Copycat Wendy's Chili -- The Food We Bring When We Don't Know What Else to Do

Labor Day. The last cookout of the unofficial summer. Dave grilled bratwursts because the grill season is ending and Dave is going to milk every last cookout from the propane tank before winter shuts him down. German potato salad. Gayle beans. The standard fare. The reliable menu. The food that does not change because the food does not need to change.

Larry did not come. He said he was on a run and could not make it, and I believed him and also did not believe him, because Larry always made Labor Day before and the not-making-it felt like something beyond scheduling. I called him Monday evening and he sounded winded, which truckers do not sound, because trucking is not a physical sport and winded is a word for runners, not for men who sit in a cab. Winded. I filed the word away the way I file everything about Larry now: carefully, with dread.

I brought Larry food this weekend anyway. I drove to his apartment in Grand Island with a container of chili, a loaf of bread, and a piece of chocolate sheet cake. His apartment was clean, because Larry is a clean man, but it was thin. Thin the way Larry was thin. The fridge had milk and beer. The counter had a loaf of white bread and a jar of peanut butter. That is what my father was eating. Bread and peanut butter. That is how the man who taught me to drive and to live was feeding himself.

I put the chili in his fridge and the bread on his counter and the cake in a container and I said eat this. He said I am fine, Brenda. I said eat this anyway. He said okay. He ate a piece of cake standing at his kitchen counter and his hands did not shake, and I watched his hands, and the not-shaking was a relief so enormous I had to turn away so he could not see my face.

I drove home and called Gayle and said I took Larry food. She said good. I said he is not eating well. She said I know. I said he looked thin. She said I know, Brenda. She said we bring the food. That is what we do. We bring the food and we hope the eating follows. That is all we can do. That is never enough. But it is all we can do.

The chili I brought Larry that weekend is the one I always make when someone I love needs a real meal and I cannot be there every day to make sure they eat it — it reheats well, it keeps, and it is the kind of food that feels like something. This Wendy’s copycat has been my go-to for years because it’s thick enough to be a meal on its own, forgiving enough to stretch over a few days, and familiar enough that even a man who’s been living on peanut butter will open the container. If you’ve got someone in your life who needs feeding, this is the recipe to make.

Copycat Wendy’s Chili

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (29 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (29 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cup water

Instructions

1. Brown the beef. In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef until no pink remains. Drain off excess fat.
2. Add aromatics. Add the diced onion, green bell pepper, celery, and garlic to the pot with the beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
3. Add tomatoes and beans. Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, and pinto beans until well combined.
4. Season. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Stir well to incorporate all the seasonings.
5. Simmer. Pour in the water, stir, and bring the chili to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally. The longer it simmers, the better the flavor.
6. Taste and adjust. Before serving, taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve hot, or let cool completely before transferring to containers for storage or delivery.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 34g | Fiber: 10g | Sodium: 890mg