vegan cincinnati chili

A vegan Cincinnati chili recipe made with lentils. Adapted from There's Always Thyme To Cook's Cincinnati Four-Way Chili.

Vegan Cincinnati Chili

olive oil

onion

tbsp. chili powder

allspice

cumin

cloves

unsweetened cocoa

bay leaf

cinnamon

paprika

apple cider vinegar

vegetable broth

tomato sauce

brown lentils (rinsed)

whole wheat spaghetti (cooked)

onion ((vegan) cheese, and/or crackers

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook 3 minutes, or until softened, stirring often. Add chili powder through paprika; stir to coat and cook 1 minute.

Add vinegar, broth, tomato sauce, and lentils. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer partially covered for 30 minutes (or until lentils are tender), stirring frequently. Serve over whole wheat spaghetti and garnish with onion, cheese, and crackers.

Chili is a BIG deal in Cincinnati, Ohio, and they serve it up several different ways, so if you're ready for your first 3-way..... you GOTTA try this Vegan Cincinnati Chili. 

yellow onion (plus extra for garnish)

tsp garlic

water

tomato paste

Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

vegan worcestershire sauce

oz unsweetened baker’s chocolate (1 square)or 2 1/2 Tbs cocoa powder

Tablespoons chili powder

brown sugar (or maple syrup)

garlic powder

black pepper

bulgar

kidney beans

spaghetti (I use brown rice spaghetti)

If using my cheese sauce &#8211; make it first

Otherwise, add diced onion to a 6qt dutch oven

Saute onion in a few tbs of water or veg broth until softened &amp; slightly browned

Stir in tomato paste, vinegar, and worcestershire sauce, mix well

In a small bowl, whisk all remaining spices together, then stir them into the chili

Add bulgar, mix well, and increase heat to a low boil

Reduce heat to low and let it simmer 30-45 minutes, stirring often

During the last 15 minutes, add the rinsed beans

Hi Wendy C, I made this tonight and used the IP. I put all the chili ingredients in the pot except for the beans. I used a split farro grain that I had on hand. I put 1 cup of farro and 1 3/4 cups water. Looking at the pot, though, it didn't seem like enough water so I went back and added one more 1/4 cup for a total of 2 cups. (The directions for cooking my grain on stovetop were to use 2 1/2 cups water to 1 cup split emmer farro.) I set the IP for 22 minutes and let it have a natural pressure release. RESULT: The grains were cooked, but with the tomato paste and cocoa powder, the bottom scorched a bit. If I were to make this again, I would omit the tomato paste at this stage and just get the grains cooked with the onion and spices. Once these were cooked, I added the beans. I had some cooked purple hulled peas (similar to blackeyed peas) so I used those instead. Next time I will add the tomato paste with the beans at that stage. The dish was delicious! The chili is very flavorful. My husband liked it a lot. I served it over whole wheat spaghetti with Chuck's cheese sauce and some chopped green onions. It goes well with a green vegetable, such as broccoli or bok choy. It's very filling. I omitted the salt in the cheese sauce since we are trying to keep blood pressure down. It was still very flavorful because the chili has lots of tasty spices in it. Good luck!

I omitted the bulgar and substituted green lentils and finely chopped mushrooms. The spices give a unique delicious flavor in a very easy to prepare recipe.

Cincinnati Chili Spaghetti is a delicious, cocoa and cinnamon spiced chili served over noodles. This easy vegan version knocks it out of the park with flavor &amp; texture! Top it off with beans, diced onions, chopped herbs, or dairy free shredded cheese for a healthy comfort food meal you&#x27;ll crave.﻿

spaghetti noodles (gluten free, if desired)

(15 oz) chickpeas

walnuts

olive oil (or 1/4 cup water)

garlic

Worcestershire sauce

chili powder

cocoa powder

smoked paprika

salt (or

(8 oz) tomato sauce

low-sodium vegetable broth (or water (plus more, as needed to thin))

Diced raw white onion

chopped parsley

Dairy free shredded cheese

Hot sauce

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions.

Meanwhile, place the walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to chop

Add the chickpeas to the food processor with the walnuts and pulse a few more times to break them up. Do not over-process into a purée...you still want it chunky like the size of ground meat crumbles. (See step-by-stop photos in post for reference). Set aside.

Heat the oil (or water) in a large deep skillet over medium heat on the stove. Add the diced onions and sauté  5 to 6 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté 1 more minute.

Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, and all the spices. Stir to combine until the tomato paste is well mixed in.

Add the chickpea and walnut mixture and stir to combine.

Add the tomato sauce and broth and stir to combine.

Simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes until thickened up to your desired consistency. Feel free to add a bit more broth or water if you like it thinner.

Serve over spaghetti noodles with any optional garnishes you like.

Just made this for dinner tonight. Fabulous!!!!
My husband is not a fan of Chili but he loved this recipe. 
Will definitely make this again

Was truly looking forward to this recipe because I love a good Cincinnati chili, but this tastes bitter.   I used all the ingredients exactly as listed so no changes on my part.  Is there anything I can add to get rid of the bitter taste?  Thanks.

Unreal how good this is and if I served this to my fellow Bearcats they wouldn’t know the diff!

I never heard of Cincinnati chili before, but came across it on your site and decided I had to try it. The ingredients looked so yummy and creative. We loved it! Only change I made was subbed half of the walnuts for brown lentils to cut down on fat. All so delicious!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/hgztuw78.mp4

Cincinnati Chili Spaghetti is a delicious, cocoa and cinnamon spiced chili served over noodles. This easy vegan version knocks it out of the park with flavor & texture! Top it off with beans, diced onions, chopped herbs, or dairy free shredded cheese for a comfort food meal you’ll crave.

Top 3 vegan cincinnati chili recipes from across the web

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Vegan Cincinnati Chili

Vegan Cincinnati Chili

Vegan Cincinnati Chili

Top 3 vegan cincinnati chili recipes from across the web

The most viewed vegan cincinnati chili recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Vegan Cincinnati Chili

Vegan Cincinnati Chili

Vegan Cincinnati Chili

The most viewed vegan cincinnati chili recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine