Chili and spaghetti sauce have so much in common. They both have tons of tomatoes, ground beef that's often added, and lots of herbs and spices thrown in. So, it makes sense that you would top your spaghetti with chili, as in the recipe that follows, when you want something a little different. It's easy to do, and you don't have to wait until you have all that leftover chili after a night of feasting.
Unlike traditional chili, this recipe uses a quick chili that comes together in the pan in about 20 minutes. While that's going, you simply boil your pasta so when it's done, all you need is to bring the two together. When the dish is finished, it gets topped with lots of cheddar cheese, because these are chili flavors and chili calls for cheddar.
Chili Spaghetti
4
15 minutes
25 minutes
40 minutes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, small dice
1 green pepper, small dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juices
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 16-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt, plus more
8 ounces dried spaghetti
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and green pepper and cook for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
Add the garlic and the ground beef, breaking it up as you do. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink. Drain and return to pan.
To the pan add the diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt.
Stir the contents of the pan together. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
While the sauce is cooking, with about 8 minutes of cook time left, cook spaghetti according to package directions.
Drain pasta and add to the pan with the chili sauce. Stir to coat all strands of spaghetti.
Divide spaghetti evenly among four plates and top with cheddar cheese.