Frito Pie

5 from 4 votes

A cozy chili cheese casserole topped with crunchy corn chips! This Frito Pie comes together in one pan with about 15 minutes of prep.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword frito pie, ground beef casserole

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings people

Calories 385.3kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (or 1 teaspoon dried garlic powder)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 (27 ounce) can chili beans (drain just a little bit of the liquid off of the top of the can, but don’t fully drain off all of the liquid from the beans)
1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups Fritos corn chips (about 3 ounces)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese, or more to taste
Optional garnish: sliced green onion; sour cream; diced avocado or guacamole

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Brown ground beef, onion and garlic in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium high heat until beef is no longer pink (about 5-7 minutes). Drain and return beef mixture to the skillet.
Stir in chili powder, beans and tomatoes. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors to come together and the liquid to thicken slightly. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Sprinkle grated cheddar over top. Top with corn chips.
Bake, uncovered, for about 15-20 minutes (or until the casserole is warm and the cheese is melted). Garnish with optional toppings and serve immediately.

Drain off some of the excess liquid from the top of the beans so that the meat filling isn't too runny. You don't want to drain off all of the liquid from the can because you want some of that left to moisten and flavor your chili!
It's all about the toppings! Don't forget to set out an array of tasty additions such as sour cream, avocado or guacamole, salsa, diced red onion, sliced green onion or extra Fritos!
If you don't have a large oven-proof skillet, you can transfer the ground beef mixture to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish before topping with cheese and chips.
Bake the casserole just until it's heated through. All of the ingredients are already cooked, so you just want to warm it in the oven until bubbly.