Paleo Cincinnati Style Turkey Chili

This delicious dish is somewhere between a chili and a bolognese.

Or maybe it’s just a chili that I decided to serve bolognese style, but I hear that’s quite common with Cincinnati style chili.  This style of chili has a thinner more sauce-like consistency than most chili con carne.

It’s also characterized by a liberal use of seasonings including cocoa and cinnamon.

You can also enjoy it inside of a squash bowl or atop scrambled eggs.   And I bet it would be wonderful atop a brat or dog!

Paleo Cincinnati Style Turkey Chili

From Paleo in PDX

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 tbsp olive oil, or fat of choice
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1.5 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp raw honey
• 15 oz tomato sauce
• Spaghetti Squash scraped into noodles (1 very large or two small/medium) (directions here if you don’t know how)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a very large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook 2-3 minutes until soft.  Add the ground turkey and break up the meat with a spatula or wooden spoon and cook until the most of the meat is browned, about 7 minutes.
2. Stir in the sea salt, spices and cocoa powder, and cook about 1-2 minutes more.
3. Next, add the apple cider vinegar, tomato sauce, broth and honey.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until sauce has thickened up a bit.
4. Once chili is done, serve atop of zucchini noodles or roasted spaghetti squash. Garnish with Parmesan, if desired (obviously not paleo!)

4 servings

Johanna