copycat chili

wendy’s chili

prep time: 30 minutes
cook time: 2-3 hours
makes about 12 servings

ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef
one 29 oz. can tomato sauce
one 15 oz. can kidney beans with liquid
one 15 oz. can pinto beans with liquid
1 c diced onion (1 medium onion)
2 chili peppers
2 green peppers
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp cumin powder
3 T chili powder
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt
2 cups of water

directions

1. brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat; drain off the fat.
2. using a fork, crumble the cooked beef into pea-size pieces.
3. in a large pot, combine the beef plus all the remaining ingredients, and bring to a simmer over low heat. cook, stirring every 15 minutes, for 2 to 3 hours.

tidbits: for spicier chili, add 1/2 tsp more black pepper. for much spicier chili, add 1/2 tsp black pepper and a tablespoon of cayenne pepper. and for  a real stomach stinger, add 5 or 6 sliced jalapeno peppers to the pot. leftovers can be frozen for several months.

source

i’ve never been a fan of thick chunky chili and wendy’s chili is just the right consistency which i absolutely love. i actually stumbled onto this recipe on topsecretrecipes.com website when i was looking for the recipe for serendipity 3’s frozen hot chocolate which i have yet to try too. i don’t like that many beans in my chili, so i cut the amount of beans in half. i’m not a big fan of celery, so i replaced the celery with green peppers.

as i’m typing this, it’s slowly simmering on the stove and all the delicious smells are invading my kitchen. i’ve already cheated and had a taste test and boy, does it taste gooood !