Frito Pie is a classic Tex-Mex comfort food meal, easily made with a hearty beef and bean filling, crunchy Fritos chips, and topped with melted cheese.
You’ll love how quick and easy this family-friendly recipe is! It’s perfect for game day dinners or busy weeknights.
Ok, it’s not really a Pie…
…It’s a casserole! But calling it Frito Pie is a bit more fun than calling it a delicious chilli casserole with chips on top.
This Frito pie recipe was previously published here back in 2021 as a “walking taco casserole”, and that recipe was great, but needed an update! I added beans, tomato sauce, and garlic to make it heartier and more flavorful, and now I think it’s absolutely perfect.
With a pound of ground beef and some pantry staples, you’ll be able to throw this Tex-Mex dinner recipe together any time! It’s a wonderful alternative to the typical taco night or your standard weekend crock pot chili.
To make this layered taco casserole dinner more fun, I like to let everyone add their favorite taco casserole toppings, such as sour cream, lettuce, avocado, and salsa.
Ingredient Notes
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Fritos: This is by far the most important ingredient in any recipe for Frito Pie. These sturdy, salty corn chips hold up to a little bit of moisture from the filling and stay wonderfully crispy on top of your chili pie.
- Ground Beef: I generally like to use lean ground beef (90/10 or even 95/5). You get more meat this way. If your beef is lean enough, you don’t even need to drain the grease away from the meat after you brown it with freshly minced garlic and diced onion.
- Beans: To make the casserole hearty, cozy, and packed with fiber, I’m using two types of canned beans, pinto beans and red kidney beans. In a pinch, you could technically use any kind of beans in this recipe. Try it with black beans or even chili beans. In the UK, use berlotti beans. Whatever type, drain and rinse the beans before using.
- Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies, aka, Rotel. I used the fire-roasted version of Rotel, which gives this casserole the perfect amount of mild heat and a little bit of smoky flavor. If you want it to be milder, use plain or fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead.
- Taco Seasoning: I used three tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning, but you can use a packet of the store-bought kind. Keep in mind that a taco seasoning packet usually includes cornstarch, so the filling will thicken more quickly in the skillet. You may need to add an extra splash of water to get the right consistency.
- Tomato Sauce: I used a little bit less than a full can of plain tomato sauce for this recipe.
- Cheese: Aside from the crunchy chips, the cheese on top might be my favorite part of this dish! Shredded Mexican cheese blend works well, or you can freshly grate some cheddar, Colby, or Monterey Jack cheese.
Tip!
Some Frito Pie recipes add chips to the bottom and top of the casserole, but you’ll see that I’ve left off the bottom layer in my recipe. I tried it, and found that the chips turned soggy and mushy at the bottom. I say, “no thank you” to soggy corn chips!
More Tex-Mex Casseroles to Try!
All Casserole Recipes Here →
Make and take this comfort food casserole to a potluck or a football party, or just enjoy it with your family at home.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Frito Pie
Equipment
- Large skillet
- 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking dish
- wooden spoon
- Knife and cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 pound (450 g) lean ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons (27 g) taco seasoning store-bought or homemade
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
- ½ cup (120 ml) water
- 1 15-ounce can (425 g) kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 1 15-ounce can (425 g) pinto beans rinsed and drained, berlotti beans in the UK
- 1 10-ounce can (283 g) fire-roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies such as Rotel
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml) tomato sauce
- 1 9.25-ounce bag (262 g) Fritos corn chips
- 1 cup (113 g) shredded Mexican cheese blend
Topping options:
- Sour cream
- Pico de gallo
- Diced avocado
- Shredded iceberg or romaine lettuce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for about 2 minutes until softened.
- Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a spoon, until browned and no longer pink.
- Stir in minced garlic, taco seasoning, salt, and water. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the kidney beans, pinto beans, diced tomatoes with green chilies, and tomato sauce.
- Stir well and simmer on low-medium heat for 8-10 minutes until thickened slightly.
- Transfer the beef mixture to a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) casserole dish. Spread evenly.
- Top with Fritos corn chips and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbly.
- Serve hot with sour cream, pico de gallo, diced avocado, and shredded lettuce.
Notes:
- For extra heat, use spicy taco seasoning or add diced jalapenos along with the onions.
- Make Ahead: Assemble the casserole up to a day ahead of time, minus the chips, and refrigerate. Add the Fritos and bake just before serving for the best crunch.
- Storage: Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven to bring the crunch back to the chips.
- Fritos: Substitute with Doritos Original Corn Chips or CC’s Corn Chips (Australia), or M&S Corn Chips (UK). Choose a plain or lightly salted version, not flavored.
- Rotel: Use one 400 g can of chopped tomatoes mixed with one small diced green chili or jalapeño (fresh or canned).
- Mexican cheese blend: Substitute with a mix of grated cheddar and Monterey Jack (or mozzarella if unavailable).
- Ground beef: In the UK, this is sold as “beef mince.” Look for 5% fat lean beef mince for the same result.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Recipe Tips
- Adjust the Heat! If you want some real spice to this dish, add a diced jalapeno pepper to the pan along with the onion. You can also try spicy taco seasoning or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Lighter Option: Try this Frito Taco Pie recipe with ground turkey or chicken!
- Make Ahead Option: Assemble your Frito pie without the chips, cover, and store in the fridge for up to a day. Just before baking, add the Fritos. Increase the baking time by a few minutes if needed to reheat the chili mixture fully.
- Fun Toppings: These are optional, but a bit of freshness can go a long way to make this meal super special. Try adding pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, sour cream, diced avocado, sliced black olives, green onions, cilantro, or lime wedges.
Can Frito pie be made with other types of chips?
Sure! Try this with Doritos, crushed corn chips, or tortilla chips. Any type of chips will give this recipe the crunch it needs.
Does Frito Pie Need to Be Baked?
I like to bake this casserole for 30 minutes so that the flavors can meld, the cheese can melt, and the chips can get a little bit toasted.
If you’re short on time, you could technically skip the baking part. Instead, I suggest adding the cheese to the beef and beans mixture in the skillet (make sure it’s oven-proof) and placing it under the broiler for 3-5 minutes to get melty. Then serve with Fritos sprinkled on top.
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