Cincinnati Chili

I will never forget the first time I saw a bowl of chili - with spaghetti mixed in. We'd just moved from Arkansas to Indiana, and the school menus said they were having chili - not spaghetti. In my Southern-bred little mind, that was just entirely too strange to comprehend.

But I was hungry enough to eat it anyway, and it turned out to be okay after all. And although I never quite got used to the sight of spaghetti noodles worming their way through my chili, life went on.

Fast forward 20 years or so, and my constant search for new recipes led me back to an old one. I found a recipe for the classic Cincinnati chili (aka Skyline Chili) and decided to give it a go. It's quite tasty, though I think I will make a couple of changes next time I throw it together. First, I'm leaving out the pork. I can't really taste it, and it adds a lot of fat. Second, I'm going to cut down the cocoa powder by about half. It didn't dissolve well in the chili and it has a slightly powdery texture that I'm not crazy about. Otherwise - yum.

Even with the spaghetti.

Cincinnati Chili

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 large onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
1/4 c white vinegar
1/4 cup baking cocoa (cut this down some)
2 T chili powder
2 T Worcestershire sauce
4 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp oregano
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp allspice
2 tsp hot pepper sauce
3 bay leaves
1 tsp sugar
hot cooked spaghetti

In a large soup kettle, cook beef, pork, onions, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the remaining ingredients, except spaghetti. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 90 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Serve over spaghetti with typical chili toppings (sour cream, cheese, tomatoes, etc)

Serves 8.
NI (1 cup, without spaghetti): 421 calories, 16g fat, 38g carbohydrate, 11g fiber, 32g protein

Cashew Noodle Casserole

Did you think I had forgotten about you? Of course not - but I haven't done much cooking since the first of the year, when we realized we were going to move in a few weeks. I'm settled in my new place, and have done my first cooking in my new kitchen. Great fun. :)

I adapted this recipe from a Taste of Home cookbook. I changed quantities of most of the ingredients to make it healthier and more economical. It is mild, but quite tasty. If you want to keep some for leftovers, do not add the chow mein noodles before cooking.

Cashew Noodle Casserole

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 4-oz can mushroom pieces, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. black pepper
8 oz. fine eggs noodles, cooked and drained
1 cup reduced-fat finely shredded cheddar
1 6-oz package chow mein noodles (I only used half the bag)
1 c. whole cashews

Preheat oven to 350. In a skillet, cook beef and onions over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the mushrooms; set aside. In a bowl, combine the soup, milk, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. In a 2-qt baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray, layer egg noodles, beef mixture, and soup mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and chow mein noodles. Bake, uncovered for 20 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with cashews. Serves 6-8

Taco Casserole

Here's another old favorite that I tweaked to make it lower in calories and fat. Of course, feel free to use regular Doritos, regular cheese, and regular soup, if that's your cup of tea. It will taste every bit as good.

Taco Casserole

¾ lb. ground beef
1 c. brown rice, cooked
3 100-calorie packs Doritos, crushed
1 can reduced-fat cream of chicken soup
1 can fiesta nacho cheese soup
½ c. water
1 can Ro-Tel
1 ½ c. reduced-fat grated cheddar cheese


Preheat oven to 350. Brown hamburger. In a medium bowl, mix soups, Ro-Tel, and water. In a well-greased 2-qt casserole dish, layer hamburger, rice, cheese, chips, and soups. Bake 30 minutes.

Amanda's Chili

There aren't too many recipes for which I claim total credit, but this is definitely one of them. I've experimented for several years, and developed a chili recipe that is Weight Watchers Core, very filling, and somewhat reminiscient of the flavor of Wendy's chili. For you vegetarian-types, this is a great recipe for TVP or soy crumbles.

I make it at least once a month during the winter, and it freezes quite well. Dip two cups into a quart-size ziploc bag, squeeze out all the air, and lay it flat on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, stand the the bag on its side in the freezer and it takes up almost no room.

