Frito Pie is a crowd-pleasing casserole with a rich beefy base (similar to chili) topped with heaps of cheese and… you guessed it… FRITOS!!
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights for Frito Pie
Frito pie (aka Frito taco pie) isn’t a pie, it’s more similar to taco casserole.
- Ingredients: This easy dish can be made at home with a few simple ingredients.
- Texture: The corn chips on the bottom of the casserole soften, almost like corn tortillas, while the Fritos on top stay crisp and crunchy.
- Prep ahead: Prepare the recipe up to 48 hours before baking.
- Serving suggestion: Swap up your typical taco night—add some toppings to the table, and let everyone create their own bowl.
Ingredient Tips For Frito Pie
- Meat: I use lean ground beef, but any ground meat can be used.
- Seasoning: Use a packet or make homemade taco seasoning.
- Vegetables: Beans, beans, tomatoes, and corn stretch the casserole further and add flavor. Replace the diced tomatoes with salsa if you’d prefer.
- Fritos: The Fritos (corn chips) on top add crunch and flavor, while the ones on the bottom soften slightly and take on a texture almost similar to a tortilla.
- Cheese: Pre-shredded cheese blends work well in this recipe.
How to Make Frito Pie
- Brown beef and season with a packet of taco seasoning. Stir in remaining filling ingredients.
- Layer Fritos, cheese, and the meat mixture in a casserole dish per the recipe below.
- Top with more cheese and bake until bubbly.
Serve and enjoy… and don’t forget the toppings!
Fun Toppings
Much like tacos, this Frito pie recipe can be topped with your favorites! I like to have small bowls of toppings for everyone to pick their own!
- Sauces: Salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, guacamole
- Veggies etc: Sliced black olives, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce jalapeños, green chiles, lime wedges, scallions, cilantro.
More Chili Inspired Favorites
Frito Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 1 packet taco seasoning or 3 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 (10 ounce each) can diced tomatoes with chilies such as Rotel, or salsa
- 1 ½ cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels thawed
- 1 (15 ounce each) can red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (9.25 ounce each) bag Fritos® corn chips divided
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend divided
- sour cream for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x13-inch casserole dish.
- Brown ground beef and onions, drain fat. Stir in taco seasoning, chili powder, and water.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until thickened. Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, & beans. Simmer an additional 5 minutes.
- Add 4 cups of corn chips to the bottom of the prepared dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese.
- Spread beef mixture over top and top with remaining cheese.
- Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Top with remaining chips and desired toppings.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Casserole, Dinner
Cuisine American, Tex Mex© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
So yummy-I used grated tofu in place of meat. Turned out great! Will definitely put this in our rotation.