Frito Pie

Frito Pie is a classic casserole dish made with ground beef, taco or chili seasonings, cheese, and Fritos. It’s simple and deliciously filling!

If you didn’t grow up eating Frito pie casserole then my sincere condolences. Also, I suggest you make it asap!  Serve alongside some roasted red potatoes!

Frito Pie

Frito Pie Ingredients

• Beef – Ground beef.
• Onion – Diced.
• Chili beans – Canned and drained.
• Tomatoes – Canned, not drained.
• Tomato sauce – Plain canned sauce.
• Chili or taco seasoning – You can use a pre-portioned packet or make your own.
• Corn chips – Fritos of course!
• Cheese – Shredded, I’m partial to Mexican or Fiesta blend.
• Garnish – Sour cream, green onions, quick pickled jalapenos. 

Ground beef mixture with spices, tomatoes, sauce, and beans.

How do you make Frito Pie? (Step-by-step)

⭐ First, brown ground beef with the onions. Add the chili beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and seasoning. Let simmer.

⭐ Next, spread chili into the bottom of a casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese over the chili, then the corn chips, and then the remaining cheese.

⭐ Finally, bake uncovered until warmed through completely and cheese is melted.

Top left: ground beef mixture, Top right: add cheese, Bottom left: add Fritos, Bottom right: more cheese

Preparation

Can you make frito pie ahead of time?

You can absolutely assemble this recipe a day ahead and then bake it when you’re ready.  If you make it more than a day ahead you run the risk of soggy fritos. 

What can I use instead of ground beef?

Try making it with ground chicken, turkey, or sausage. Or even leftover chicken or ground beef. 

Bake until cheese is melted

Leftovers and storage

How long does leftover frito pie casserole last?

You can keep leftovers in the refrigerator for about three days. Make sure to cover tightly and don’t keep leftovers if they have been out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. 

How do you reheat frito pie?

For individual servings, microwave in 30 – 60 second increments at high power. For multiple servings, heat in the oven at 350 degrees until warmed through. 

Can frito pie be frozen?

You can freeze frito pie either before or after baking.  To freeze before baking, cover tightly and freeze up to 3 months. To freeze after baking, allow the casserole to cool room temperature then cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. 

To cook from frozen, add 30 – 45 minutes of cook time to your dish. 

Oh, hey there cheese pull. Fancy meeting you here.

Tips and tricks

🧂 Try using white beans like great northern beans or cannellini beans along with a ranch dressing packet instead of chili seasonings. 

🌮 Make it Mexican with a taco or fajita seasoning packet instead of chili seasoning. 

🐔 Try it with cooked chicken or shredded pork instead of ground beef. 

Will you use chili seasoning or taco seasoning?

What to serve with Frito pie

We like to serve ours with sour cream, pickled jalapenos, chopped onion (green or white), and hot sauce. 

Complete your meal with our recipe suggestions

I love to serve this frito pie recipe with a tropical fruit salad, or an easy broccoli salad with creamy dressing. For sides, we’re big fans of fresh guacamole or cornbread with bacon. And how about some lemon pie recipe for dessert!

What is Frito pie?

According to wikipedia, Frito pie is a dish popular in the Midwestern and Southwestern United States, whose basic ingredients are chili, cheese, and corn chips. Additions can include salsa, refried beans, sour cream, onion, rice, or jalapeños. There are many variations and alternative names used by region. (Source)

Lighted it up with ground chicken or ground turkey!

More casserole recipes to enjoy

• Chicken rice and cheese casserole
• Tater tot casserole recipe
• Ham and scalloped potatoes
• Lazy lasagna casserole
• See all our casserole recipe ideas

If you’re feeling ambitious, make two and freeze one for later!

More awesome recipes with chili

• Chili pot pie recipe
• Healthy turkey recipe
• Chili recipe with no beans
• Quick chicken chili recipe
• Breakfast chili with eggs

More yummy ground beef recipes

• Tortellini soup recipe
• Instant pot spaghetti with meat sauce
• Stuffed cabbage soup recipe
• Homemade Mexican pizza
• See all our easy ground beef recipes

Tools we love

• Ceramic casserole dishes – My grandmother had a yellow one just like this. 
• Oven mitts – Quilted oven mitts will always be my favorite. 

😍😍😍

How to Make Frito Pie

Frito Pie

Frito Pie is a classic casserole dish made with ground beef, taco or chili seasonings, cheese, and Fritos. It's simple and deliciously filling!

4.75 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: frito pie

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 640kcal

Author: April Woods

Ingredients

• 1 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 1 can chili beans drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes undrained, 15 ounces
• 1 can plain tomato sauce 15 ounces
• 1 packet chili or taco seasoning (I'm partial to chili!)
• 3 cups Frito corn chips
• 2 cups shredded cheese divided
• optional: sour cream green onions, jalapeno

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Instructions

• In a medium sized skillet, brown ground beef with the onions. Add the chili beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and chili seasoning. Let simmer about 10 minutes.
• Spread chili into the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese over the chili, then the corn chips, and then the remaining 1 cup of cheese.
• Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until warmed through completely and cheese is melted.

Video

Notes

Calories are automatically generated. For best results calculate based on your exact ingredients.

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Nutrition

Calories: 640kcal

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