Chili Frito Pie is a classic American dish that is loved by many. It's a simple yet delicious recipe that is perfect for a quick and easy dinner. The dish consists of layers of Fritos corn chips, chili, cheese, and other toppings. The best part about this dish is that it can be customized to your liking.
One of my FAVORITE things to do is figure out how to make recipes more Weight Watcher friendly or lower in points so that you can still be able to enjoy all those yummy and trending recipes that you see floating around on Pinterest. Like this chili frito pie recipe. You might think how are Frito chips diet friendly?
Well let me tell you, something friend. You can eat ANYTHING you want just as long as you stay within your calorie deficit or daily points. All the food police out there can go away because I know there will be some of them out there that say Chili Frito Pie isn't a diet-friendly recipe.
If you're looking for more easy dinner recipes like this try White Chicken Enchiladas, Chicken Salad with Grapes, or Skinny Beef Enchiladas.
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Why You Will Like This Recipe
I have perfected my own chili recipe over the years. I don't like onions in my chili at all, just ground beef and beans. No chunky tomatoes, and just a handful of different seasonings.
Ingredients Needed
- Ground beef - Is considered better than higher fat options for several reasons. First, it has less saturated fat, which can contribute to heart disease and other health issues. Additionally, it tends to have fewer calories per serving, making it a good option for those watching their weight. The 96% lean ground beef from Aldi is my favorite.
- Garlic, chopped - Chopped fresh garlic can take some time to chop so I often always use the freshly minced garlic that comes already made in a jar.
- Tomato sauce - Can sub crushed tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, or Marinara sauce
- Chili powder - Is a blend of mixed red chilis that have been dried up and pulverized until it resembles powder. Sometimes other spices like cumin and paprika.
- Ground cumin - is a member of the parsley family. It is a dried seed that is made from a plant called Cuminum cyminum.
- Cayenne pepper - is a type of chili pepper that is commonly used to add heat and flavor to dishes. It is named after the city of Cayenne in French Guiana and is often sold in powdered form.
- Chili beans - Keeps it easy and simple
- Shredded Cheddar, for serving
- Frito Lays Chips - or any other name brand frito style chips will do
- Chopped onions, for serving
- See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
I have multiple chili recipes on this site. Check out Turkey, Corn, and Black Bean Chili for a different take.
How to Make Chili Frito Pie
Step 1: Place the ground beef in a large pot and throw in the garlic. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain off the excess fat, and then pour in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne. Stir together well, cover, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If the mixture becomes overly dry, add ½ cup water at a time as needed. Add the beans and simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Place some Frito chips in a bowl and top with warm chili and cheese on top. Plus any extra toppings you like!
Recipe Tips
- Use the recipe my recipe for Crock Pot Turkey Chili filled with lots of great zero point and healthy options such as ground turkey, corn, and black beans.
- Frito chips come in smaller 1 oz serving portions. If you don't care to make this into a casserole dish scoop out chili on to chips and add some reduced-fat cheese or fat-free cheese on top. Total points would be 8. Chili is zero points so use as much as you like. 🙂
- I personally like the smaller size bags for portion control.
Recipe FAQs
If you are meal prepping this for dinner the next day, take about 10 minutes to brown the ground turkey. Throw all the ingredients in the slow cooker so when you come home all you have to do is throw the cheese on top of the chili and let it melt. Then scoop it into a bowl and throw on some Frito Chips. Cook on low for 8 hours This is great for GameDay or a Pot Luck.
If you tried this Chili Frito Pie any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries
Ree Drummond Perfect Chili Recipe
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Chili Frito Pie
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15-20 min
- Total Time: 25 min
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Easy
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Chili Frito pie is layers of chili, cheese, and Frito corn chips. It can be made in a casserole dish or kind of like a walking taco.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef (*see notes*)
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 15 oz can of chili beans
- Shredded Cheddar, for serving
- Chopped onions, for serving
Instructions
- Place the ground beef in a large pot and throw in the garlic. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain off the excess fat, and then pour in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne. Stir together well, cover, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If the mixture becomes overly dry, add ½ cup water at a time as needed. Add the beans and simmer for 10 minutes. S
- Place some Frito chips in a bowl and top with warm chili and cheese on top. Plus any extra toppings you like!
Notes
Smart Points: 8 for ⅛th of the dish.
Points are calculated with the WW recipe builder app and not using the nutrition info.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 395
- Sugar: 9g
- Fat: 19g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 32g
Jenna says
That chili recipe is still on this site. Please see Turkey, Corn, and Black Bean Chili and just use that chili recipe instead.
Lauri Fincham says
This is not the original recipe you had posted. The old one had can tomatoes, chipotle peppers, black beans and corn. Why did you change it? My family loved the original recipe. Very disappointed!