Amanda's Chili

1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes (fire-roasted is best)
1 15-oz. can pinto beans, undrained
1 15-oz. can dark red kidney beans, undrained
1 4-oz can chopped green chilies
Black pepper to taste
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin to taste
1/8 tsp. cayenne

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Over medium heat, cook onion and garlic until transluscent. Transfer to large Dutch oven. Brown hamburger in skillet and add to onion. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream and cheese.

Baked Spaghetti

I have been remiss in not sharing this with you. I found the recipe in a Light & Tasty magazine. It has all the comfort qualities of good old lasagna, without all the hassle. (I know how commercial-esque that sounded. Bear with me!) It makes up a ton, reheats very well, will easily last a week in the fridge, and if you use the right ingredients, is even Weight Watcher friendly at 7 points a serving. I have not tried freezing this one, but I suspect it would freeze as well as lasagna does.

Baked Spaghetti

1 lb. 96% lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 c. Ragu No Sugar Added Tomato & Basil Sauce
4 c. 1% low-fat cottage cheese
2 c.part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
½ c. reduced-fat Parmesan topping, divided
12 oz. whole wheat angel hair pasta

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook beef, onion, and garlic until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the spaghetti sauce and heat through.

In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, 1 ½ c. mozzarella and ¼ c. Parmesan.

Drain spaghetti.

Spread 1 cup of meat sauce in a 9x13 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer with half the spaghetti, half the cheese, and half the remaining meat sauce. Repeat layers. (Dish will be very full, and you may have to press it down with a spatula to make it all fit.)

Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 10, 7 WWP per serving.

Spicy Sweet & Sour Beef

I love my one-pot meals! I adapted this from another recipe to better suit my tastes. It's healthy and counts as a Weight Watchers Core recipe. This freezes well.

Spicy Sweet & Sour Beef

1 1/2 c. instant brown rice, uncooked
3/4 lb. lean ground beef
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped in 1/2-in pieces
1 green bell pepper, julienned
1 orange bell pepper, julienned
1 8-oz can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1 20-oz can crushed pineapple (in juice), drained
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 tbsp. garlic-ginger stir fry sauce
1 tsp. ginger
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
dash cayenne pepper
salt & pepper to taste

Cook rice according to package directions. In a large skillet, cook ground beef. Drain and set aside. Heat oil in skillet and saute onion and peppers until tender.

Stir in water chestnuts, pineapple, soy sauce, garlic-ginger sauce, spices, and vinegar. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce thickens, about five minutes. Stir in rice.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

This is officially the weirdest recipe I've ever tried. I cannot begin to fathom the creative process that put sauerkraut, cranberry sauce, and spaghetti sauce together. It is totally beyond my comprehension. In fact, it was so strange, I just had to try it. The result? It's delicious. Really - but don't take my word for it. You really should give this a try.

Besides being utterly yummy, it's unbelievably easy to put together - toss a few ingredients in the crockpot and go away. I'm all for anything that involves less work! I served this with rice and came away quite satisfied. Give it a shot - I promise the flavors work better than you would ever believe.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

2-3 lb. frozen cooked meatballs
1 15-oz can sauerkraut (do not drain)
1 15-oz can cranberry sauce
1 small jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 c. brown sugar

Put frozen meatballs in crockpot set to low. In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour over meatballs and cook for 3-4 hours, or until heated through. Serve with rice.

Fiesta Skillet Dinner

I am a big fan of one-pot meals, so we eat a lot of casseroles and skillet dinners. This one reminded me somewhat of a chicken recipe that came from my roommate, and I was not at all disappointed in the results. I did a little tweaking to add vegetables. I also added about 2 cups of water to make it saucier and served it over crushed tortilla chips.

Fiesta Skillet Dinner

1 lb. ground turkey or beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 package taco seasoning
1 1/2 c. water
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes
1 c. frozen corn
1 1/2 c. uncooked instant rice
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered (optional)
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, cook turkey and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain if necessary. Stir in taco seasoning, water, zucchini, tomatoes, and corn. Bring to a boil; add rice. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Stir in tomatoes and cheese, just until cheese melts.

Adapted from Allrecipes.com