Cincinnati Chili-Inspired Meatballs

If you guys have been following for a while, you know I love me a meatball! I made a batch of Cincinnati Chili a few weeks ago – had a random craving, thanks #pregnancy, and then thought, hey maybe this would be a good meatball. I was right. And if this is sacrilegious to you, I’m very sorry.

In my defense, I’m not from Ohio, though I went to college there. Skyline Chili isn’t part of my religion, so these meatballs were super exciting for me. If it makes you mad, look away! ha!

These definitely have the essence of Cincy Chili – in fact, they have all the same spices, cinnamon and cocoa powder included. You spice up the meatballs and the sauce and I gotta tell you, they really hit the spot!

It’s critical to do prep for this recipe, and not just wing it as you read through the recipe. This is a lot of different spices and you need them x2 for the meat and the sauce. It will save you so much time and a lot of “wait, did I add this?” as you are making these.

These meatballs come together so fast and have that perfect balance of sweet and heat. You make your meatball mixture and form them – then you brown them in a pan. Once the meatballs are browned, you make the sauce right in the same skillet. Then you BAKE it for 20 minutes in the SAME skillet. It’s really a win win.

To serve, you can pop these over some spaghetti and top with beans, cheddar and onions – however you like your cincy chili! I should have put these over spaghetti but forgot all about it since I can’t have pasta while I’m pregnant – but definitely do that. It would be delishhhh!

PS if these sound good, you’ll want to try my Turkey Enchilada Meatballs!