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Are there certain tastes from your childhood that you have grown so accustomed to that your taste buds just say “This is how {insert food here} is supposed to taste.”
Well, I’m that way with chili.
I grew up in a home that used Nalley chili and that one canned food almost single-handedly saw me through many college-student and early-in-marriage dinners.
My diet has changed a lot since then, and canned chili is not one of the foods that I can eat anymore.
When I first started my diet, any time I wanted to have a baked potato with chili, it always tasted “off” when I tried to use chili that I had made from scratch.
My taste buds just wanted a can of Nalley.
And the funny thing is that it was the same with Mr. Blue Eyes (because he grew up eating Nalley as well).
So…off I went into the world of Pinterest, looking for a recipe that tasted like canned chili. Usually people try to get their food to NOT taste like canned food. I’m crazy, I know.
I never found what I needed on Pinterest {what?!}, but in a comment thread of some random food discussion board (I can’t find it now), someone shared a recipe that reminded them of Nalley. I tweaked it a little bit and gave it a try. We were sold.
Now, I’m not going to advertise this as a copycat because it’s not; it definitely tastes like homemade chili. (Which means you should still give this a try even if you’re not a fan of Nalley.) BUT it is a simple chili that is PERFECT for topping hot dogs, fries, or baked potatoes, and it is also delicious to eat in a bowl with your favorite toppings.
And, if you grew up in a Nalley-eating home like mine, it will be slightly reminiscent of childhood. Give it a try…it’s delicious!
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup chopped onion (or 2 Tbsp dried chopped onion)
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1.5 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes Undrained
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce (You might not use all of it)
- 2 15 oz cans pinto beans Drained and rinsed
Ingredients
| |
- In a soup pot, brown ground beef with onion. Drain fat.
- Add all other ingredients to pot. Add enough of the tomato sauce for your desired consistency. I normally use about 3/4 of a can.
- Simmer for at least 30 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite toppings (sour cream, onion, cheese) OR as a topping for baked potatoes, nachos, or hot dogs!