Kentucky Chili

This vintage recipe for Homemade Chili comes from a local Homemaker’s Association Cookbook. Kentucky Chili or Bluegrass Chili might be a better name as this type of chili seems to be unique to the region. It is a brothy chili that stretches a pound of hamburger to feed a crowd. Spaghetti, added shortly before serving, completes this family favorite.

Kentucky Chili, or Bluegrass Chili, with pieces of spaghetti in the broth, is served in a shallow white bowl.

Bleak Midwinter

Midwinter can be a hard season. The charm of cold weather, the hope of snow and the cozy picture of the togetherness that brings, has worn thin. By late January a more practical taste of its lingering reality settles in. The winter rains turn the gray skies grayer, make the short span of daylight shorter and shroud the few brave blossoms that dare to show themselves on my Witch Hazel tree. This winter, like many, really isn’t all that cold nor is it all that pretty. It is more like a damp gray stretch of limbo.

In this post-holiday space of winter we tighten our belts to pay off the holiday bills, chastise ourselves for not working harder to lose weight or get fit, and look for signs of spring. We put our heads down and trudge on taking care of business. We crave practical comforts and simple down to earth amusements.

The country seems to huddle around the TV in January to watch football. While others are watching television I head to the kitchen to cook family favorties: I roast chicken or stir up a creamy sauce for Macaroni and Cheese. I also think back to my childhood for recipes that are practical and breathe an aura of warmth and comfort.

A Family Antidote – Kentucky Chili

One of my favorite dinners as a child was Chili. The recipe my family used was handed down over the years. My cousins tell of my grandmother making a big pot of chili for them to eat when they arrived at her house for weekend visits. My grandmother passed away before I arrived in this world but Aunt Hen made chili regularly and it was an expected part of my mother’s weekly menus when I was small.

The chili I grew up with was called Homemade Chili in a local Homemaker’s Association Cookbook. A better name might be Kentucky Chili or Bluegrass Chili, as it seems unique to the region. This chili is unlike any chili I ate in Texas. It is similar to Cincinnati Chili in seasoning and the inclusion of spaghetti, and yet it is still very different. I remember it as a thin brothy chili made with ground beef and beans. Spaghetti, added to the broth shortly before serving, completes this family favorite.

I have rediscovered Kentucky Chili in the past few years. This tasty soup makes a very practical meal, stretching a pound of ground beef to feed a crowd. It is also a great chili to serve for a superbowl party. It works well anytime your budget is tight or you simply crave a bowl of old-fashioned comfort food. At the very least it will add a touch of spice to a bleak midwinter.

Kentucky Chili

Course: Main Dish, SoupCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes
Total time

55

minutes

This recipe makes a brothy chili that stretches a pound of hamburger to feed a crowd. Spaghetti is added shortly before serving to complete this family favorite.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb hamburger

  • 1 large onion, chopped (approx. 2 cups)

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 15-oz can diced tomatoes

  • 1 46-oz can tomato juice

  • 2 15.5-oz cans red beans (I use chili beans)

  • 2 Tablespoons chili powder

  • 4 bay leaves

  • 4 whole cloves

  • 3 quarts water

  • 1/2 lb. spaghetti, broken

Directions

  • Brown the hamburger, onions and garlic in a large soup pot or dutch oven.
  • Add remaining ingredeints, except for the spaghetti. Bring to a boil and simmer at least 15 minutes but up to two hours.
  • Add spaghetti. Cook until spaghetti is tender.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • Recipe Source: adapted from a recipe in Come Cook With Us.

26 Comments

  1. I am from far western KY.
    Chili was a weekly fall snd winter meal and always had a box of elbow macaroni cooked in it.
    So good!

  2. I was raised in Indiana. My Mother always made chili (huge pots for our family restaurant) with spaghetti. Any time I mention Spaghetti in chili, everyone says that’s Cincinnati chili. No, it’s not. Thanks so much for this recipe. I know it’s Kentucky, but being close to Indiana, I’m sure this was my Mother’s recipe.

  3. I am born and raised in KY and not one time have any of my west Ky family put spaghetti in the chili? But from reading it seems everyone does in KY which isn’t true. Pimento cheese sandwiches is the best to pair chili with. So today chili with spaghetti it is!!!!

