Skyline Lentil Chili

Serve chili over spaghetti and top with chopped onion, finely shredded Cheddar cheese, kidney beans, and Tabasco® sauce. I used to love Skyline Cincinnati-style chili. When I went vegetarian I came up with this Skyline lentil chili to give me that Skyline taste. I use green or black lentils as the protein where standard Cincinnati-style would use ground meat. Even though I've gone back to eating meat this is still my preferred way to get my Skyline fix.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 20 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins
• Calories: 77 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 2 cups dry lentils
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups diced green bell pepper
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups diced onions
• 2 tablespoons chili powder, or more to taste
• ½ cup water, or as needed (Optional)
• ½ (1 ounce) square unsweetened chocolate, grated

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Mix chili powder, garlic powder, unsweetened chocolate, cinnamon, cumin, salt, cayenne pepper, allspice, cloves, and bay leaf together in a bowl until seasoning mix is well combined.

Step 2

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat; cook and stir onions and green bell pepper until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add vegetable broth and lentils; simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in seasoning mix, tomato sauce, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce; simmer for 1 hour more, adding water if chili gets too thick.

Step 3

Remove bay leaf from chili. Blend chili using an immersion blender until desired consistency is reached.