Although Wendy’s chili tastes amazing, you won’t find the time to get it on some days, no matter how much you want. Wendy’s takes me about 45 minutes to get there, so I don’t have the time to sit down and enjoy their chili in a snowstorm. That is, at least not until now.
Wendy’s Copycat Chili Recipe uses beef patties from other sources. While I believe it’s important that the beef be fried as patties in order to create different textures, it’s also easier to fry the ground beef in non-patty forms if you don’t feel like cooking. You can also cook it in less time (20 minutes), but the flavors won’t blend as well.
This recipe is rich in fiber, protein, and iron.
| Serves | Prep Time | Cook Time | Total Time |
| 10 | 15 minutes | 1 h 20 minutes | 1 h 35 minutes |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 lb. Ground beef
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 42 oz. Cannellini tomatoes
- 10 oz. Can diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 14 oz. 14 oz.
- 1 cup water
- 5 oz. Chili seasoning (2 packs).
- 14 oz. canned kidney beans
- 14 oz. canned pinto beans
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp white vinegar (or to your taste).
Directions
- Over medium heat, heat olive oil in a large saucepan. To form a large part of ground beef, press it into a pan. The bottom should brown for between 8 and 10 minutes. Make crumbles from the ground beef and let them cook for 5 minutes.
- While your beef is cooking, wash and chop your produce. Cut the onion into half and chop it into small pieces. Cut the green pepper in half. Split celery in half and cut it into sections.
- Mix celery, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic into the ground beef. Allow the onion to soften for 5 minutes.
- Stir fry tomatoes, and diced tomatoes with green chilies, tomato sauce, and copycat Chili Recipeseasoning.
- Make Copycat Chili Recipe by mixing kidney beans with pinto beans. Season the chili with salt and pepper and bring it to a boil for 1 – 2 mins. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for one hour.
- Before adding vinegar to chili, mix it together.
Nutrition
| Calories | 535 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 10.1g | 13% |
| Saturated Fat 2.7g | 14% |
| Cholesterol 81 mg | 27% |
| Sodium 614mg | 27% |
| Total Carbohydrate 63.3g | 23% |
| 15.1g of dietary fiber | 54% |
| Total Sugars 8.8g | |
| Protein 48g | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Calcium 111 mg | 9% |
| Iron 23mg | 126% |
| Potassium 1994mg | 42% |
| *The % Daily Valu (DV) shows how much a nutrient contributes to a daily meal. 2,000 calories per day are used to provide general nutrition advice. |
Notes
- Add tortilla strips, cheese, or sour cream to the top.
- You can freeze the extra chili and make another batch for an emergency meal.
- Keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Hearty & Comforting Zuppa Toscana Olive Garden Copycat Chili Recipe
Hot soup is the best thing about a cold winter day. Perhaps it’s not a cold winter day. I don’t care about the weather. And nothing beats the chills with a down-home-comfort-food vibe like Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana soup. I took the liberty to create a copycat recipe for you. It’s easy to follow and delicious!
When you can’t find it outside, it’s a great source for fiber, protein and calcium. It makes us feel great! Did I mention that you can freeze it too?
| Serves | Prep Time | Cook Time | Total Time |
| 6 | 20 minutes | 45 minutes | 1 h 05 minutes |
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Hot Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 large onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 6 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 large russet potatoes
- 1 bunch of curly Kale
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 4 slices of cooked bacon
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- To taste, kosher salt
- Black pepper (to taste)
Directions
- Prep your vegetables and take out the casing. Mince garlic and halve the peel. Cut onions into 1/4-inch pieces. Slice potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Remove stems from kale leaves and chop roughly.
- Cook the sausage in a large saucepan on medium heat until it is browned and no longer pink.
- Cook bacon in a separate skillet while the sausage is cooking. Drain the sausage and bacon on a paper towel-covered plate.
- Add onion to the pan that was used for the sausage. Cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Next, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Season with salt & pepper.
- Cook potatoes in chicken broth until potatoes become tender (23-25 minutes).
- Let the kale cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, sausage, and bacon, and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Add pepper to taste, then garnish with parmesan.
