Get my Cookbooks! Frito Pie
This Frito Pie has a hearty Beef Chili that’s made with simple ingredients. Toppings include melted cheese, Fritos, green onions, and sour cream. This is an easy casserole to prepare ahead of time and is also freezer-friendly!
Frito Pie
This Frito Pie recipe is the ultimate comfort food. Serve this with a side of sour cream and corn casserole and your family will be satisfied.
I love making this when I am in a pinch for dinner. The ingredients are so pantry-friendly and it’s easy to make simple substitutions based on what you have.
As for the toppings, you can use a variety of different cheeses, sour cream, avocado, guacamole, salsa, shredded lettuce, black olives, and even Velveeta Queso Dip!
You could even add a layer of refried beans or rice to the bottom of the casserole dish!
How to Make It
Sauté diced onions, peppers, and garlic in olive oil until softened. Add ground beef and cook and crumble until cooked through. Drain any grease as needed.
Stir in seasonings. Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Combine chicken broth with Masa Harina, add to the chili. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the liquid has thickened and reduced, 10-15 minutes.
Transfer to a pie plate or 9 x 13 casserole dish. Top with Cheese.
Top with Fritos, bake uncovered at 350° for 13 minutes. Garnish with green onions. Serve with sour cream if desired. A side of Corn Casserole is great with this recipe.
Eating it from a Frito Bag
Frito Pie is often eaten directly from the bag! Instead of transferring to a casserole dish, you can top the skillet with cheese and place the lid on until melted. Then scoop the chili directly into a snack-sized bag of Fritos and eat with a fork! This is especially helpful if you’re camping. 😉
Crock Pot Method
- Prepare the onions, peppers, garlic, and beef in a skillet on the stove top per instructions.
- Transfer to a Crock Pot and add seasonings, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes. Combine the Masa Harina and chicken broth. Add to chili and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5.
- Top with Cheese and cover until cheese is melted. Add Fritos just before serving.
PRO TIP: Reserve the juice from the diced tomatoes and set aside. Use only if you prefer to thin out the chili at any point.
Make Ahead Method
Refrigerator
- Assemble the casserole and top with cheese, but don’t add the Fritos until ready to bake. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Keep covered and bake at 350° for 10 minutes without Fritos. Remove cover, add Fritos, and bake for 13 more minutes uncovered.
Freezer
- Assemble the casserole and top with cheese, but don’t add the Fritos until ready to bake. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Let it defrost in the fridge overnight. Keep covered and bake at 350° for 10 minutes without Fritos. Remove cover, add Fritos, and bake for 13 more minutes uncovered.
- Alternatively, you can cover and bake from a frozen state at 350° for 1 hour. Remove cover, add Fritos and bake for 13 more minutes.
Storage
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. It’s better if the Fritos prior to freezing or refrigerating.
- Baked Chili Cheese Dogs are a great way to use up leftovers!
Try These Next
-
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
-
- One Pot Taco Pasta
-
- Baked Tacos
-
- Homemade Salsa
-
- Taco Casserole
-
- Homemade Sloppy Joes
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Frito Pie
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- ½ diced green bell pepper, or 2 seeded jalapeno peppers
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 lb. ground beef, 85% lean
- 8 oz. tomato sauce
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/8 cup masa harina, (corn flour), see notes
- 1 (16 oz.) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 Tablespoon cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 cups Fritos
Seasonings
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- ¾ Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon EACH: ground cumin, smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the diced peppers and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the ground beef and cook and crumble until browned and cooked through. Drain any grease if needed.
- Add the seasonings and stir to combine.
- Add the tomato sauce and drained diced tomatoes.
- Combine the Masa Harina and the chicken broth until well-combined. Add to the chili, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Stir in beans and heat uncovered for 10-15 minutes, until the liquid has thickened and reduced.
- Swirl in the softened cream cheese. This adds a hint of creaminess that offsets the seasonings nicely.
- Transfer to a pie pan or a 9x13 baking dish. Top with cheddar cheese and Fritos.
- Bake, uncovered, for 13 minutes. Let it sit 5 minutes prior to serving.
- Serving Suggestion: Garnish with green onions if desired and serve with sour cream. This also goes great with Cornbread or Corn Casserole.
Notes
- This is Corn Flour that is commonly found in most grocery stores. You can use white or yellow. It's a great secret weapon used to thicken up the chili and add a hint of corn flavor to it.
- If you don't have it, you can use 1-2 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste to thicken up the chili instead.
Crock Pot Method
- Prepare the onions, peppers, garlic, and beef in a skillet on the stove top per instructions.
- Transfer to a Crock Pot and add seasonings, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes. Combine the Masa Harina and chicken broth. Add to chili and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5.
- Top with Cheese and cover until cheese is melted. Add Fritos just before serving.
- Baked Chili Cheese Dogs are a great way to use up leftovers!
Yum!!
Yayyy, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you!💖
I used spicy tomato sauce and added a spicier pepper and wow, taste better than I rember from a kid. Super easy and tasty Thanks for this one!!!!!
You’re very welcome! I bet it tastes great with that extra kick to it. Thanks so much for the great comments and review!❤️
This was delicious! We will definitely make this again. I followed directions as listed except didn’t have corn flour so used corn meal. Yum!!!
So glad you liked it Sarah!😀 I like how different this one is!
Is it a jalapeno pepper or bell pepper? Ingredients say bell, but directions say add jalapeno.
Hi Hannah, you can use either, I made that more clear in the post, apologies for the confusion!
Made it tonight!!! It is so good!! It would make a good game night snack!! A must make!!!!
Thanks Sabrina, so glad you liked it!!!! Yes, would totally make a great game night snack! 😀
We just made this recipe for dinner and my family LOVED it!! It was so delicious, and perfectly cooked. Easy too, we will def be making this again, thank you!