Chili Cheese Frito Pie

Easy Southern Chili Cheese Frito Pie combines savory chili, gooey cheese, and crunchy Fritos for a comforting family favorite.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword chili-cheese-frito-pie, easy-frito-pie-recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings servings

Calories 484kcal

Author Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

3 cup shredded Colby-Jack Cheese divided
1 medium onion diced
1 small poblano or jalapeno pepper diced seeds removed
olive oil
2 lb lean ground beef turkey or chicken
1/4 tsp each seasoned salt and black pepper
4 medium garlic cloves minced
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1.25 oz package taco seasoning [Omit if using DIY spices]
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 10 oz can Rotel Chili Fixins Tomatoes may use classic Rotel with green chiles
1 15 oz can light red kidney beans
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 10 1/4 oz bag chili cheese fritos (may use plain fritos)
chopped green onions and sour cream for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
On the stove top in a large skillet, saute diced onion and pepper in a couple of drizzles of olive oil. Cook over medium-high heat until the vegetables begin to soften and brown. Add the minced garlic and saute for 1 minute.
Add ground beef cooking until no pink remains. Season with 1/4 tsp each seasoned salt and black pepper OR to your taste. Drain excess fat from skillet.
To the ground beef add Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, Rotel tomatoes, kidney beans and taco seasoning. [See Cook's note for DIY spices] Mix well, and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and mix in chopped cilantro.
Pour 1/2 of the fritos over the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the shredded cheese.
Pour chili mixture evenly over the fritos in the baking dish. Sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese on top.
Top with the remaining fritos and final 1/3 shredded cheese.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until bubbly around the edge.
Garnish with chopped green onions and serve topped with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

Notes

DIY Spices: [Use in place of taco seasoning]
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp Mexican oregano
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground chipotle pepper

Protein - You can make this Chili Cheese Frito Pie recipe using ground beef, ground turkey or ground chicken with outstanding results each time.
Cheese - You can use sharp cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, monterey jack cheese or spicy pepper jack cheese.
Fritos - You can use classic fritos or a store brand that you enjoy in place of chili cheese fritos. You could also adapt this recipe using scoops. Scoops are large so you may bed to decrease the amount used.
Chili - If you have a big pot of chili with some leftover, you can use it in place of homemade chili.
Canned Tomatoes - Rotel Chili Fixin's Tomatoes can sometimes be difficult to find. You can use classic Rotel tomatoes with green chiles or use another brand of chili ready tomatoes.

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