Nutrition
| Nutrition Facts | |
| Servings: 6 | |
| Serving size | |
| Calories | 646 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 36.8g | 47% |
| 14.8g Saturated Fat | 74% |
| Cholesterol 111 mg | 37% |
| Sodium 1161mg | 50% |
| Total Carbohydrate 46g | 17% |
| 7.4g of dietary fiber | 26% |
| Total Sugars: 4.5g | |
| Protein 33.3g | |
| Vitamin D 8mcg | 39% |
| Calcium 256mg | 20% |
| Iron 3mg | 18% |
| Potassium 1472mg | 31% |
| *The % Daily Valu (DV) shows how much a nutrient is contributing to a daily diet. General nutrition advice is provided with 2,000 calories per day. |
Notes
- Enjoy Italian bread and salad just like Olive Garden.
- This soup can be frozen for up 2 months. It will also keep well in the refrigerator for up 5 days. However, it may separate as it cools.
Chick-Fil Sauce Recipe that is insanely easy
Sauces are my favorite thing about food. Chick-Fil sauce is the best! However, I do not want to buy Chick-Fil-A chicken just for its sauce. (I didn’t say I wouldn’t, but I do.) If you like Chick-Fil-A’s sauce as much as I do, this Chick-Fil copycat sauce recipe will be even better!
| Serves | Prep Time | Cook Time | Total Time |
| 4 | 5 minutes | 1 h | 1 h 05 minutes |
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 Tablespoons Yellow Mustard
- 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
Directions
- Combine all ingredients
- Allow cooling in the fridge for at least an hour
Nutrition
| Nutrition Facts | |
| Servings: 4 | |
| Serving size | |
| Calories | 209 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 10.2g | 13% |
| 1.5g Saturated Fat | 7% |
| Cholesterol 8mg | 3% |
| Sodium 474mg | 21% |
| Carbohydrate Total 30.7g | 11% |
| 0.4g of dietary fiber | 1% |
| Total Sugars 23.5g | |
| Protein 0.7g | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Calcium 12mg | 1% |
| Iron 0mg | 2% |
| Potassium 62mg |
Notes
- For a Chick-Fil-A-inspired experience, serve with chicken nuggets and waffle fries. You can also add some sauce to a sandwich.
Copycat Recipe: KFC’s Famous Coleslaw
KFC’s coleslaw can be hard to replicate exactly, although it is often copied. Perhaps it is due to the red little containers. We think this recipe tastes very similar to Colonel’s secret coleslaw recipe.
It is easy to make, delicious, and great with everything! – everything.
| Serves | Prep Time | Cook Time | Total Time |
| 9 | 15 minutes | 15 minutes | 4 h 30 minutes |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup granulated Sugar
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/2 head cabbage
- 1 medium carrot
- 1/4 medium-sized yellow onion
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Cut and dice the carrot and cabbage to about the same size as a grain of rice. Finely mine the onion. Mix all vegetables in a large bowl.
- Mix together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, and sugar in a large bowl. Mix dressing in a bowl with veggies. Stir to coat.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for at least four hours.
- Stir once more before serving.
Nutrition
| Nutrition Facts | |
| Servings: 9 | |
| Serving size | |
| Calories | 100 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 4.6g | 6% |
| Saturated Fat 0.8g | 4% |
| Cholesterol 4mg | 1% |
| Sodium 375mg | 16% |
| Total Carbohydrate 14.8g | 5% |
| 1.3g of dietary fiber | 5% |
| Total Sugars 11.1g | |
| Protein 1.2g | |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Calcium 38mg | 3% |
| Iron 0mg | 2% |
| Potassium 110mg | 2% |
| *The % Daily Valu (DV) shows how much a nutrient is contributing to a daily diet. General nutrition advice is provided with 2,000 calories per day. note you can drain the cabbage and place it in a colander for around an hour if the slaw is too watery. This will reduce the amount of water. It can be kept in the fridge for up to five working days with a tightly sealed lid |
Review: Wendy’s Baconator
Wendy’s Baconator is a burger you can eat until you feel full. You could also eat a cow, since this burger is heavier in meat patties and lighter in bacon.
There are six slices of the burger, which would be 2 or 3 slices if I had bought them from the store and prepared them myself. But that’s me getting ahead of myself. The Wendy’s Baconator has been a customer favorite for more than ten years. It’s packed with flavor.
