Just Like Wendy’s® Chili

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 (14 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles (such as Rotel)
• 1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 (1.25 ounce) packages chili seasoning (such as McCormick Mild Chili Seasoning Mix)
• 1 (14 ounce) can kidney beans, undrained
• 1 (14 ounce) can pinto beans, undrained
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar, or more to taste

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Press ground beef into the hot oil to form one large patty; let the bottom brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir and break the ground beef into crumbles and cook until no longer pink, about 5 more minutes.

Stir celery, onion, and green bell pepper into ground beef and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes; pour in stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chiles, tomato sauce, and water. Break apart large chunks of stewed tomatoes. Stir in chili seasoning.

Mix kidney beans and pinto beans into chili, season with salt and black pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Mix vinegar into chili.