Our Frito Pie recipe is a Tex-Mex casserole loaded with seasoned beef, pinto beans, corn, and plenty of crunchy Fritos. It’s hearty, cheesy, and sure to be a family favorite.
You may have caught on by now that I’m a big ol’ fan of casserole recipes.
I mean, it just gets so boring eating a piece of meat, a veggie, and a starch every night for dinner.
Bring on the casseroles, where we can mix all of those things together and add cheese. That’s much more exciting, if you ask me. 😉
And it doesn’t get much more exciting than this Frito casserole!
Table of Contents
The Frito Casserole Magic:
What’s so special about this Frito pie casserole? It’s the way the Fritos transform in the baking process.
The bottom layer softens up and takes on the texture of a corn tortilla. It has very enchilada-like texture.
The top layer stays nice and crunchy.
It’s kind of like a walking taco but in casserole form packed with all the good stuff. The combination of textures and flavor is just amazing!
Ingredient Notes:
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Fritos – This is our star ingredient here so you’ll definitely need a bag of Fritos. We prefer the original flavor but there is no reason you couldn’t try this Frito pie recipe with other flavors like the chili cheese or flamin’ hot.
Ground Beef – Season your beef with chili powder and taco seasoning.
Enchilada Sauce – The sauce will adds lots of flavor and help keep the Frito casserole from drying out. Use this homemade enchilada sauce if you’ve got the time to make it, or use a canned sauce.
Ro*Tel – This is just canned diced tomatoes and green chilis and it adds the perfect amount of spice. We use the “Original” version. If that’s too spicy, use the “Mild” version. If it’s not spicy enough use the “Hot” with the habanero!
Pinto Beans – We like pinto beans, but black beans would also work well here. And you can leave the beans out altogether if you don’t like them.
Cheese – We use cheddar, but Monterey Jack works well too.
What We Love About This Recipe!
It’s hard not to love easy casserole recipes! They are so filling and full of good stuff and the best part is you can customize them with ingredients that your family likes best.
How To Make Frito Pie:
Beef: Fire up your skillet over medium heat and add the ground beef, breaking it up as it cooks. Drain the fat as it browns.
Seasoning: Add the onions and finish the beef until it is cooked through. Next add the garlic and cook for an additional thirty seconds. Finally, add the packet of taco seasoning, the chili powder, and 1/4 cup of water. Stir well to combine and coat the beef in the spices. These seasonings are going to add loads of Southwestern flavor to your casserole.
Mix: Pour the enchilada sauce in with the beef, add the corn, beans, and Ro*Tel, and stir well to combine everything.
Layer: Pour half the bag of Fritos into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish, which is going to serve as the “crust” for your Frito pie. Pour the beef mixture over the top. Sprinkle on some cheddar and another layer of Fritos.
Bake: Pop this in a hot oven for 30 minutes and top it off with freshly sliced jalapenos, diced tomatoes, and green onions.
Serving Suggestions:
We like to serve this Frito Pie recipe with our restaurant style salsa and homemade guacamole.
A few of our favorite Mexican side dishes include esquites, refried bean dip, and Mexican potato salad.
FAQs:
Frito Pie (alternately called Frito Casserole) is basically a Tex-Mex chili taco combo in casserole form, loaded with Fritos chips, and topped with cheesy goodness. This is Tex-Mex at it’s best.
You can store leftover Frito casserole for about 2 to 3 days covered in the refrigerator. The top layer of Fritos will lose some of their crunch after reheating.
Substitions:
- Use mild Ro*Tel to keep the spice level down.
- Swap ground turkey for the beef.
- Looking for Frito pie without beans? Just leave them out entirely, no other changes needed.
- Swap the packet for this homemade taco seasoning. So much better!
- Not sure about the corn? We like the sweet crunch it adds, but it can also be left out.
- Use whatever toppings you like – diced tomatoes, fresh jalapenos, cilantro, sour cream…the sky is the limit!
More Tex-Mex Favorites:
- White Chicken Chili
- Authentic Carnitas Recipe
- Taco Tater Tot Casserole
- Air Fryer Tacos
- Drunken Beans
- Taco Chili
- Homemade Crunchwrap Supreme
Frito Pie Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medkum sweet onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 15 ounces canned pinto beans drained
- 10 ounces Ro*Tel
- 10 ounces enchilada sauce
- 8 ounces canned corn drained
- 9 ounces Fritos
- 2 cups shredded cheddar
- Green onions, sour cream, sliced jalapenos for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook, crumbling the meat as it browns. Once beef is broken up, add the onions and continue cooking until beef is cooked through and onions have softened.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the taco seasoning, chili powder, and ¼ cup of water. Stir well to combine.
- Add the beans, Ro*Tel, enchilada sauce, and corn to the skillet and stir well to combine.
- Arrange half of the Fritos in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Pour the beef mixture over the top. Sprinkle with the cheddar and remaining Fritos.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Serve with green onions, sour cream, and sliced jalapenos.
Ashly says
My mom used to make this all the time growing up… but to CLASS it up a bit… use canned chilli with meat and velveeta cheese…. mmmm Love your blog!
Lauren says
OMG! LOVE frito pie! My husband hates fritos so having something like this is a serious treat!
Nicole at Loving Simple Moments says
Ha, ha. Frito Pie day sounds like a good holiday to me! 🙂
Simone says
O I love your dog!! Just too cute..:)
Kalyn says
Hi Karly, love the new look for your blog!
Julie says
Every other food has it’s own holiday, why not frito pie? Your dog looks adorable 🙂
Mary says
I love this and I know some young men who will devour it. This is my first visit to your blog, so I took some time to browse through your earlier posts. I’m so glad I did that. I really love the food and recipes you feature here and I’ll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Katrina says
Mmm what comfort food!
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says
Eeep! Cute dog! Delicious dish! Beans are from the devil lol!!!!
Jessica @ How Sweet says
I love love love this. It’s happening next week.
Joanne says
I’m so sad you don’t like beans! It’s okay…I probably eat enough for both of us!
It hasn’t been THAT cold here, so I haven’t bothered to clean my room recently…I have a feeling it’s coming soon though.
mrsblocko says
Your little puppy looks stylin’.
I can never seem to make Frito pie…all the Fritos jump in my mouth before I get a chance to put them in the casserole!
Karly says
Those Fritos are sneaky little buggers, aren’t they?
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says
Your dog is super cute! I kept going back to her pictures – no offense to the food of course! 🙂 I really want to make a something with fritos or frito scoops. I bet it’s super tasty.
what katie's baking says
YUMMM
your dog is crazy cute and this frito chili pie looks crazy delicious!
Michelle says
Sounds great! Last week I made the sour cream noodle bake (with fake meat). Delish! And 2 of my 4 kids liked it, which is about as good as it gets! I will have to give this a whirl as well.