The original Frito pie isn’t a ten-step process and complicated recipe that you bake in the oven. Frito pie is taking your favorite chili (canned or homemade chili, who are we to judge?) and slapping it on a pile of crunchy Fritos, loading it with cheddar cheese and onions, and calling it dinner. Heck, you usually even use the smaller bags of Fritos, open them up, pour the chili on top, and call it a Frito Boat!
Classic Cheesy Chili Loaded Frito Pie
This is the perfect Tex-Mex weeknight meal that everyone will love! Although Frito pie originated in Mexico, it became popular in the Southwest US pretty quickly. And it’s not hard to know why! Frito pies are the ultimate comfort food and are legendary in the Southwest for their salty, cheesy, yet spicy taste combination.
What I really love about this classic chili-loaded Frito Pie is that the ingredients are totally interchangeable, so there is always going to be a variation that you’ll love. I’ve added a list of my own favorites on my ingredients list, and this is a pretty basic version, but please feel free to swap in and out! You can make this dish your own with extra toppings of your preference. Be warned, though, if you serve this one up at a party, you’d better prepare a LOT in advance because it’s going to be the first side dish to start disappearing from the table!
Ingredients
- Fritos corn chips (of course!)
- Chili (if you have time, try out my fave ground turkey chili recipe!)
- Cheddar cheese, shredded
- Green onions, thinly sliced
How To Make Frito Pie
Well, if this isn’t the easiest side dish to pull together I don’t know what is! This is definitely one to let the kids take charge of if you’re busy in the kitchen (it’s not child labor if they enjoy it…right?!!
- Divide the chips between 4 bowls
- Use 1 cup of chili as a topping for the chips
- Add a 1/4 cup sprinkling of shredded cheese on top
- Sprinkle the green onions over each bowl. (it is more traditional to sprinkle raw chopped onions but my kids won’t eat them)
- Enjoy!
Tips And Tricks For Making Frito Pie
- For a little more spice try adding some chopped jalapenos and chili flakes!
- If you want to add some extra toppings, sour cream, diced tomatoes, lettuce, and guacamole are always crowd pleasers! You can even add some fresh parsley to top it off.
- If dairy-free but love that sour cream taste you can always pick up a coconut-milk based variety (yep, this exists!)
More Ground Beef Recipes for you to try:
Sour Cream Ground Beef Casserole
Happy (not really cooking!) cooking! The kids had such a great time making their own bowls of Frito Pie that I think I can sneak in a Frito Pie Casserole some time soon that’s a little more “put together” than this one! Enjoy this one as a fun treat!
Love,
Karlynn
Classic Cheesy Chili Loaded Frito Pie
Ingredients
- 4 cups Fritos corn chips
- 4 cups chili use my favorite chili recipe or use canned!
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2-3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions raw diced onions are more traditional
Instructions
- Divide the chips into 4 bowls.
- Top the chips with 1 cup of chili on top.
- Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese on top of each bowl.
- Sprinkle the green onions on top.
- Eat and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Kerry says
Love this, but am very confused where it says this originated in Mexico…….. I live in Mexico, and Fritos are not sold here anywhere. How can this be from Mexico?!
Nevertheless, it’s a taste of TexMex home to me, and I make it with fried tortilla strips.
Karlynn Johnston says
I found that here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frito_pie
If it’s not true, you can edit Wikipedia to make it correct!
Whits@amusebouche says
Easy and tasty! Will make again for sure
george cain says
Did you post The Best damn pork rub recipe? Can’t find my copy anywhere.