Want More?
Wendy’s customers requested a more “crave-able” burger. In August 2007, Wendy’s fast-food chain delivered the epic Baconator, a double-bacon, and double-patty cheeseburger to keep carnivores coming back for more.
Are There Many Variations?
Although the Baconator burger is available in slight variations, it tastes exactly the same. You can choose to order the Baconator or Son of a Baconator, which are smaller versions of the same thing. Wendy’s also has Baconator Fries and Baconator Breakfast. This is how you could start your day! You’d have enough calories to last the day.
Let’s get into Baconator’s Meat!
Wendy’s Baconator is made with two quarter-pound 100% beef patties and two slices of American Cheese. It also includes six pieces of crispy Applewood Smoked bacon, mayo, and ketchup. This burger is for you if you like a dense, thick burger that you can eat and enjoy. It’s quite difficult to finish the burger – I couldn’t.
1. TASTE AND TEXTURE [3/5]
The size of the burger is misleading. It looks smaller than you would expect a Baconator to look like. I imagined a huge burger with lots of meat. I was wrong.
This burger is very heavy. It’s heavy in the bag, heavy with oils and heavy in your stomach. Despite the fact that the size of both the beef patties and buns is similar to their Dave’s Single, it shouldn’t be a deceiver. The burger was so thick that I felt like an animal trying to take a huge bite.
I was expecting to find a lot of bacon when I opened the Baconator. Although the advertisement said six strips, I found them rather small. The three thin strips are placed on top of the burger with a slice of American cheese. Three s
maller strips are then laid on top of the second burger with another slice. Although the bacon is hickory-smoked and quite crispy, it was surprising that the bacon didn’t drip out of the buns. The patties were more delicious than the bacon. Is that all there was?!
Although the Baconator advertises lightly toasted buns for its customers, my buns were still fresh and soft. To help the bread hold its weight, a toasted bun would be a good idea. However, these fluffy buns were my favorite part of the meal. The buns come packed in ketchup and mayo and are perfect for meat lovers.
2. Are THEY HEALTHY [1/5]
Is Baconator healthy? It is not. It’s a comparable amount to five Krispy Kream Original Glazed Doughnuts, seven Starbucks Mocha Frappuccinos, and almost two KFC family-sized potatoes at 950 Calories. It also has the same calories as 190 spinach leaves, but I don’t think these are equal.
Wendy’s Baconator contains 1,920 mg of sodium, which is considerably more than the American Heart Association’s recommended daily sodium intake of 1,500mg per day. Consuming too many high-sodium foods can cause high blood pressure, kidney stones, and constipation. High Potassium foods (3,500-4700 mg/day) can counter high blood pressure and excess salt. You won’t find the Baconator having any of these nutrients, so make sure you prepare a salad that day.
Do I need to mention the 62g of fat? It would take you 4.4 hours to complete the task.
3. Is it worth it? [2/5]
This burger is for you if you like meat that has been layered over other meats, heavy oils, American cheese, and fresh vegetables. This burger is hot and hearty, and it’s bursting with flavor. Sometimes, that’s what you want. In those cases, this burger is a winner. This may not be the best choice if you want a burger that is filling and has a wider range of textures, tastes, and vegetables.
FINAL VERDICT
The Baconator is more expensive than other fast food burgers and doesn’t contain any cool, crisp vegetables to increase the density. It was too much. I couldn’t finish my burger and could not eat fries. For the next few days, my stomach felt a little rumbly and I decided to forgo the Baconator.
Wendy’s Baconator Nutrition
Calories: 950
Total Fat (g): 63
Saturated Fat (g): 24
Trans Fat (g): 3
Monounsaturated Fat: (g 22)
Cholesterol (mg): 205
Sodium (mg): 1600
Potassium (mg): 720
Carbohydrates: 38g
Sugar (g): 7
Iron (%DV): 35
Allergens
Egg, Milk Soy, Wheat
Let’s hear from you
We want to see if you can finish Wendy’s Baconator. You don’t have to finish Wendy’s Baconator. What about the combo meal? Fries and a drink are included! We’d love to hear from you, carnivorous champions.
