The essentials – turkey, some variety of casserole, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie – will ultimately make the annual gathering a success. And let’s be honest, if you can merely get them from the table to the television set for football without protest, go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back.

But this year, I’ve become painfully aware that Utahns neglect a particular fall treat: Chili and cinnamon rolls.

The dish emerged in the Midwest during the mid-20th century as a cost-effective strategy for school cafeterias after President Harry S. Truman signed the National School Lunch Act (1946), providing federal funding for public school lunches. A local news station in Seattle traced the dish back to loggers, who poured leftover chili on top of cinnamon rolls for a quick fix, in this story from 2016.

Chili fundraisers and school lunches almost always included a cinnamon roll, whether on the side or inside the bowl itself, when I was growing up in northeast Kansas. The Nebraska-born Runza restaurant chain, largely confined to the Midwest, offers the combination year round, and the plate even inspired an alias adopted by a Triple-A baseball franchise in Wichita.

However, to this day, the combo of chili and cinnamon rolls remains a regional phenomenon that catches my Utah friends by surprise. Nevertheless, if you want to stir up the table this holiday, do your folks a favor and consider adding this fan favorite to the lineup.

This basic recipe serves between 6 to 8 people, and requires roughly 1-2 hours of prep, depending on whether you go with your own sauce or simply go with a few cans of chili from the store. Expect to spend roughly $30 if you’re going to prepare your own sauce from scratch.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of ground beef

• 1 large onion (diced)

• 3 garlic cloves (minced)

• 1 green bell pepper (diced)

• 2 cans of kidney beans

• 3/4 pound of mushrooms

• 1 can of crushed tomatoes

• 1 can of tomato sauce

• 2 cups of beef broth

• 3 tablespoons of chili powder

• 1 tablespoons of ground cumin

• 1 teaspoons of oregano

• 1/2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper

• Salt and black pepper (to taste)

• 2 to 3 tablespoons of brown sugar (up to preference)

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• 1 can of ready-to-bake cinnamon rolls

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat oil (medium-high) and then brown the ground beef after a couple of minutes. Brown beef for 5 to 7 minutes and drain.

2. Sauté onion, garlic, peppers and mushrooms 4 to 5 minutes. Add to pot.

3. Add chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper (Stir for about a minute).

4. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and then simmer 30 to 45 minutes. You’ll need to allow the pot 10 minutes uncovered to thicken. Taste and adjust whichever seasonings to your preference.

5. Pair chili with a cinnamon roll, or place a cinnamon roll in your bowl.

Optional: Top chili with shredded cheddar, sour cream, fried onions, Fritos etc.

Connect with reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.