 1 or 2 tablespoons oil, if desired.
2. Add contents of Midwest Weekend Cincinnati Style Chili Mix. Stir in additions above and bring to a simmer.
3. Add contents of chocolate packet and cook on low heat, covered, for 40 minutes.
4. Remove bay leaf and serve.

New Nutrition Tips:

• To boost vegetables, add 2 cups chopped, mixed red and green peppers and 1 cup chopped, fresh or frozen carrots when browning the meat.
• To give a Mediterranean twist, top each serving with 1 tablespoon unsalted cashews.
• To boost whole grains in the Inventive Variations suggestions on the package and website, serve Cincinnati-style in a bowl with whole wheat spaghetti and sprinkle with just a little bit of grated cheese, or serve chili barbecue beef-style in a soft whole grain bun sandwich, or make a Mexican mole sauce by leaving out the meat.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve as a sauce over chicken breasts with brown or wild rice.
• To cut saturated fat, prepare with 1 pound extra lean ground beef, bison, or turkey, or go Vegetarian.
• To cut sodium, prepare with no salt added tomato sauce. 
• To cut added sugar and sodium, halve the amount of barbecue sauce. To further cut added sugar, prepare with 1 teaspoon brown sugar instead of 1 tablespoon.

Vegetarian Recipe Variation: 

You will replace the meat with zucchini, red pepper, red onion and mushrooms in this delicious variation. 

You Will Also Need:

• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 red onion, diced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, diced
• 1 26 to 30-ounce can tomato sauce
• ½ cup barbeque sauce (sweet rather than smoky)
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

Here's What You Do:

1. Sauté onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms in a 3 to 4-quart pot with 1 or 2 tablespoons oil, if desired.
2. Add contents of Midwest Weekend Cincinnati Style Chili Mix. Stir in tomato sauce, barbeque sauce, water, brown sugar, red wine vinegar and bring to a simmer.
3. Add contents of chocolate packet and cook on low heat, covered, for 40 minutes. Add the zucchini for the last 15 minutes of cook time. 
4. Remove bay leaf and serve.

Inventive Variation:

Serve up this crowd-pleasing chili three ways: Cincinnati-style in a bowl with spaghetti and topped with grated cheese, or barbecue beef-style in a soft bun sandwich, or make a Mexican mole sauce by leaving out the meat above. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve as a sauce over chicken breasts with rice.