Frito Pie
First, apple dumplings. Now, Frito pie. I’m definitely in a fall state of mind. On Sunday afternoon, I put a big pot of my favorite chili recipe on the stove to simmer while I watched football. While this is my go-to fall and winter chili, this time I made it with ulterior motives. Yes, it’s absolutely fabulous all on its own, but I had my sights on something I’ve been lusting after for quite some time – Frito Pie. I’ve seen this chili, Fritos and cheddar concoction on tons of blogs and have been waiting for the weather to cool ever so slightly so I could have an excuse to throw this together.
Let’s talk about Fritos for a second. They have and will always remind me of high school gym class. Yes, gym class. Strange, right? Well, I went to a very small Catholic high school that did not have a gymnasium. During the warmer fall and spring months, we would hold gym class in the large field outside of the school, but during the winter we… bowled. As in, walked to the strip plaza adjacent to the school where there was a bowling alley, and spent an hour bowling. It sounds ridiculous, right? I’m so totally serious. For the most part, it was an hour of shenanigans, snacks and goofing off. For some reason, my group of friends and I always raided the vending machine for Fritos.
I really haven’t eaten very many Fritos since those bowling days in high school, but man, aren’t they good?! When I realized that something existed that combined chili, Fritos and cheese, I was in heaven. Folks in the southwest certainly know how to eat!
I have seen versions of Frito Pie that are simply chili mixed with the corn chips and cheddar cheese, but I was drawn to this version by Bev Cooks because, really, who can resist melted, gooey cheese? It ups the ante, that’s for sure! You can certainly use your own favorite chili recipe as the base, but I do highly recommend the recipe below; I tried countless chili recipes before discovering this one. It’s really the perfect quintessential chili.
Grab a spoon, an extra handful of Fritos and your favorite hoodie, and let’s dig in!
One year ago: Baklava
Two years ago: How to Measure Butter
Four years ago: Pittsburgh Steelers Cookies
Frito Pie
Ingredients
For the Chili:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 yellow onions, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
- ¼ cup (0.03 g) chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pounds (907.18 g) ground beef, 85-90% lean
- 30 ounce (850.49 g) canned dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 28 ounce (793.79 g) canned diced tomatoes
- 28 ounce (793.79 g) canned tomato puree
For the Frito Pie:
- 10.25 ounce (290.58 g) bag Fritos corn chips
- 16 ounces (453.59 g) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Make the Chili: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until it is shimmering. Add the onions, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cook until the vegetables have softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add the beef and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Stir in the beans, diced tomatoes (with their juice), tomato puree and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat so it maintains a slow simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes.
- Remove the lid and continue to simmer for an additional 45 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Assemble the Frito Pie: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Transfer some or all of the chili to a baking dish or individual ramekins. Top with Fritos, pressing them lightly into the chili. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top and bake until the cheese is melted and the chili is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with sliced green onions and serve immediately.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This has fall comfort food written all over it!! I love Fritos, they’re a total guilty pleasure (along with Cheetos!) :)
Never heard of this combination before–looks delicious!!! I’m really looking forward to cooler days too, good days for pots of chili or chowder,
I love Fritos. I am making this dish this weekend. It is supposed to drop to 60 degrees here in Michigan. This will be perfect for watching the Lions! Sorry about the Steelers. They are my second favorite team.
Here’s what I like about this recipe… I could cut it in half, and it would work for my husband and me, and in fact, I see you made it in a small baking dish… so many recipes call for such huge amounts…and this looks like something I can scale down easily for a cold autumn night (if they ever come!)
Yes! Frito pie! Such a classic! I love your version – it just looks like the perfect thing to serve for dinner tonight!!
OH MY goodness! My Son would go CRAZY for this frito pie! Never heard of it and maybe that’s because we are new-bies in the blog world!
I. Want. That. Frito pie is one of those things I’ve always wanted to to make!
I love knowing I’m not the only woman in the world who often went bowling for gym because the very small gymnasium/all purpose room was being used for some other purpose! Small Catholic schools, indeed :)
Continuing to love your blog and this recipe is on my calendar to create!
:O :O :O This looks AMAZING!! Making me so hungry!
I love Frito Pie. It’s actually been around for a long time. It was served at the Woolworth’s counter–cut a small bag of fritos open down the front but leave the fritos inside, add chili, top with cheese and whatever other toppings you like, and eat straight out of the bag! But yours is more elegant!
Fritos in a pie! Great idea!
Frito pie is up on there on my list of things but never have yet, so thanks for the reminder!
Well, holy cow, I think I need this immediately!
Ha ha hhahh, sorry, but laughing about your winter guym clas :)))
I’ve heard many a friend from Texas rave about the Frito Pie and I’ve always wanted to try it. I can’t wait to make this one!
I was wondering what I would be making for dinner tonight and this is it. Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve seen something similar to this bouncing around the internet… I need to try it… THanks for sharing
Frito pie is quite possibly my favorite meal, could be that I’m a native New Mexican and the fact that it’s easily made vegetarian. I like to load mine with chunks of chopped white onion for an extra crunch, shredded lettuce, tomato and avocado. I’ve never tried baking it, I just might have to have this for dinner tonight!
We were just talking about how much we love Frito pie in our office. Your recipe looks amazing. This is definitely going on the rotation…can’t wait to share it!
I think my husband would go crazy for this! Perfect football food!!
What a fun pie! I would love to try this but we do not get fritos down here. What texture are they? like corn chips?
Oh that cheese is drool worhty
Yes, corn chips! :)
I’ve never had Frito Pie, but this is certainly making me want to try it, like, yesterday! Looks awesome!!
Yum! My grandmother used to make a similar dish, but in dip form, and she would serve it with fritos. But I can’t wait to try this version with the fritos baked right in. I can just imagine all the savory goodness!
Being a transplanted Texan, we eat this year round. We do it the easy way, Wolf brand canned chili, Fritos & shredded cheddar cheese. I remember eating Frito Pie at numerous fundraisers: church,little league, school… Take a single serving bag of Fritos, cut a slit on the side, add the chili and top with cheese and add a fork!
I also went to Catholic High School and we actually had bowling lanes in the basement of the gym. One session is gym during the year was bowling and we were graded on knowing how to score the games!
I too am so ready for fall comfort food and the pie looks great. I love Fritos!
Ah I miss Fritos!! It’s the one remaining thing I crave that I can’t get in the UK. It wouldn’t be the same with tortilla chips would it. :-(
I love Frito pie with made with homemade chili. No beans and I use Rotel tomatoes in mine. Have lived in Texas all of my 64 years.
We are still having 90 degree weather.
God I love Fritos. I am vegetarian, so I’d maybe make this with mushrooms. Looks scrumdiddilyumptious.
What a fun use of Fritos. I love those salty things :) I have a couple baked chips-n-dip type recipes, casseroles, etc. that use them and have salmon cakes with a Frito crust rather than breadcrumbs! They’re pretty darn versatile!
I love fall foods! So comforting and cheesy and just plain awesome! This frito pie has my name written all over it! Can’t wait to make it!