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Frito Pie
Updated Feb. 15, 2024
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- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 1tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
- 1pound ground beef, preferably 20-percent fat
- 1medium yellow onion, diced
- 1(1-ounce) packet taco seasoning (or 3 tablespoons of a homemade taco seasoning)
- 2(15-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1(19-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (or 2½ cups of homemade enchilada sauce)
- 2(9-ounce) packages or 1 (18-ounce) package Fritos, 1 cup reserved for serving (8 to 10 cups)
- 8ounces shredded Cheddar (about 2 cups)
- Diced white onion, sliced scallions, pickled jalapeños, sour cream or pico de gallo, or a combination, for serving (optional)
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Step 2
In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the beef and onion, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is browned and the onion is translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Lower the heat if the meat is browning too quickly.
- Step 3
Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the meat mixture and pour in ¾ cup of water; mix well. Bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid thickens and coats the pan, scraping up any browned bits, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beans and enchilada sauce, stirring until combined. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
- Step 4
Assemble the pie: Sprinkle half of the Fritos in the prepared baking dish, followed by half of the Cheddar. Cover with all of the meat filling. Finally, add the remaining Fritos (minus the reserved cup) and Cheddar.
- Step 5
Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 7 to 10 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes, then add the desired toppings to the casserole, or spoon into individual bowls and have eaters top as they please. Add reserved Fritos for more crunch, if desired.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
I hope I'm wrong but I worry that some of the low ratings are from people who wouldn't know a Frito from a bandito and would want to substitute kale chips etc. My opinion: not everything has to be fancy or 100% healthy to taste good and deserve to be on these pages.
Our Frito pies (in East Texas) were served in the individual size Frito bag, cut open on the side. Chili, cheese, and (if requested) onions were added via the side slit. Cheap, easy, and delicious.
True story. When Frito decided to save some money and make their bag thinner, thus making in the bag Frito pie infeasible, there was a mass demonstration in the plaza in Santa Fe. In the back of the five and dime, on the corner of the plaza, frito pie is still served daily.
Would love to hear why this ends up at such a low rating of 3 out of 5 stars. None of the notes addresses what wasn't great. My family is interested in me making this for super bowl. I can punch it up on my own but would love to hear what others found lacking.
okay I know this is Frito pie but I needed to make it a Keto pie. Swapped in chicharrones for Fritos and it was a crunchy crackling hit
In New Mexico, we also do in-the-bag style, or sometimes in a bowl. We will probably also have pinto beans featured --our staple! In our family, we keep it simple and use ground meat and red chile sauce, aka chile colorado ("enchilada sauce" I suppose, but incorporated into lots of dishes, made simply with chile powder, garlic, broth and flour as thickener), and dress with sharp cheddar!
The common NM way to serve Frito pie at home is put Fritos in the bottom of a bowl, top with chile (most commonly made with ground beef but pork or chicken works or even veggie), shredded cheese (heat from chile melts it), and then top with some diced onion, tomato and lettuce. Delicious!!!
There are low-salt Fritos where I shop.
I feel like Fritos added even more sodium to the chi which has made them unbearably salty. Is there anyone who makes a knock off version with less sodium?
The best Frito pie is from Chicago Dog Express in Santa Fe. They make their red chili and beans in house with NO SALT. Ladled over Fritos, there's a perfect amount of saltiness in the finished dish. Otherwise, you're right - most Frito pies are inedibly salty.
The chili always needs a bit of cider vinegar to brighten the flavor!
Veg: use canned (or homemade) vegetarian chili instead of the meat
I cut down on Frito's and cheese by putting them on top of the cassarol. I used only one can of enchalda sauce. I also used one can of black beans and one can of pinto beans. Family liked it!
I add avocado as a topping. The best version that I've had at a restaurant is at the Original Q-Shack, is made with their brisket chili and you order as chili chip con todo!! Delicious??
Add some canned whole kernel corn to this - delicious!
Leave the salt out of your taco seasoning because this is way too salty with the chips. Also, only one bag of fritos is needed to get a good ratio of meat and chips. Just the bottom layer and then a sprinkle when serving.
In Texas chili rule number one is no beans. Ever. Even in Frito chili pie. Tastes best with acherry limeade at the Sonic drive-in.
An easy and delicious way to make this vegetarian is to just use beans as the protein—it’s delicious! Just don’t try to gussy up Frito pie: cheddar cheese, enchilada sauce or red chile sauce (same thing), a sprinkle of onions—pour mix over Fritos, and there you go! Many people add tomatoes and chopped (iceberg) on top—delicious plus! It’s not health food, no, but you could do a lot worse, too. Enjoy!
Not going to make any friends here but my family also likes corn in their Frito pie. I agree.
Shared this with friends at card night. Great casserole that you can customize to your liking or set up buffet style to let people build their own. Served it with tomatillo salsa, jalapeños, sour cream, pico de gallo, and guacamole.
I used black seasoned beans and salsa that I had in my pantry. Reheating in oven reduces soggy Fritos just a suggestion.
Hallelujah, chili with red chile sauce and no tomatoes!
This was so good on day 1, especially with a side of sour cream. 5 stars. The only caveat is, it should be eaten all on day 1. Leftovers are no good because the Fritos become quite soggy.
Made this on hot night. Was quite good. The idea of two bags of chips is insane. Its just chili though.
This turned out very tasty and not too salty. I made the enchilada sauce and the taco seasoning but cut the salt to 1/4 t. I also used a low sodium broth in the enchilada sauce. It was not too salty though I also only used one bag and not 2 of Fritos. It still had plenty of crunch. Would make again!
Made this. Based on comments I halved the Fritos and enchilada sauce. Would not make it again.
This was a hit with the kids, especially. I would eat the chili alone. It was that good. I made the recipe exactly as written, but next time, I would try with a meltier cheese or combination of Cheddar with a meltier cheese. My husband loved this. Will make again.
Texan misplaced in Indiana. When my kids were little and would have sleepovers, I served Frito pie with homemade chili. These mid-western kids thought it was a delicacy and requested it often. Now, all in their 20s, they still stop by and ask for it! This recipe is the perfect football potluck!
This is good with changes. Can’t imagine how 2 bags of Fritos are needed. And one can of beans worked well too. The Fritos that went under the filling didn’t do well. I would save them all for the top. Definitely make your own taco seasoning without the salt and use at least 2 varieties of chili powder if you can. Will be delicious with summer tomatoes and all of the other toppings.
This was really good. I have been to the five-and-dime in Santa Fe when it was Woolworth's I believe and had this back in about 1985. It's a close second version in casserole format. Based on my experience - drain the beef, I took out about 2/3 c of liquid. I used about 3/4 of the Fritos and could have used less. After all, they are on the bottom with the 'walking taco.' Onions / cilantro / tomatoes on top were very good.
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