Easy Ground Beef Chili Frito Pie Casserole Recipe

A delicious comfort food recipe, this Easy Ground Beef Chili Frito Pie Casserole recipe combines a beef chili filling with plenty of cheese and crunchy Fritos corn chips for a walking taco casserole the whole family will love!

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The easiest, cheesiest Ground Beef Chili Frito Pie Casserole recipe

A family style play on walking tacos, this Frito Pie Casserole is the ultimate comfort food! This delicious meal is perfect for busy weeknights and takes ground beef casserole to the next level by using crunchy Fritos corn chips as the topping and base of the casserole!

Ready start to finish in under an hour, this hearty ground beef casserole with a chili base is loaded with lean ground beef, veggies, and plenty of ooey gooey cheese and crunchy chips!

Ingredients

To make this easy and delicious Frito Pie Casserole, you will need:

• 1 lb ground beef. I prefer 85% lean for this recipe.
• A red bell pepper.
• One small onion.
• A can of ark red kidney beans.
• Homemade taco seasoning (see recipe card below). I love the flavors of making your own seasoning blend, rather than using store bought, so you can control the flavors as well as the sodium content.
• Minced garlic- you can use fresh or jarred. No judgment here!
• A can of fire roasted diced tomatoes.
• One can of corn.
• A small can of fire roasted diced green chilis.
• Sharp White Cheddar, hand shredded.  
• Monterey Jack cheese, hand shredded.  
• A bag of Fritos corn chips. Any store bought/off brand name of corn chips in the same style will work, too!

How to make Frito Pie with Ground Beef

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees f, and grease a 13” x 9” casserole dish with butter. 
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add beef, bell pepper and onions. 
3. Cook until veggies are softened and beef is fully brown, 6-8 minutes. 
4. Add homemade taco seasoning and garlic, and stir to coat. Cook until, just fragrant, about 30 seconds. 
5. Add drained corn, diced tomatoes, green chilis and drained beans, and stir well. Simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. 
6. Layer ½ of the Fritos on the bottom layer of the greased baking dish, followed by half of the shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack. 
7. Transfer cooked  meat mixture to top of the chip and cheese layer. 
8. Cover with remaining cheese, then remaining Fritos. 
9. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and slightly browned. 

Serving the Frito Pie Casserole

This Frito Pie Casserole is best served fresh from the oven, with plenty of your favorite taco toppings. Here are some great ideas for topping your Frito pie casserole:

• Add a dollop of sour cream.
• Some thinly sliced green onions add a nice fresh bite.
• Add a bit of fresh pico de gallo or salsa.
• Try some thinly sliced black olives.
• Add a touch of finely diced red onions.
• Top it with a scoop of refried beans.
• Add some bottled chili sauce or your favorite Mexican style hot sauce.
• Fresh cherry tomatoes, halved.
• Fresh cilantro leaves.
• Thinly sliced jalapenos.

Substitutions and Additions

• Instead of red kidney beans, you could use Ranch-style beans, pinto beans, chili beans or black beans.
• You can substitute the lean ground beef for bison or ground turkey.
• Instead of the homemade seasoning blend, you can use your favorite taco seasoning. Salt level in store bought seasoning can vary, so start with 1 tablespoon and go from there.
• If you like a more fluid texture, you can add a small can of enchilada sauce to the beef mixture along with the diced tomatoes.

Tools for the perfect casserole

• A large 13" x 9" casserole dish.
• 1 large skillet (preferably nonstick) for cooking the beef mixture.
• A box grater, for grating your own cheese (makes a big texture difference- who doesn't love extra gooey cheese?!)
• A good cutting board and sharp knife, for veggie prep.
• A strainer, for the canned corn and beans.

Storing leftovers

Store any leftover Frito Pie Casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I do not recommend freezing this casserole, as the Fritos will not hold up well in the freezer.

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