This post may contain affiliate links.

Full of flavor and layered with Fritos, meat, and cheese this Frito Chili Pie Casserole is a great weeknight dinner that will satisfy and feed the whole family!

I love Fritos, they are one of my favorites snacks! The perfect saltiness that you just cannot get enough of, but I also love using them in recipes.

Especially this Frito Chili Pie Casserole. Layered with meat, cheese, and Fritos this casserole is not lacking in flavor and makes the perfect easy weeknight dinner.

Our whole family asks for this and when I’m in a hurry this is a great recipe to throw together. Using a bunch of spices to really bring out the flavor, everything just comes together so well.

Done in around an hour this is one of those recipes that are great pretty much for any time! It is on our menu rotation monthly and has been forever.

This Frito Chili Pie Casserole is one of those recipes that we have been making for the longest time and that we have just come to love from the first time we have made it.

No weird ingredients really make this kid-friendly and they will dig in and be begging for more! At least that is what our experience has been here, you’ll have to try for yourself and be the judge.

Some of my other favorite casserole recipes we have on our site include: Mexican Rice Casserole, Crack Chicken Noodle Casserole and Lazy Day Lasagna.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

With easy ingredients, this comes together quickly.
This makes a nice large batch, perfect for a family meal.
You can switch up the spices to your liking.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):

Ground beef
Onion
Garlic
Chili powder
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Kosher salt
Ground cumin
Chipotle powder
Tomato paste
Tomato sauce
Beef stock
Fritos
Cheddar cheese
Sour cream, for serving
Sliced scallions, for serving

HOW TO MAKE FRITO CHILI PIE CASSEROLE:

In a large skillet, brown and crumble the meat over medium-high with the onions. Break up the meat until there is no pink left and the onions appear translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Drain any excess fat.
Add the chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin, chipotle powder, and tomato paste.
Cook for 2 minutes, stirring it all together until combined.
Add the tomato sauce and beef stock, stir until combined.
Bring to a simmer and cover, simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add half of the crushed Fritos into the bottom of a greased 9×13 baking dish.
Add half of the chili evenly over the Fritos.
Top with half of the cheese. Repeat with another layer.
Cover with non stick foil, or spray a piece of foil with cooking spray and place it spray side down on top of the baking dish. Bake for 20-30 minutes until warmed through and the cheese is melted. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Serve immediately with a dollop of sour cream and sliced scallions.

IS THIS SPICY?

It’s not over the top spicy, it uses chili powder and chipotle powder. If you are not a fan of spice at all you can cut those back or omit them entirely.

Just know that those are key elements to make this recipe, but it will still taste good without them!

CAN I USE ANOTHER MEAT?

Absolutely, if you are not a huge fan of ground beef or simply want to switch up your meat options you can swap out the ground beef with ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground pork!

WHAT KIND OF CHEESE IS BEST?

First off we like to use freshly grated cheese, this melts better than packaged cheese since it does not have any of the preservatives.

We like to use cheddar for this recipe, but you can switch up your cheeses to your preference. Some other ideas include Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, and a Mexican Blend.

DO THE FRITOS GET SOGGY?

The Fritos will stay crunchy around the edges of the pan while this cooks. The remaining Fritos do not get mushy but they will soften in the center of the casserole.

If you store this, there is a chance that the Fritos will get soggier just from sitting.

HOW TO STORE:

This can be stored in an airtight container or in the pan covered with plastic wrap or foil where it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

This can also be frozen, to do this place it in a freezer container or make it in a freezer-safe dish and wrap it with plastic wrap and foil and it will keep frozen for up to 3 months.

To defrost, remove to the refrigerator overnight. Reheating may make the Fritos a little hard, I suggest covering the pan again with foil and baking until warmed through.

This will help the Fritos from drying out too much. Also, sitting in the fridge may make it a little soggy too, but leftovers still taste delicious.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

Try it with the chili cheese-flavored Fritos for a kick of flavor.
This can be halved and made in a 9×9-inch dish to feed fewer people.
This can be frozen, see my tips above.
If you are not a fan of heat you can reduce or omit the chili powder and chipotle powder.
Add beans to the chili mixture, this tastes great!
You can switch up the cheese, see some of my suggestions above.
Also, you can switch up your meats to ground chicken, turkey, or pork.

Looking for that fun and easy family-friendly dinner recipe that makes enough to feed everyone? Then this Frito Chili Pie Casserole is what you need.

If you like this recipe you might also like:

If you’ve tried this FRITO CHILI PIE CASSEROLE let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!

Frito Chili Pie Casserole