  4. I am a transplant from Kentucky to Michigan. I grew up eating chili with broken up little pieces of spaghetti in it. Also the peanut butter sandwiches with it. Most people here think its weird to put spaghetti in chili, but I have converted all of my Michigan family. I wouldn't eat it any other way. Otherwise it just seems like a bowl of meat.

    • I've only had family chilli this way also. When someone handed me a bowl of chilli with meat and beans I didn't know what to think. My family has passed away now and I'm a guy who likes to cook now, but didn't when they were here because I didn't have to lol. Do you have a recipe that your family uses?

    • Peanut butter sandwiches, you say? Definitely a KY thing!!!! I live in Louisville, growing up chili was mostly always served with peanut butter sandwiches, I think they started pairing it with grilled cheese when my kids were in school.

  5. Its not Kentucky Chili without some peanut butter sandwiches or crackers and peanut butter!

    That's the way I grew up eating it.

    I like chili any way its fixed.

  6. In 1958, when my family moved to Louisville from Pennsylvania, the "lunch room" ladies served chili-spaghetti like this. It seemed very strange because I never had chili fixed like this before, but I grew to like it a lot. I have recently been searching for the recipe and this one looks very much like the way they fixed it when I was small. Thanks!

  7. smilinggreenmom

    Yum yum yum! I love chili and this looks great! I would love to use Kamut Khorasan Wheat pasta because our family is hooked on it! It is so soft and fluffy and nutritional and way better than even whole wheat pasta! Thanks for sharing this with us!

  8. Personalized Pens

    Wow.. im so hungry right now. just the picture of it makes me drool..

  9. theUngourmet

    This looks so fun and yummy! I've been wanting to hop over here for a few days now. Finally I found time!

    Hope you are having a great week!

  10. Zupan's Markets

    Also another hearty meal! Looks like it'd be great for a rainy, cold day with some fresh cornbread on the side.

  11. I am sure this will be a hit in the contest!

  12. Thanks for all of your great comments!

    I really like the spaghetti in this chili. It serves to thicken the soup somewhat and adds a contrast in texture. Just be sure to break it up a bit before adding it to the pot.

    Hannah – I'm not sure about the gluten-free grain. It wouldn't have the same thickening quality but would still fill out the chili. I think it's worth a try!

    JMCD – We never had fresh garlic when I was growing up either. We used only garlic powder and we didn't use that often.

    Debbie – sounds like a great weekend for Chili!

  13. This looks like something fun to try.
    Maybe this weekend, I think it's going to rain, (again). 🙂

  14. We usually serve our chili over pasta but to put it in there is a good idea too. This seems like a chili soup. I think it is so interesting that there are so many variations of chili.

  15. ooops. just reread your recipe…cloves….not cloves of garlic 🙂

  16. yep….looks just like my mom used to make, only we never had fresh garlic in the house.
    jamie in lexington, ky

  17. Chili with spaghetti is the only way I eat it! I'm from Cincinnati and while we occasionally enjoyed Cincinnati style (Skyline) and still do, my mom's chili was very much like yours, with cooked spaghetti added at the last minute. Cheese on top. Yum! My kids prefer theirs (my mom's recipe) with Fritos, but I love the spaghetti.

  18. Marc @ NoRecipes

    I love hearing about regional variations of food I know. This definitely different from the thick chili I'm used to but I'm a big believer that noodles make everything better, so I love the spaghetti added!

  19. I love the idea of putting the pasta in the chili! The whole recipe looks so easy, too. Do you think it would work with a gluten-free grain like quinoa, perhaps?

  20. Reminds me of a Cincinnati but still, completely different and very nice family tradition, a must try for sure.

  21. the only time i've ever seen spaghetti with chili is in cincinnati, so it's good to know that it's a kentucky tradition too. chili is the quintessential winter food as far as i'm concerned. 🙂

  22. WOW…this looks wonderful, I love the noodles in it. It looks so thick and hearty, great for a cold wet Beaverton night.

  23. I've never had chili like this, but I am always willing to try new versions of chili!

  24. spaghetti in chili? a great idea! This is a chili I could get my family to eat.

    Last week when my backordered down-filled jacket finally arrived, I was reminded that the vision of a snowy winter was most likely behind us. Bummer! But on the bright side, spring will be here before we know it.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.