My husband's favorite chili!

[Mommyto3]

This was originally one of those restaurant clone recipes of Wendy's Chili. I cut the amount of beef in half (mostly for my personal taste, but it helped with the fat content as well). For years, my husband swore that chili had to be greasy to be good, but he shut up when he ate this one - it's all I make now. Hope you enjoy!

Wendy's Chili (sort of):
Serves 12 (a little over a cup per serving)

1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 c. chopped onion
29-ounce can tomato sauce
29-ounce can kidney beans (with liquid)
29-ounce can pinto beans (with liquid)
4-ounce can diced green chilis
15-ounce can diced or stewed tomatoes (OR, 3 medium tomatoes, chopped)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt (optional)
2 cups water

Brown the ground beef and onion together, crumbling the beef as it cooks. Drain any fat.
Combine the beef plus all remaining ingredients, and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring every 15 minutes, for 2-3 hours.

You can vary the amounts of the spices a bit, depending on your *heat* tolerance. We use the above measurements, plus 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes. You may also add chopped jalapeno peppers.

The recipe specifies adding the liquid from the canned beans. I know those who are watching their sodium usually drain and rinse canned beans, but be aware that the finished product is just a bit different in texture.

Nutrition information (according to WW Light & Tasty Deluxe):

593 calories, 8.4g fat, 36.2g fiber = 5 points per serving

------------------
Elizabeth
170/158/135

[00keath]

Elizabeth,

Thank you so much, I've been looking for a good chili recipe and your recommendation sounds fine to me!

00keath

[getlaurie]

i added a tbsp. of tomato paste and a couple handsful of fresh mushrooms, it was delicious chili! thx for the recipe..oh i also added some chick peas

[jsolek]

I tried this chili recipe and it was great!! Thanks! I calculated it to be only 3 points...someone please feel free to double check me...i even made sure to count only a maximum of 48g of fiber (12servings x 4grams) when calculating the total. I calculated by adding all ingredients together and figuring the points as well as figuring the points for each item individually and I still came out with 3!
Note: the only change I made to the recipe was to substitute the 29 oz of pinto beans with 15 oz more Kidney beans.

1 pound extra-lean (93% lean) ground beef (16 pts) 680cal 32g fat 0 fib
1 c. chopped onion (0 pts)
29-ounce can Hunt's tomato sauce (4 pts) 195cal 0fat 0fib
3 15-ounce cans Goya kidney beans (with liquid) (10.5 pts) 945cal 10.5g fat 42g fib
4-ounce can Old El Paso diced green chilis (0 pts) 20cal 0fat 4 fib
14.5-ounce can Del Monte Zesty Peeled Diced Tomatoes w/ Jalapenos (2 pts) 105 cal 0fat 3.5 fib
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt (optional)
2 cups water

1945 calories 42.5g fat 48g fiber (capped due to winning points rule) for 12 servings
162 calories 3.5g fat 4g fiber per serving

[GreenThumb]

I tried this recipe tonight, and in the words of my two-year-old daughter, "YUM YUM!"

Thanks so much for posting it! My DH loves it, too.

[Momof2pugz]

This was a great recipe!! A lot of Chili... We had to freeze the leftovers for later. LOL.

[Zurichnee]

This looks absolutely yummy! I am going to give it a try! We love chili and I am so used to having to count 5 or 6 points for like half a cup or so...this is going to be great! Thanks!!