Diner Style Chili

Diner Style Chili 

Adapted from www.beachbody.com

Ingredients

• 1½ lbs. extra lean beef chuck, cooked/browned/crumbled (no pink remains)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 can (7 ounces) fire roasted diced green chilies
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups water
• 3 ounces of tomato paste (1/2 of a 6 ounce can)
• 2 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• ¾ tsp. to 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. ground black pepper
• a few pinches of granulated sugar
• 1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans, drained, rinsed

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker; stir.  Cook on LOW setting for 5 to 6 hours.  Adjust seasoning to taste by adding in additional salt and/or sugar as desired. 

Top as desired with diced avocado, grated cheese, diced onion, tortilla chips, saltine or oyster crackers, sour cream, Greek yogurt, etc. 

Makes 6 servings. 

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I found this recipe on the Beachbody blog (the original recipe can be found HERE).  The recipe called for cooking the veggies before adding them to the slow cooker and a few other steps.  I added some additional spices and some canned green chilies, as well as some water, and let all the ingredients simmer in the slow cooker.  My version was super easy and I really enjoy how tasty it is. Like many soups and stews, I think this tasted even better the next day.  This chili reminds me of diner style chili; it has a rich taste from tomato paste, garlic, and chili powder, and it has a really high meat to bean ratio.  Ordinarily I make chili with less meat and more beans.

Have you ever heard of Cincinnati Chili?  I've heard about it on Food Network cooking shows.  It's hearty chili served on top of spaghetti and can be served a variety of ways.  I found a description here:

History:  Macedonian immigrant Tom Kiradjieff created Cincinnati chili in 1922.  With his brother, John, Kiradjieff opened a small Greek restaurant called the Empress.  The restaurant did poorly however, until Kiradjieff started offering a chili made with Middle Eastern spices, which could be served in a variety of ways.  He called it his “spaghetti chili.”  Kiradjieff’s “five way” was a concoction of a mound of spaghetti topped with chili, chopped onion, kidney beans, and shredded yellow cheese, served with oyster crackers and a side order of hot dogs topped with more shredded cheese.

I got to thinking about Cincinnati Chili and decided to try my Diner Style Chili over zoodles (zucchini noodles).  If I had grated cheese, I would added some but I had none.  The chili over zoodles was a good and filing meal, but I think I prefer this chili best with some fresh diced red onion.  Of course a gob of grated cheddar cheese and oyster crackers would be really good too.

Enjoy!