On the rare occasion that I eat at a fast food restaurant, Wendy’s chili is one of my favorite treats. Fortunately, I can also make it at home using this recipe. I’ve had this recipe for years and made a few changes over time.
It’s super easy to make with easy-to-find ingredients. You can leave out the beans in the recipe to make it lower in carbs, and it’ll still taste delicious. You might also leave out the beans for other reasons, such as making the chili less likely to cause intestinal discomfort.
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Copycat Wendy's Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 4 cups tomato juice
- 1 can (29-ounce) crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
- 1 can (15-ounce) red kidney beans, drained
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1/2 large green pepper, chopped
- 1/4 cup chili powder (that's not a typo - it's 1/4 cup)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp sugar or Splenda
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- Optional: Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped chives and/or red pepper slices.
Instructions
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In a Dutch oven, brown and chop the ground beef over medium heat, then drain off the liquid.
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When the beef is nicely browned with no remaining pink, add the onions and saute for a minute or two. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
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Reduce heat, cover and boil for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
My Gotham Steel 5-Quart Pasta Pot is perfect for making this recipe. It made draining the liquid off the ground beef super easy, with its snap-on draining lid. It also features a fantastic nonstick copper coating that doesn’t require any added oil or cooking spray. I bought mine several weeks ago, and I use it frequently for a variety of recipes.
To figure out nutritional information for a recipe, you can visit Fitness Pal’s recipe calculator.
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